McGiffert finished

I have finished building the RGM kit.  It was interesting.  It makes a really nice model but does entail some work.  I mostly followed the instructions but cheated near the end when doing the wheel cables. They were  tricky to string through all of the pulleys and drums, not helped by my bad eyesight and hands that shake when doing intricate details but that is life.  I will now place it in my logging area.

Time to move on to another project.

Logging railroads in 1887

Some statistics from an 1887 issue of the Railroad & Engineering Journal:

Number of railroads - 383
Total miles - 2286
Number of locos in use - 428
Number of cars in use - 5182

There were a lot of additional statistics but the points of interest are that many of these roads were very small and of various gauges.  Some even used wood rails and animal power instead of locos.  Many of the roads were temporary affairs with the track being ripped up and moved when the timber ran out.  Some of the roads even became permanent general purpose roads.

McGiffert almost complete

My RGM McGiffert kit is almost complete.  I still need to add the wheel lifting cables and the roof.  The kit has been interesting to build and will provide a key element to my logging area.  I elected to add a wood fuel box next to the boiler.  The kit does not supply any specific fuel solution but notes it could be wood, coal or oil.  Wood seems to me to be an obvious selection.  I also added a figure near the boiler on the other side.  Figures bring some life to the models.  Another addition is a ladder from the deck to the ground - hard to see in this view as it is on the other side - I think this is necessary because the deck is about 8 feet above the ground.  One thing I never noticed until I started build this is the boom does not swing sideways - just up and down, thus I guess the log tongs are just pulled to a nearby log, attached, to allow the loader to drag it up as it is hoisted.  The logs would be moved alongside the loader by dozer or animal power.

 I added a few details on the deck such as an open top barrel loaded with junk and an open box full of supplies.  I also placed a few tools on the deck placed by the operator after doing some minor adjustments.

McGiffert progress

My model is moving slowly forward.  The basic frame and mechanism is complete as is the boom and the rear water tank.  The floor is individual 2 x 12 planks stained with an india ink and alcohol solution (I use only 91% alcohol to minimize the water content and thus the potential for warping) then brushed with powdered chalks.  For the boom truss rod cables I substituted a thiner steel wire in one piece for the supplied brass wire and added cast brass turnbuckles instead of the strange wire loops described in the kit.  For the rear water tank I substituted a cast resin round riveted tank for the wood dowel supplied with the kit.

I have not yet added the log clamp and cable just behind the collar that holds the boom truss rods.  Next is the hoisting machinery for the log hoist, and then the superstructure.  I will likely deviate from the kit instructions on that as McGifferts were frequently modified by the logging companies to suit their needs.

RGM McGiffert build start

I have made some progress on the Rio Grande Models McGiffert kit, although other things keep getting in the way.  Below is the frame and retractable wheel assembly.  Thus far it is all white metal casting and brass wire bar.  As I am building this for an HOn3 railroad the legs required extensions (provided) to fit the rail at the base.  RGM also suggested that the brass wheel axles have paper insulation on one side to prevent shorts but I substituted plastic coated wire for the axle which made that easier.  So far all is going well.  The wheel assembly will be mounted inside the frame.

As you can see I have not applied any paint yet.

McGiffert Log Loader

The McGiffert log loader is an interesting piece of machinery.  First built in 1902 and used into fairly modern times.  The frame was designed to allow the empty log cars to pass under with the machine resting on the ground.  The loader then loaded logs onto the cars which were then moved forward to allow the next car to be loaded.  Below are some prototype photos of McGifferts.

A string of log cars passing under the McGiffert

Lifting a log onto the log car

End view

There was a lot of variations among the McGifferts as well as logging company modifications.