Victoria Lumber Log Bridge

(E.L.Macham photo, Sandy Macham collection)

One of the projects I have wanted to get to for some time was the building of a log bridge. I'd seen pictures of a Victoria Lumber Company locomotive pushing cars across this bridge over the Chemainus River, and pinned one up on the wall where it would go. Tall Timbers, Short Lines has graciously allowed me to post clips from the magazine.

Recently, a friend in our Friday Night Group came across an article in the Winter 2007 Tall Timber, Short Lines magazine with an article about the bridge including dimensioned drawings. Since my scenery working was approaching the river, I just had to give in and build the bridge. That way, I could rough in the river and build the bridge approaches at the same time.

It took some time, but I was eventually able to figure out the orientation of each of the shots of the bridge, ranging from a view showing what the engineers were faced with before getting started to the bridge as it was reconstructed for truck use.

Then I took liberties. The Chemainus River flows the other way now and, when I get to the next bridge, will exit the layout as the Arbutus Canyon. I know; it's not connected and is maybe some 40 miles south, but I just had to build that bridge, too. Also, because the river crosses a track hidden beneath it, the riverbed is higher than it should be leading to the bridge. Regardless, it should be recognizable to those who have seen the pictures (another shot can be found on page 145 of Robert Turner's Vancouver Island Railroads).

To get started, I scanned in the scaled drawings and resized them so that I could just measure dimensions in feet and inches directly from the page, where they were scaled at five feet and ten feet to the inch. The first things I needed were the logs, up to 114 feet in length and almost five feet in diameter.

Having used dowels from Canadian Tire in the past, I purchased a number of the three-foot lengths in sizes appropriate to those in the dimensioned end drawing - three different views were drawn in the article. To achieve the tapered log shape, I used an orbital sander, reducing the smaller end to sizes similar to those shown in the drawing.

Next the logs were distressed by dragging an old keyhole saw blade down the length of the dowel. This probably wasn't necessary, as it turned out, because my method of adding bark filled in most of the grooves, but I didn't know that then.

After cutting to the measured lengths, and staining with a mixture of brown and black leather dye – also not necessary, because I came up with a method for adding ‘bark’ - this yielded eight logs of varying diameters.

First, the upper set of four logs was laid out as shown in the picture. Laid flat and thus providing a level surface for the top to which the ties would be attached, I needed to add the two centre cross logs used as spacers between the upper and lower levels. I don’t like the way I did this, filing a rounded groove in the main logs for the two cross logs, but I’m not sure how the prototype would have achieved the mating.
The end crosspieces had to wait for later, as they were not oriented at 90 degrees to the main logs. The two ends of the bridge were supported differently. The left side (upstream for the prototype, downstream for me) was supported by two rows of 42” logs on a log crib. The two rows have been assembled and are shown in the picture above. I started a file cut at the wrong edge, but the fill would cover it later. Squared timbers on a concrete abutment supported the right side; they are shown to the right of the 42” log assembly above.

The next photo shows the site for the bridge; it would continue from the spline at the top right side, over to the mid level surface to the left and mostly out of the picture. The mainline can be seen below it; the river would go over that track and continue to the left.

The left side of the bridge was supported by a log crib that, in turn, supported the 42” logs. The crib had four rows in each direction. I stacked a bunch of 5/16” dowels left over from one of my wife’s curtain-making projects to check out the concept.

Fitting the logs together required that I file a groove along each line of logs, top and bottom. Seeing that this was going to become tiring rather quickly, I shortened many of the logs to span only three adjacent logs. The ends would be supported and level, and the interior was going to be filled with rubble anyway. After test fitting and amending the shape to accommodate the nearby track, I started adding layers.

The dowels were all distressed and stained before gluing. Here’s the end result. One thing I learned after I started filling all the spaces between logs was that outdoor glue should have been used. After soaking the ‘dirt’, some of the dowels started to come loose.


More about the log crib later - I was stumped for a while about what to do about the spaces between logs, but came up with a solution eventually.

The next phase of the project was one of the most difficult: fitting the bridge and its supporting structures into the layout.

You can see in the next shot that the two layers of the bridge have been assembled with the skewed spacers in between. As well, some bridge ties have been added; the first 16 ties appeared to be 8x8's, which I had in stock. The rest of the ties looked to be 8x12's; I had none. The logs on the top level of the bridge were filed to two different levels to take the two types of tie.


One of our Friday Nighter’s (who had, after all, found the Tall Timber article) insisted that the bridge had to be prototypically skewed. Soooo, the spline, as well as being lifted to match the level on the left, was detached from several supports and pushed back. The log crib was positioned forward so that the track would perform an S curve across – but not on – the bridge. A plywood support was built for the crib and another attached to the end of the spline. The lower track was covered with a cut up wallpaper tray, and a plastering web was made for the river base. After a bunch of shimming, the bridge was level and even sloping a bit left: half a train of logs would be parked there and any loose car about six inches to the right of the bridge would fly down 20 feet of spline!

Here’s the bridge with the ties and guardrails added; the coloring continues to be a mix of brown and black leather dye.


I was remiss in the picture-taking job, so the next shot shows a number of changes: the riverbed has been roughed in, an extension from the left brought to the bridge and, most importantly, the sides of the log crib filled in (the rocks on the top are temporary, because the bridge has to be removed to finish the river details).

To fill all the holes in the crib, I stuffed all the openings with paper towel. Next I hammered a bunch of plaster shards into fine ‘rocks’. After soaking the paper towel – remember the glue problem? – I poured rocks over the upturned faces of the crib, sprayed with wet glue, and then tamped the rocks down so that they sloped down to the front.

Next I experimented with some tile grout that I had left over from laying a base for a fireplace 20-some years ago. It seemed like a good dirt color to me, so I sprinkled it over the rocks, washed much of the excess off the logs and wet-glued it down. Finally, I sprinkled some Woodland Scenics dead grass in the openings, washed it in and glued it again. I like the effect.


The last things I have done so far include adding nut/bolt/washer details and adding bark. The latter had me stumped until I tried mixing another, grey grout that I had left over, into the brown. Brush-painting some dilute white glue on the bridge logs, I sprinkled the grout mix over the logs. The result was a rough, bark-colored finish. Luckily, the picture didn’t show any bark left on the crib logs, so that didn’t have to be refinished.

There will be a hiatus for a while now while I get back to my log dump scene. As plastering motivation comes back, I’ll finish detailing the riverbed and rock faces, then finish installing the bridge.

… more to come, but maybe not for a bit ….

About the Layout

The setting is Vancouver Island, British Columbia, on the west coast of Canada in the fall of 1949; the objective has been to give a feeling for the Island's railroads at that time, rather than to accurately represent the prototype. The Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway (E&N) was the principal railroad on the island, running from Victoria at the southern tip, along the island's East coast to Nanaimo, 73 rail miles north, and beyond. While the model goes no further, the railroad continued north and west. There were numerous logging and mining railroads all over the island, most using standard gauge equipment.

The 11’ x 24’ model railroad incorporates a fictitious logging railway and portions of the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway from Victoria to Nanaimo. The year 1949 was chosen because the CPR, owners of the railroad, converted the E & N completely from steam to diesel by the end of 1949; I wanted to have both steam and diesel on the E & N portion of the layout. I also lived in Victoria at that time. The logging roads provide ample opportunity to include additional steam, as it was used right into the 1960's; the E & N had both in 1949, but its 20 steam locomotives were all transferred to the mainland by year’s end, replaced by 13 Baldwin road diesels. As well, Bright Mine, serviced by the Comox logging line, was closed in 1951, the transfer dock at Ladysmith torn down in 1955.

The particular section of the island located midway between Victoria and Nanaimo was chosen because there were logging operations active on both the Chemainus (Copper Canyon) and the Nanaimo rivers (between Ladysmith and Nanaimo). Chemainus was at 52 miles, Ladysmith at 59 and Nanaimo at 73 miles north of Victoria. Log dumping took place at both Ladysmith and Chemainus during this same period. Coal and lumber were delivered to Ladysmith, 7 miles north of Chemainus, for carload shipment by transfer barge to the mainland. With other carload barge traffic, log and coal shipments from the Nanaimo river to Nanaimo and Victoria, a yard south of Chemainus representing Esquimalt/Victoria and another, co-located yard north of Ladysmith representing Nanaimo, there is ample opportunity to generate passenger, freight, logging and coal traffic on the E & N.

The logging operations will include a logging show (where the actual log cutting and loading took place), a camp (maybe), interchanges with the E & N (just north of Ladysmith and also at Chemainus), and a log dump at Chemainus. There are two primary operating areas: one at Ladysmith with its transfer wharf, other industry and a passenger station, the other at the joint Victoria/Nanaimo yard. Secondary operations will exist at the logging show, the logging camp, the mine, the interchanges and the log dumps. There will be one passenger station on the E & N mainline at Ladysmith and at least a notional station in the yard. There will also be a coal mine on the logging line (per the prototype) to provide further operating activity.

Operation takes place in three main areas of the U-shaped layout, which is accessible from all but one side of the U. The end of one side of the U is used for both Victoria and Nanaimo yards for the E & N. The outside bottom of the U is Ladysmith. Most of the lower inside of the U will be used for the log camp/sawmill, and a Y for turning Comox trains. The log dump is on the upper arm of the U opposite the yard. The logging show and the coalmine will occupy the centers of two dog bone loop areas in the arms of the U.

To incorporate a reasonable amount of track, there is a point-to-point run around the U and back at a base, 50” level; this represents E & N track from Victoria to Nanaimo. Not including the yard(s), this yields about 60 feet of mainline; passing track, interchanges, industry track and yards are in addition to that. The logging show, camp/sawmill and the coalmine are at various elevations, using the centers of the loops and the inner part of the U. With the layout base at 50” (on a T-girder frame with 1x4 beams, ½” plywood, homasote and cork roadbed), the camp/sawmill area will be at about 56” and the upper level (the log show) will at 62” to 64”. The design is set up for point-to-point operation with continuous running as an option for display purposes.

As most of our Friday Night Group’s layouts operated with Digitrax DCC, I incorporated the same system from the start. The frogs are all dead, though they could be wired at a later date if required. Since I have no short-wheelbase locomotives on the layout and no sound yet, they are causing no problems. Only a few, powered (Tortoise) switches are used, although the yard will probably have some diode-matrix-controlled throws eventually. The upper areas will require more remotely-controlled switches. Lighting is fluorescent with 5000K high-efficiency lamps.

Operation includes:
· Passenger trains on the E & N, both directions, yard to yard with stops at Ladysmith and Chemainus.
· Freight and mixed passenger/freight with stops at Chemainus, Ladysmith and Nanaimo.
· Logs from the show to the camp, on past the mine to the E & N interchange, from there via the E & N to the Chemainus interchange and finally to the log dump. Empties return.
· Ladysmith operations with E & N trains, the transfer barge and local industry.
· Freight to and from the log camp.
· Coal from the mine to the Ladysmith interchange, from there to Nanaimo, Victoria and the Ladysmith transfer dock.

I am looking forward to adding scenery and structures to the layout, but have had to defer it until there was sufficient track to support our operating sessions. Painting and finishing of a variety of locomotives and cars is also on that list, as is building more cars and structures. Some of the spline roadbed leading to the mining and logging areas has been built, with much more to come.