A forest railway, forest tram, timber line, logging railway or logging railroad is a mode of railway transport which is used for forestry tasks, primarily the transportation of felled logs to sawmills or railway stations.
In most cases this form of transport utilised narrow gauges, and were temporary in nature, and in rough and sometimes difficult to access terrain.
History
Before the railway was invented, logs were transported in large numbers from the forest down rivers either freely or on wooden rafts. This was not without its problems and wood was often damaged in transit, lost in floods or stranded in shallow water. Suitable rivers were often unavailable in mountainous terrain.
Simple wagonways, using horses and wooden rails, were used from the 18th century. However the invention of the steam locomotive and steel rails soon led to these being employed for forestry. However the difficult terrain within forests meant that narrow-gauge railways, which took up less space, were lighter and easier to build and enabled tight curves to be laid, were preferred. These were the so-called forest railways. In particularly large areas of forest or forests of unusually large trees, such as in the northwestern US, extensive forest railways were even built using standard gauge exclusively for forestry tasks. Special geared locomotives such as the Shay and Climax locomotive were developed for high tractive effort on rough track. Some forest railways became common carriers when cleared forest land was converted to agricultural or recreational use.
In cases where the railway itself was considered very short-term, or the region was extremely difficult to access, logs would often be laid into the ground as a pole road, rather than the cost and logistics of laying steel rails and sleepers. Pole roads could be extensive; several examples in the southeastern United States extended up to at the end of the nineteenth century, and used purpose-built steam locomotives."Pole Road Locomotives of the Early Days," Trains magazine, February 1948
In addition to steam traction, diesel and petrol-driven locomotives were also used later on. These largely brought animal-hauled transportation to an end on the forest railways. Also common were routes that just used gravity. Wagons loaded with wood would simply roll downhill in a controlled fashion under the pull of gravity. Foresters also travelled on these, at some risk to their lives on occasions – as brakemen. Empty wagons were hauled uphill again by horses.
From the second half of the 20th century forest railways were threatened by road transportation and by the end of the 1960s they had practically disappeared from western Europe. Roads were often laid in their place on the old trackbeds.
In a few Eastern European countries forest railways survived longer, particularly in Russia where there are still some today. In Hungary too there are several forest railways in active service today, some are also used for tourist traffic. The numerous forest railway operations in Romania were closed, with a few exceptions, by the 1990s. In Western Europe there are very few which are even preserved as museum railways.
In Asia and Oceania (Australia and New Zealand) the history and fate of logging tramways/forest railways is similar to Europe, with most lines either converted to motorised truck transport or closing down in the 1960s. Significant numbers of locomotives and other remnants of the former lines are found in museums and museum railways in Australia.
Forest railways in Europe
Austria
Railway nameRouteTrack gaugemmLengthkmTractionFromToOperated<r>byRemarksLower AustriaHaselbach Forest RailwayForsthaus-Hochwiese600~2.5Gravity, oxen, petrol-driven locos19151918BMFdemolishedForest Railway im KlauswaldKlauswald, near Puchenstuben 600?4.5 19301937WbKLangau-Lackenhofer Höfe Forest RailwayLangau-Lackenhof 1000~7Horses~18451867WbLLLunz-Langau-Saurüsselboden Forest RailwayLunz am See-Langau-Saurüsselboden70018.8Diesel19201974WbLLlimited public passenger services, demolishedNaßwald Forest RailwaySchwarzau im Gebirge6000.6Diesel, accumulator 1985 museum railwayWastl am Wald - Hühnerkogel Forest RailwayWastl am Wald 600~4 19341945WbWForest Railway im Weinsberger ForstMartinsberg-Gutenbrunn -Berglucke760~36 19201933WWFUpper AustriaOffensee Forest RailwaySteinkogl-Steibachl-Obere Moosau80015.5 18991954WbOReichraming Forest RailwaySchallau-Maieralm-Hansigraben76016.5 19201971WbRrlimited public passenger services, demolishedMaieralm-Unterweißwasser13.0Reichraming-Hintergebirge32.7DieselBurgenlandDörfl Forest RailwayDörfl 600 9.4 19241933WbDGroßmürbisch Forest Railway(Alsörönök-) Großmürbisch-Reinersdorfer Bach760 ~7.5 19351937WbGborder crossing, demolishedGroßpetersdorf-Rumpersdorf Forest RailwayGroßpetersdorf-Rumpersdorf760~13.5 1920~1933 WGRGüssing - Neuberg im Burgenland Forest RailwayGüssing-Neuberg im Burgenland760~14 19131921WGNGüssing - Rohr im Burgenland Forest Railway Güssing-Rohr im Burgenland760~27 19131921WGRLockenhaus Forest RailwayLockenhaus600 14.9 19261956WbLPunitz Forest RailwayPunitz-Punitzer Gemeindewald 600~9Horses1905~1933WbPSalzburgZinkenbach Forest RailwayLagerplatz Hundsleiten-Königsbachalm7006.7Diesel19211967WbZno passenger traffic, demolishedStyriaDeutschlandsberg Forest RailwayDeutschlandsberg-Freiland bei Deutschlandsberg7609.9Steam WbDno passenger traffic, demolishedHofbauer-Kupper-Bärental60017.9Steam between Kupper and Freiland (3.1 km) with cable car, no passenger traffic between Hofbauer and Kupper, demolishedFeistritzwaldbahnSteinhaus am Semmering-Rettenegg60022.0Steam19021958WbFlimited public passenger services, with two inclined lifts, demolishedFrohnleiten Forest RailwayFrohnleiten-Traninger-Rossstall76012.4 19251951WbFdemolishedTraninger-Dionys5.6Gundersdorf Forest RailwayDampfsäge-Höllein7604.0 WbGIngering Forest RailwayIngering-Seeboden720~10.5 ~18851938WbIRadmer Forest RailwayHieflau-Radmer-Neuhaus830~14 19201967WbRa9001200 V DC19671979Trieben Forest RailwayTrieben-Lager Seyfried800~10.8 1900~1939WbTTyrolKlammbachwaldbahnAchenkirch7606.6 19141960 Bächental Forest RailwayBächentalbahn750 10.219301956 border crossing
France Abreschviller Forest Railway, remains of a once extensive networks in the Vosges, museum railway Voies Ferrées des Landes a group of short lines built primarily to serve the forestry industry in the Landes forest The Forest Railway Welschbruch, built and used while the German Empire ruled Alsace, was used to carry wood logs down to the valley of Barr
Germany (selection) Railway nameRouteStateTrack gaugemmLengthkmFromToRemarksEbersberg Forest RailwayEbersbergBavaria demolishedReichswald Forest RailwaySebalder ReichswaldBavaria demolishedRuhpolding–Reit im Winkl State Forest RailwayRuhpolding-Reit im WinklBavaria10002319221936/37demolishedSchorfheide Forest Railway Döllnkrug-Höpen Bradenburg600 Spiegelau Forest RailwaySpiegelau-FinsterauBavaria600 <10019091960demolishedWaldeisenbahn Muskau Weißwasser-Bad Muskau Saxony600>501895 museum railwayWasgau Forest RailwayBundenthal-RumbachRhineland-Palatinate60014,519211930demolishedZwieselau Forest RailwayZwieselau-BuchenauBavaria60014,519301958demolished
Hungary
All forest railways have tourist trains Almamellék State Forest Railway Csömödér State Forest Railway, active forest railway Debrecen Forest Railway Felsőtárkány National Forest Railway Gemenc State Forest Railway, active forest railway Gyöngyös State Forest Railway Kaszó Forest Railway Kemence Forest Museum Railway Királyrét State Forest Railway Lillafüred Forest Train Mesztegnyő Forest Railway Pálháza State Forest Railway Szilvásvárad Forest Railway Szob-Nagybörzsöny forest railway
Poland Bieszczady Forest Railway Czarna Białostocka Forest Railway, from 1919 Hajnówka Museum Railway Płociczno-Bryzgiel, from 1923
Romania
Viseu de Sus, Wassertalbahn, active forest railway used for forestry and tourism Covasna-Comandău Forest Railway, with cable car, museum operation under construction
Russia
For passengers and tourist: Alapayevsk, Sverdlovsk Oblast Severodvinsk, Arkhangelsk Oblast Sharya Forest Museum Railway, Kostroma Oblast Active forest railways: Apsheronsk, Krasnodar Krai Belorucheyskaya, Vologda Oblast Kobrinskaya, Kirov Oblast Konetsgorskaya, Arkhangelsk Oblast Loyginskaya, Arkhangelsk & Vologda Oblasts Nyubskaya, Arkhangelsk Oblast Lundanskaya, Kirov Oblast Oparino, Kirov Oblast Pizhemskaya, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast Udimskaya, Arkhangelsk Oblast Zelennikovskaya, Arkhangelsk Oblast
Slovakia All forest railways are only museums Čierny Hron Railway (Schwarzgranbahn) Historical Logging Switchback Railway Považská lesná železnica (Waagwaldbahn)
Sweden Ohsabanan, active forest railway and tourist trains
Logging railroads in North America A logging railroad describes railroads, pole roads, tram roads, or similar infrastructure used to transport harvested timber from a logging site to a sawmill. Logging railroads vary in gauge and length, with most forested regions of the world supporting a railroad of this type at some point.
While most railroads of this variety were temporary, it was not uncommon for permanent railroads to take their place as a complement to logging operations or as an independent operation once logging ended.
Canada
Emery Lumber Company Railway, Greater Sudbury, Ontario Englewood Railway, British Columbia Shaw Logging Railroad, Saskatchewan Stone Lumber Company Railway, St. Joseph Island, Ontario Springfield Railway, Nova Scotia Weymouth and New France Railway, Nova Scotia
Mexico Ferrocarril Cazadero la Torre y Tepetongo Bosques de Chihuahua
United States
California Almanor Railroad Arcata and Mad River Railroad Bear Harbor and Eel River Railroad Boca and Loyalton Railroad Bucksport and Elk River Railroad California Western Railroad Camino, Placerville and Lake Tahoe Railroad Caspar, South Fork and Eastern Railroad Diamond and Caldor Railway Diamond Match Company Feather River Railway Fort Bragg and Southeastern Railroad Goodyear Redwood Company Gualala River Railroad Lake Valley Railroad Madera Sugar Pine Company McCloud Railway Mendocino Lumber Company Metropolitan Redwood Lumber Company Michigan-California Lumber Company North Pacific Coast Railroad Oregon and Eureka Railroad Pacific Lumber Company Rockport Redwood Company Santa Cruz Lumber Company Sugar Pine Lumber Company Usal Redwood Company West Side Lumber Company railway Yosemite Lumber Company Minnesota
Brainerd and Northern Minnesota Railway Duluth and Iron Range Railroad Duluth and Northeastern Railroad Duluth and Northern Minnesota Railway Duluth, Missabe and Northern Railway Duluth, Mississippi River and Northern Railroad Duluth, Rainy Lake and Winnipeg Railway Duluth, Virginia & Rainy Lake Railway Gull Lake and Northern Railway Mesabe Southern Railway Company Minneapolis and Rainy River Railway Minneapolis, Red Lake and Manitoba Railway Minnesota and North Wisconsin Railroad Minnesota, Dakota and Western Railway Mitchell and McClure Logging Railroad Tower Logging Railway Wilton and Northern Railway
Nevada Carson and Tahoe Lumber and Fluming Company
New England