Hull-Oakes

@Steve,

Inbound,

- bulkhead flatcars with logs - era dependent, but usually some form of stake car.  More recently, most mill operations have their logs come in by truck, as it's more versatile - the forest sources aren't always RR accessible.
- empty chip hoppers (either purpose built, or de-roofed boxcars); often these are in captive service to a pulp mill somewhere in the region, so you can route them in a 'ping pong' traffic pattern.
- empty lumber cars (either centerbeam flats or, in earlier eras, double door boxcars); don't think these are in captive service, as they seem to get routed all over the place.

- Outbound, obviously, just the reverse of the above.

Don't forget a sawdust/bark/slash burner, log unloading area with log stacks and trucks unloading, and a lumber loading area, especially if you're using centerbeam flats - you need to leave room for those to be loaded by forklifts on both sides.

Chris V also has a wealth of info here:

http://vanderheide.ca/blog/lumber-loads/

Search his blogs further for "lumber" and go back a bit, and you'll find lots of info about the Canadian lumber industry.  

Sorry, no pics, my Dubreuilville site is just a plywood expanse with a large styro block mill building right now, though all the tracks are down. 

Blair

Traffic

A lot depends on era and the specific mill.

Inbound (possibly):

Logs - might be delivered directly by truck from the cutting areas, or if the company owns logging rights some distance away (or is purchasing logs from other logging companies) the logs could be delivered to a rail loading spur from the cutting area and shipped by rail to the mill. Depending on RR/area/era could be loaded in gondolas (crosswise with some logs stuck in vertically to brace the ends), bulkhead flatcars (crosswise), specific pulpwood service bulkhead flats with side stakes for lengthwise loading.

Wood chips - might be shipped out by truck, or by rail in hoppers or gondolas, depending on the RR/area/mill. A lot of woodchip cars were flat-bottom gondolas rather than hoppers, but extended-side or purpose built high-capacity hoppers were used in some areas as well. Chips could also be loaded bulk in boxcars in some places (think all the threads and articles you've seen about shipping grain in boxcars with door openings coopered with slats or heavy cardboard).

Glues/resins - if the "lumber" mill is actually making related products like plywood, OSB, particle board, MDF, etc. This most likely comes in by truck, but depending on the mill resin could come in tank cars (probably an occasional one every few days or so).

Outbound:

Lumber (etc) - depending on era and also the grade/quality/nature of the finished product. Dimensional lumber like 2x4s for construction mostly shipped on flatcars. ~1970s+ a lot of it would be bundled and wrapped with plastic wrappers. But further back in time, even dimensional lumber was loaded board-by-board by hand into boxcars. Late 1960s-1980s the all-door boxcars were popular for protecting loads from the elements (structurally basically a covered bulkhead flatcar). Centre-beam flatcars were introduced in the late 1970s and started to become popular in the 1980s for bundled dimensional lumber providing easier loading and elimination of a lot of disposable banding. High grade plywood, millwork, particleboard, etc. would be shipped in boxcars. (So shipping lumber/forest products in double-door boxcars isn't just a thing of the past.) It may also depend on how shippers and receivers are set up for loading/unloading as well. If the customer only has an elevated loading dock, then a center truss flatcar wouldn't work too well, but if you want to load boxcars you also need to be set up for that.

Thanks guys for the replies....

I understand the basics of prototype mills, I'm trying to see how others have managed to scale it down.  

Steve

Modern Sawmills

 Hey Steve everything is looking Great! looks like a lot FUN. Here are some pictures of my Sawmill and Reman plant, From left to right, is the infeed for the de barker to the Headrig to break the log down into boards. Next is the boilerhouse, Both of  these are Walthers models.Next is the Planing Mill with boxcar loading. The complex is shaped like a tear drop and is 4` by 12`ft. 

Upside down

Sorry, It has ben a long day. Kevin

Kevin is modeling down under now......

Thanks Kevin.. I have the 3 shots of your whole layout you posted a couple of weeks ago.  Thanks for the close ups too!   BTW that is nice looking collections of engines hanging on the wall

Steve

Turned them over for you

THANK YOU!!

ernie176.

Your Welcome

Glad to assist

Where did you get those logs

Where did you get those logs from?

Also Kevin, what log cars are those?

Since you are at I figured I would ask

Steve

I built my 80's era mill scene on half a 2' x 4', Z Scale Module

First, let me say that I built my Z-Bend Track module with a scenic divider, so I can put a modern sawmill on one side, and an old sawmill on the other, to give the illusion of 2 seperate modules.

I started with a plan after visiting several sawmills and watching the flow of operations mostly near the tracks, and planned on building the actual sawmill as a backdrop. I made notes of what kinds of railcars were used, and on what tracks:

Once I had a plan, I laid out the tracks first, and verified they could hold the car lengths I had planned for, then I built the structures to fit around the tracks. I used modelers license in that I modeled the Palco sawmill in Northern California as the backdrop, modeled the chip loader after photos someone posted of one on the Great Northern railroad in Eastern Washington, and loosley used other elements of the Boise Cascade sawmill in Emmett Idaho:

Since the rail cars required were not avaiilable in Z Scale I had to scratchbuild them too.

In fact, pretty much everything needed to be scratch built, but that's part of the challenge of Z Scale. Just find photos of prototypes, work up rough dimensions, and get to it:

Yes, even the cabooses were scratchbuilt. I included them because I seen a pair in a photo of a sawmill in Eastern Washington, I can't remember what the name of it was, but along a river. 

I needed lots of lumber stacks too, some wrapped, some not but with red painted ends for some reason, as all the mills I visited had huge stacks of lumber everywhere, and lots of forklifts everywhere too. 

See more pictures here ...

I don't know why all my

I don't know why all my photos got cut in half, but after being a member here for almost 10 years, I think this is my first post, so I am unfamiliar with posting procedures. At least you get the idea orf making a plan first, a plan that includes the railcars you want, and what tracks they will be used on.

-Robert

MRH: Read the how to post photos link under Help> Questions and Answers> Website Help ... direct link here: https://mrhmag.com/help/how-to-post-an-image... it shows how to use the image button in the edit menu to set image width to fit into the window. We've fixed them for you this time.

Robert

All I can saw is wow. That is some amazing work and in Z scale. Thanks for sharing.

Jack

LOG CARS,LOGS

Markley34 the logs are from a shrub in my yard, Steve the log cars Rivarrosi and Walthers. Robert that mill complex is GREAT! I would recognize those cyclones anywhere. Kevin.

I remember seeing that some years ago!

Robert, I remember (and forgot I having seen it)  your work from sometime ago!  It was probably here but man that is even STUNNING than before!  I hope to play off PALCO too and hope mine comes out half as good as your.  You are more than spot on with that.   Thanks for the timely reminder and the details behind it.  That was very helpful.

As Kevin said those are signature cyclones!   It looks like they start 2 D and then go 3D. Pleas efeel free to share anymore pictures or video you may have on it!

@ Kevin - Thanks, decide to have a log set out section and now have to add log cars to the fleet.  And I know nothing of log cars.

Old and new

My old logging layout has this mill with logs dumped in a pond and box cars of lumber out .

My modern layout has this mill with only out going lumber and sawdust in centre beam cars and large hoppers.

Mike Ruby

Pray59

Don't ever let me visit your layout - unless you want your Z scale little plastic people to have to deal with a sudden drool flood. 

That looks incredible. 

they look the same as when they were built

For the most part, mills dont really upgrade the exteriors. Pacific Lumber Company Mill A looks the same as did when it opened as when it closed. There was a new mill that opened outside of Yreka a few years back. First new mill to open in CA in a very long time. I had a chance to tour it right after it opened. It looked like your typical Rix kit from the outside. Here is the location of that new mill, I dont think they updated the map in a while so its not in street view yet. Good thing is that there is a mill right across the street that is on street view:  https://www.google.com/maps/@41.7312021,-122.5931728,898m/data=!3m1!1e3

The new mill was basically a pallet mill for the produce packing industry. All small diameter logs of fairly poor quality. But  it did create much needed jobs in that area. 

Here are a few more pictures

Here are a few more pictures starting from the right side of the module, hopefully I resized them correctly:

I hope these extra pictures give you the inspiration to work out your plan, and get it built!

-Robert

@Robert

Robert

I think what makes yours  unique to me is the trees woven into the complex. Kevin

Thanks Robert....

they do inspire.  Laying out the track work tonight.  I'm trying to remember where I saw that before...... Bay Area proto modelers meet or some place like that?

Thanks again

Steve