Depends....

Grampy,

A few questions to help us all understand your goals:

Do you have an area of the world you are interested in modeling?

Do you have an era you are interested in modeling

What type of budget range are you looking to spend

Do you want to scratchbuild, build craftsman kits, or build plastic kits 

Logging

Grampy take a glance at this; http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cwdp/

There are some structures and if I remember correctly an A-frame set up too.

Hope it helps

John

Merrill, WI

Goals

My goals are:

. I have no particular area in mind.....just something like in the Northwestern USA

. I'd like to model the 1940 to 1960 era

. Budget of less than $100.00 USD

. I would like to do some scratchbuild, but do the majority with plastic kits

Thank you John.....these are

Thank you John.....these are great photos.  These are some good examples of what to model....thanks again.....!

some suggestions

Logging lines are fascinating operations usually on a shoe string budget recycling material from where ever they can get it. With the small area you have you could model a a log load out on one end which would consist of a runaround and on the other end a log dump with a runaround. This would only take a half dozen switches at most and would require maybe 10 cars and one locomotive. The log dump is essential a ramp to unload logs into a pond which are then pulled up on the other side into a mill.

http://www.btsrr.com/bts8235.htm

Here is site with some photos of loading flatcars

http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mydickfamily/logging_in_sumpter_valley.htm

If you model later towards the 60's most of this was changed over to mechanized equipment like bulldozers, front end loaders and crane.

I bet there are other people who can expand on this

Eeks...opps, I might have

Eeks...opps, I might have marked a post as spam as i went for hte 'reply" button - my bad!!!

Anyhow, you might look up "Paul Templar" on google.  He did some really terrific work with logging railroads in his last couple years, though I personally think his work in HO was the best.

Great Suggestions

Thank you "Mountain Goat" Greg.......!  I've now got a ton of good suggestions and pictures to help me get started.

Treasure Trove...!

Thanks Benny.....this is a goldmine of info and details......Mr. Templar does awesome work.......!

another idea

Hi Grampy-

For equipment, you may want to consider a spar tree and steam donkey (the steam donkey may be a bit out of the time periord you're going to model, but "modeler's license" is a wonderful thing!).  Here's an example:

This picture comes from Geoff Nott's Leigh Creek Lumber Co layout.  He also was part of the group of Australians who built the Red Stag Lumber Company.  There are tons of pictures of these layouts here: http://modvid.com.au/html/body_geoff_nott.html 
You'll no doubt find some other ideas as well...probably enough to where you'll be re-thinking the $100 budget!!

Bill

Hello Grampy. As I was

Hello Grampy.

As I was planning to model West Side Lumber several years ago, I searched the Internet and found loads of really good stuff.
Look at this: http://www.boonemorrison.com/modelRR/ Boone is a really nice guy with a great logging layout.
I also read the magazines "Timber Times" and "Timberbeast" which I suppose your local library can get for you. Another good source is "Narrow Gauge And Short Line Gazette".
You can also join this group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/4L/ where I got a lot of information, discussions and pictures.

Wish you luck with your logging RR.

Steen from Denmark.

Love those Loging layouts

I built a logging layout 20 years back and ended up only building the cutting and shipping end and never built the mill. I still have all the equipment like Band Saws and tables and sleds to build the enterior of a Wayside lumber Co Log Mill. Maybe some day I'll build the mill. they are great for viewing and conversation when friends come over.

Dan

I'm not sure what you mean by a "mainline."

Typically, I think logging camps would be located back in the woods where the trees are or near where the trees are so that the lumber jacks don't have far to go to the job site.  A saw mill might be located near the main line.  Logs would be brought down from the backwoods to the sawmill, and cut lumber would then be shipped out on the standard gauge mainline trains.