Minnesota's Logging Railroads (Fesler-Lampert Minnesota Heritage) [Paperback]

Frank A. King (Author)

Book Description

Series: Fesler-Lampert Minnesota Heritage | Publication Date: May 9, 2003

During the heyday of lumberjacks and sawmills, railroads such as the Duluth and Northern Minnesota and the Alger-Smith enabled logging companies to break away from the traditional mode of transportation (floating logs downriver) and its shortfalls (logjams and winter freezes).

Frank King traces this rich history from its beginnings in 1886 to the railroads' disappearance around 1937 when the last of the giant sawmills closed down. King profiles every logging railroad in Minnesota and examines all aspects of their operations, including locomotives such as the geared Shays and Heislers, McGiffert log loaders, Russel log cars, dump trestles, hot ponds, logging camp life, railroad finances, and the impact on communities as timber supplies ran out and lumbering and sawmill operations shut down, causing thousands to lose their jobs.

Heavily illustrated throughout, Minnesota Logging Railroads contains maps, photographs, postcards, engineering drawings, and railroad memorabilia such as timetables, passes, fare receipts, and freight tariffs. The appendixes comprehensively list the state's logging railroads, locomotive rosters, and railroad and lumber company names.

Frank A. King (1923-1985) worked for the Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway for his entire career, retiring as senior industrial engineer. His articles and photographs appeared in Trains Magazine, Railroad Magazine, and other publications.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Univ Of Minnesota Press (May 9, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081664084X
• ISBN-13: 978-0816640843
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #500,497 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learning about the Logging Railroads in Minnesota, September 13, 2010

By 

Gene Bowker (Aiken, SC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Minnesota's Logging Railroads (Fesler-Lampert Minnesota Heritage) (Paperback)

I did not know anything about the history of the lines in Minnesota so I was excited to get the chance to read Minnesota Logging Railroads by the late Frank A. King published by the University of Minnesota Press.

The book covers the railroads which boomed around the turn of the 1900's and were gone before the end of the depression. Some of the lines built were incorporated into later railroads but many miles were pulled up and left very little imprint upon the woods.

The book combines numerous photographs of logging operations, maps, and an informative text to allow you to quickly get up to speed with the development of the lines. How the lines interconnected with each other and Class One railroads is covered along with sections detailing how a lumber mill worked.

Equipment historians will appreciate the tables which show the dates of purchase and also the disposition of many of the locomotives. Many of them ended their careers either out west or down south working on other better known logging railroads.

If you model logging railroads anywhere, the book is full of great detail shots both of the locomotives and of the mills that they served. There were very few narrow gauge lines in Minnesota so most of the equipment is standard gauge.

Any fan of logging or Minnesota railroading would be well served to check out Minnesota Logging Railroads by Frank A. King.