That time railroads used logs instead of rails - US Pole Roads

[@TrainFactGuy]

Pole-road Pole-road Pole-road, Pole-road Pole-road Pole-road, _Pole-road Pole-road Pole-road_ , *_Pole-road Pole-road Pole-road_* , *Rawhiiiiiiiiide*

[@markhenry5294]

Yes.

[@RedSkeletonGames]

Indeed

[@Serial__DesginationN]

Truely inspiring words

[@modelermark172]

This brought a smile to my face. Until I realized that the fact I 'got' this joke shows my age . . . .

[@Ale-bj7nd]

​@@modelermark172 I got the joke but I'm 24. Now I feel old.

[@Gamerguy826]

Giving the term "branch line" a whole new meaning, I see.

[@LegoWormNoah101]

"We know a guy who was built to run on logs" -Lexi, Journey Beyond Sodor

[@russellgxy2905]

It just clicked while watching that THIS is what she meant

[@dragonblaster-vu8wz]

Too bad there aren't any examples of these pole locomotives still in preservation. It'd be neat to see one in a museum

[@insertnamehere1258]

I've heard there is an example somewhere in South Carolina, although it is privately owned and I'm pretty sure it is in bad condition. You never know though, there could be some abandoned ones somewhere in a forest. Also, I think it is the one at 1:32. And, I also have seen some pics of preserved diesel ones.

[@teamidris]

There is a truck at Duncan logging museum Vancouver island.

[@weekendrailroader]

There is a Fordson tractor converted to a pole road "locomotive" on display at the Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad in Mineral, WA. Unfortunately, there is no full scale operational pole road anywhere as far as I know.

[@Buck1954]

Can you imagine the paperwork required to make a pole road now? The safety crap and the permits alone would be ridiculous!

[@TheHistorySoldier]

​@Buck1954 Not to say of course that there isn't value in that "safety crap" 😉

[@Gator-357]

They use pole roads quite a bit in the swamps of the southern US and up in Alaska when the ground gor soggy in warm weather. My gramps bought some land when I was a kid in FLA and there was a pile of these wheels in the back corner. We found out later that there used to be a pole road logging track running throught the property in the teens and 20s. We ended up finding all kinds of remnants of machinery, tools and odds and ends along the back side of the property.

[@davidpawson7393]

Some military trucks had dual wheels mounted on the front axle for crossing ravines, creeks etc. Two logs would be felled across the obstacle and the dual wheels would track on the logs like seen here.

[@alaskacowboy1]

It all reminds me of hiking deep in the mountains of Oregon and finding the old steam skids abandoned, far back among the abandoned mines near the waterfalls.

[@damianshepherd9405]

They had things similar in Australia and New Zealand. The unusable logs were cut into makeshift rails and most engines even had a steam powered saw that was used to make the rails. The locomotives could then be taken onto steel rails as the wheels were compatible with both wooden and steels rails. A noteable drawback to this was that the locos had to either be very light coffee pots or a geared engine with the weight spread out over many wheels. A replica of a logging coffee pot, albeit without the saw due to safety concerns, is running in Maryborough. She pulls occasional tourist trains on her own rail line, once again with added safety features such as steel rails. There is plenty of interesting stuff there so have a look if you're ever in the area.

[@cantfindclips]

Ooh I guess this make sense now despite the visual depiction. “we know a guy who was built to run on logs” I could assume the animators didn’t know what the writers had in mind. It’s nice to know some research went into looking up unique engines for JBS.

[@MrNappysanchez]

Wood'nt you believe the ingenuity of mankind

[@hi-gf5yl]

I beleaf it

[@TheGs4_4449]

Now that is amazoning

[@ghastryder3945]

All of you, get out. The doors that way 🚪

[@TheGs4_4449]

@@ghastryder3945 **leaves**

[@themanformerlyknownascomme777]

LIMES!

[@rottenroads1982]

Ah, yes, the Weekly Railway video by Train of Thought. Always good to watch.

[@modelermark172]

That photo at 2:24 has some interesting possibilities. There are Mack Truck model kits available in a variety of scales, (including the big Monogram 1/24th scale 1926 MACK AC Bulldog Logging Truck recently reissued by Atlantis Models.) With a bit of old-school scratch building, (or even some 'newfangled' 3D Printing,) this would be a fun conversion project . . . .

[@LukeVilent]

Yay, dude, I was one of those who asked for this theme when you asked for ideas!

[@cerneysmallengines]

I have a cabin in Northern Minnesota, there is an old trail that everyone uses to ride ATVs, I did some digging and found out that it used to be an old railroad... I assumed 3ft gauge but it may have been a poleroad.

[@lastfreethinker6810]

Nice touch with saria's song. I thought I was lossing my mind for a second...

[@David_Mattox]

I’d like to see this replicated in model form 🤣

[@Amtk-712]

I want to try that…..

[@Einwetok]

Diaroma= easy functional=?

[@jonbezeau3124]

stock up on toothpicks

[@Amtk-712]

@@jonbezeau3124 I would use real twigs on G scale.

[@nos9784]

Get some brass, a few reamers and a drill press then :) Small amounts of lathe work can be done on a drill press.

[@Hybris51129]

The turntable is an especially impressive bit of field engineering.

[@FuelFire]

1:40 what is this half Climax half chainsaw bullshit 😂

[@andrewreynolds4949]

Coincidentally I picked up a book on logging railroads the other week, and it had some of these in there

[@saberwolf.1781]

Fascinating story I had no idea. Also interesting how did you decide on using that particular selection of music? Are you a Zelda fan?

[@nicholasthesilly]

I assume just because it's the Lost WOODS theme.

[@theotherohlourdespadua1131]

I thought because that franchise has a Train-specific installment entitled "Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks"...

[@jacehackworth6413]

As an arborist and train enthusiast , this pleases me.

[@Ludi_Chris]

First paper wheels now log rails, it’s looking like we could make a Railways out of trees now.

[@sebastianthomsen2225]

now we only need to make the engine out of cardboard then we are golden! 🤪👌

[@joshuabessire9169]

What next, wooden railroad ties?

[@laurencefraser]

well, there has apparently been some work done on wooden transistors recently.. but somehow I I don't think that's going to lead to a wooden motor... and a wooden Boiler is just never going to be sufficient, nevermind a wooden firebox or ICE. So, unfortunately, an all-wood railway is going to have to get it's motive power from a treadmill type arrangement or be animal haulled ... at which point it's just a wagonway.

[@joshuabessire9169]

@@laurencefraser Treadmill type arrangement... Quick! Call the ancient Greeks and see if we can borrow a wooden horse!

[@ReggieArford]

@@laurencefraser You might be able to make a wood boiler. I know you can make a wood stove.

[@garryferrington811]

Very nice report on this generally overlooked bit of railroad history.

[@johnkelley9877]

I never heard of that until now! This was very interesting. Thanks for sharing this.

[@KyriosMirage]

Excellent choice of music for this one!

[@mrblond750]

Great video as always. Love the music selection!

[@Arkay315]

This reminds me of the early wood rail tramways serviced by horses

[@vehicles_n_stuff]

Norfolk Southern announces new cost-saving biodegradable railroad technology to be installed on all of its mainlines

[@whytheheckarewedoinginhere1886]

If the Misty Island Rescue was like that, then the Thomas and friends fandom wouldn't hate it. 😂😂

[@mazdaman2315]

“Logs are easy to move” you definitely ain’t a woodsman

[@laurencefraser]

I suspect that, relative to laying regular track, and given that the train can be Right There on the part of the pole road you're Not ripping up, they might well be. Of course, I'm also curious as to how often they actually Would move them vs just laying new ones.

[@Vodhin]

Wow, I didn't know loggers did this. This topic deserves a more in depth video.

[@CheeseMiser]

1:20 Nice Fordson Tractor train conversion

[@jed-henrywitkowski6470]

2:29 As a railroad-loving trucker's son, I like that!

[@johncamp2567]

One of your more fascinating posts!

[@SantaFe19484]

This is the first I have ever heard of rails made out of logs.

[@harrisonallen651]

They needed big traction wheels to run on logs like these, damn!

[@RobSchofield]

That was fun! Never heard of that before - reminds me of the old Butterworth plateways.

[@KlaxontheImpailr]

One day, I want to make a Thomas style tv show set in the USA. There's just so much potential waiting to be used.

[@nos9784]

Kids will be traumatized by all the derailments 😅

[@teamidris]

Tricky to look at on its own because there were twin-drum logging skids everywhere to help the job along.

[@OneArmLivingLife]

Poor Terence at least he’s at work

[@piyushkanthak1087]

haha lol What about Bash Dash and Ferdinand ?

[@OneArmLivingLife]

@@piyushkanthak1087 they didn’t show up in the video so we don’t know

[@relaxingnature2617]

Correction: there is NOT a smaller demand for lumber

[@dimitrijenovakovic7942]

Simmilar contraptions were used on mokra gora in Serbia. I think that there is a picure in the google reviews of bele vode that shows a adbonded piece of the rails.

[@iPod1]

There are these straw things with balls in and you need to put it in some milk and it’s kinda like nesquick but with a straw so yeah we’ll need those for the next live

[@ivoryfields2631]

improvising at your presentation and everyone takes you seriously and takes notes :

[@robrice7246]

I wonder why there hasn't been a Thomas fan story based on the blueprint and line that Lexi sang?

[@KibuFox]

God forbid the players of Railroads Online see this. I can only imagine what they're going to beg for next.

[@PaladinCasdin]

I had to listen to the end of the video several times to convince myself I wasn't going crazy when I heard Saria's Song at 2:50. My good man, I tip my hat to your excellent taste in background music.

[@Straswa]

Great vid ToT, smart use of spare logs.

[@flufflepuffle6229]

That's actually really interesting!

[@Cfr_Alex_1098]

Beautiful video TOT

[@AVdE10000]

Improvised engineering is the best kind of engineering

[@sebastiankutter3630]

Related to this, you should really make a video about the "Feldbahn" systems common in Europe.

[@jwalster9412]

This really puts a new meaning to derail.

[@herrpokemon9929]

Interesting I didn't know these existed and nice music choice Lost woods from legend of zelda

[@sarcasmo57]

Pretty clever.

[@SmartassX1]

You mentioned that this was done during the "u.s. logging boom" right up to the "end of the u.s. logging boom". When was that? I can tell from the colorless pictures and the 1910s-style trucks that it was the early 20th century, but I'd appreciate some vague year numbers.

[@ryancampbell4119]

Fun fact some Shay locomotives did run on pole roads

[@MustangsTrainsMowers]

A track that could be damaged by Beavers or termites. I wonder if there are any O scale pole road type locomotives and rolling stock? How did they build switches?

[@chuckvoss9344]

So many questions ...like how did they keep the log ends together. In wet, dry weather, swamps ...

[@zamazenta2023]

I love your videos

[@maxdon2001]

Great video!

[@jordanwiley4582]

Lost Woods, nice.

[@jammiedodger7040]

Timber demand has gone up.

[@Alex-cw3rz]

Could you do this for cheap most likely temporary tram lines for public transport.

[@enisra_bowman]

i don't think so, you woud need special Trains hauled in and then you would need also quite many logs hauled in that not "standing" around since i thing the City council might have something against cutting there Trees Also: while fine for a slow moving Worktrain that was cobbled together a 100 years ago, but i doubt that even in a country that value it's normal citizens that less than the US, that might be a "bit" unsafe Particular if there are "already" the option of moveable railways like from Peat extraction or the like

[@SeedemFeedemRobots]

bus technology nowdays are good enough and wildly available to ever make that a consideration

[@alicehodges9964]

The Steam Engines Are Awesome I Like It

[@bostonrailfan2427]

IIRC this wasn’t a new idea: it was done for the original UK tramways and done multiple times afterward until standardized use of iron and steel tracks was done

[@primrosevale1995]

🎵Too many funnels, or too many cogs, We knew a guy, who used to run on logs.🎵

[@AbbeyYard]

🎵Too many wheels, and gears, and rods, It's no wonder that we look so odd!🎵

[@jetboyblue4478]

Wow that’s amazing

[@ravenbarsrepairs5594]

Low budget mines used sawn lumber with a metal strap on top as a wear surface.

[@douglasboyle6544]

This is insanity. I never knew this was a thing

[@Carolinasquatch]

I wanna build one in my yard now

[@CA.papaBear]

Speaking about this merely as an engineering standpoint, why didn't they knurl the log wheels so that they'd bite down as they rolled along? Or use strategic metal gear racks and cogs for steeper gradients? Just curious. : )

[@normanozwald]

Those trains were made in Nashville, TN

[@RubenKelevra]

Wait what? Wood consumption is high as never before!

[@Scagguy4014]

The legend of Zelda : the logging railway .

[@LG_Official.]

I want to build a Pole-road now for no reason

[@pokemontrainermichael5551]

At least they got the job done

[@Da__goat]

The concept of these pole roads is the very same concept that the Egyptians used with Palm tree trunks to move stones to build the pyramids

[@callyemby4587]

Nice use of the music from Zelda ocarina of time.

[@WinterroSP]

Gives a new meaning to a “logging railroad"

[@raztaz826]

I like offroad trains!

[@FunAngelo2005]

A road make out of fuckin logs

[@shaunsconfusingmachines8402]

If my ask why are there ww2 German soldiers in the image at 1:59

[@mrPCEmilkman]

My guess would be it was the only inage of a pole road turntable that could be found.

[@bigredc222]

interesting. Thank you.

[@barkebaat]

very interesting!

[@PowerTrain611]

This is one of the wackiest railroad choices I've ever seen.

[@joehughes5177]

Steel rails dont grow on trees now. So what will we use? If only we COULD grow rails....

[@captiannemo1587]

The other option was very light narrow gauge railways…

[@Josephcavagnaro]

We knew a guy who used to run on logs Lexi 2017

[@anindrapratama]

did the Decauville track system ever made it to the US?

[@cavejohnson4306]

As surplus, I have heard of it being used on farms out on the west coast after the Great War.

[@maxpayne2574]

At 2:30 the engine is a Mack truck

[@martincraw7698]

This would be an interesting engine to see in Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends

[@robrice7246]

The closest was the blueprint from JBS.

[@piyushkanthak1087]

Bash Dash and Ferdinand

[@MrJoeyWheeler]

I don't see why, there's no reason for such an engine to exist on Sodor. Like many of the asinine additions made in the later years.

[@NW-gi1cp]

Ho modelers: now how can I make this

[@youtube-is-trash-2277]

how did the go around corners ???

[@BrendynRobertson]

Lexi- "We know a guy who was bult to run on logs."

[@SCOUTSnailgun]

It’s all fine until the rail catches fire

[@xephorce]

is that the legend of zelda ocarina of time music i am hearing in the background?

[@DarthBlazer.]

Was that music from Zelda?

[@BustingSomeBuffers]

"I knew I guy who was built to run on logs" - Lexi from Journey Beyond Sodor

[@alicehodges9964]

Steam Trackers? Railways Out of Logs?