Yosemite Lumber Company Logging Inclines With Jack Burgess

#trains #logging #YosemiteLumberCompany #railroads
The Logging inclines of the Yosemite Lumber Company were dramatic tracked inclines that carried felled trees on rail cars down or up very steep grades to the mainline where they could be transported by the Yosemite Valley Railroad (YVRR) to the lumber mill at Merced Falls for further processing.
This extraordinary presentation contains hundreds of rare photos and film clips of these amazing engineering feats in action, and is narrated by Historian and Author, Jack Burgess.
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[@TheJagjr4450]

My Grandfather received a color 8 mm video camera for high school graduation in 1940 the videos are something to behold...

[@winstoncampbell1776]

The Shay locomotive was originally built by the Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio. My father was a service repair technician with the company for Shays. The company was bought by the Baldwin Locomotive Works and became Baldwin Lima Hamilton building cranes and power shovels. My entire family except mother worked there for different periods of time. In the Henry Ford museum in Dearborn, Michigan is another Lima Locomotive, one of the largest steam engines ever built.

[@laughton57]

A Berkshire? Is the large engine a Berkshire. IIRC, Baldwin/Lima built them.

[@andyharman3022]

I went on a search in Lima, Ohio for remains of the Lima Locomotive Works many years ago. None of the works buildings exist anymore. But I did find a Shays locomotive on display downtown.

[@francisschweitzer8431]

Northern Illinois Railway Museum has a working Lima Shay #14

[@bruceb3786]

Great story.

[@wvboy0311]

There are 2 or 3 shays at cass scenic railway in wv

[@robertnewton8555]

As a retired logger, I found this video very unique. Excellent job in the making of the video. People these days don't have any idea of the hard work that went into these logging jobs.

[@tsgmultimedia]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@terrystotzheim9719]

Amen to that!!!

[@MrGaryGG48]

My grandfather started in a logging camp about 1920 in northern Washington and then British Columbia, and eventually in Southeastern Alaska. He worked at one logging job or another for the next 50 years. At the beginning of that time he worked with the draft horse teams that pulled the logs. Eventually he operated the steam donkey engines that replaced the draft horses. The steam donkeys probably made the work even more dangerous due to the increased power the steam engine produced. Grandpa talked about the injuries and the men killed when a steel cable would snap and went through anything within range like a modern day weed eater! I believe the bulldozers came in during the md-thirties but I'm not certain of the dates. Choke setters had one of the most dangerous jobs in the business. They were the new guys that fastened the steel cables around the downed logs, and if they lived long enough, they moved into slightly less dangerous jobs. For a logger from the early 20th century to survive to retirement with all his limbs intact was an accomplishment. My grandfather was born in 1898 and passed away on October 14, 1990, in his early 90s. He still had all the limbs he was born with. He said he'd been very careful but was also pretty lucky. Grandpa and I spent many hours talking after he had retired, about his history. Those fascinating hours could easily have come straight out of one of Jack London's stories! You're certainly right, Robert. Unless you've experienced it or had exposure to one of the men who lived in those times and survived the extremely dangerous life, you just couldn't grasp that reality.

[@terrystotzheim9719]

@@MrGaryGG48 that is sooo awesome! Glad you had your grandfather for such a long time!

[@MrGaryGG48]

@@terrystotzheim9719 Thanks Terry. I appreciate the thought. He was a very warm person when I came along... a bit stubborn! My dad said that's genetic among the Swedes...all the while, my Mother was standing behind him nodding her head with a smirk, quietly agreeing, "he got that right!"🤣👍

[@another_unique_username]

Man, you’ve outdone just about everyone else on KZbin with this. There was only problem as I saw it, it ended way too soon

[@kenmunozatmmrrailroad6853]

Both the story of the railroad and the model are astounding.

[@gillafunk]

What an absolutely phenomenal presentation. Exemplary descriptions. Stellar media content. Beautiful model display design. Well done. Just perfect. Mr. Burgess, my hat goes off to you, Sir.

[@denjhill]

I have a hard time imagining the amount of labor required to construct one of these operations. From roadbed building to hoist house construction to all the ancillary structures. Amazing. Great video.

[@bobpaulino4714]

Incredible engineering for the time period -- even regenerative braking! Wonderful layout. I look forward to seeing more.

[@garyhartley3680]

dynamic breaking

[@aprilgeneric8027]

@@garyhartley3680 he said the logging company put the power back into the electric companys grid, dynamic puts that excess into resistors that get fan cooled as heat waste. looking at the truck sets i do not see any motor components to be able to dynamic break. also with the cable and the cable engines there's very little reason to invent dynamic breaking for their set up. i did see some swirl on the inside of the wheels sets tho but that looked like helical gearing, but again none of the photos showed any electrical motors, so i imagine it is possible they did, but i can't tell from the photos.

[@thomasbritton640]

I'm 70 years old my friends and I used to hop freight trains that ran through the town I grew up in have been a rail all my life this is a great presentation well done never realized how logging was done on the gre!at northwest ill say it again what a great 👍 job !!!

[@LarryWGrant-dw6jo]

I always enjoy watching Jack Burgess and I like learning about logging operations. Thanks John!

[@nwpioneer2551]

What a fantastic layout. So much more than the regular bridges, tunnels stations, etc.

[@miker2002]

What a wonderful history and engineering lesson....along with Jack's mindblowing research and modeling!

[@yvfan]

If you are interested, you can see my entire layout on KZbin at kzbin.info/www/bejne/e3mqnI1-gdZ0grs Jack

[@nigelphillips2682]

What a great presentation. Learned a lot about mountain logging.

[@charliemessenger6537]

My grandfather worked there in the late ‘30’s. He ran a donkey at one time. He had his knee crushed loading either a flat car or a truck, I don’t recall. Not a convenient place for a major injury. Thanks for this video.

[@hsmallwood40]

thank you for your time to put this video together...

[@tomedgar4375]

Wow! Great presentation, thank you

[@Iancad1]

Absolutely fascinating!! I lived in Groveland back in the 1980's and remember the mighty sugar pines so well. You have done a great service by recording the glory days of California logging. KZbin at its very, very best.

[@barbaravickroy7563]

Thank you for this video....so interesting...l'm in my 80s, and Yosemite is a huge part of my girlhood, so tho living in the Ozarks now, a trip down memory lane is most welcomed.

[@deecooper1567]

As. Child growing up, my father worked in the logging industry. He was a Jack of all trades…. Meaning he did several different jobs from running heavy equipment, climbing trees, cutting down, even hauling to the mills. I remember the ponds overflowing with logs waiting to be cut or transported somewhere else. I was only allowed to go with him at certain times & had to stay in the truck. A Very hard job & many accidents. Thank you for sharing this. 👵🏻👩‍🌾❣️

[@1GirlieGirl]

I was just in Jackson Hole & we drove the Teton Pass to Victor, Idaho. The most breathtaking scenery. The mountains are crazy steep. This is incredible.

[@haroldchoate7497]

Thank you, that was a very entertaining presentation. The engineering involved in these systems is very impressive and sophisticated. The distance, weights and volumes were huge. They apparently operated for close to 40 years. The scale boggles my mind. Again thank you,

[@yvfan]

Thank you Harold! I totally agree with you! I was a civil engineer as was the designer of both inclines but he also was able to design the wire ropes used on the inclines as well as the loads on the rollers between the rails at the top of the incline as a loaded car started down the incline! Jack Burgess

[@roberts3942]

Outstanding history lesson about the men, equipment, and organizations that helped to build our country. Kudos!

[@ldalton7414]

Absolutely REMARKABLE. Amazing, in fact. I was a ranger in Yosemite and lived at El Portal. I knew nothing of the history of the railroad other than the old Shay locomotive on display at one end of the town. The most amazing part of this video, however, are the pictures of his model railroad layout. What remarkable detail. People who have the talent to do that kind of work amaze me. Thank you for sharing this with us. As for KZbin . . . . the ads that pop up in the middle of a high quality presentation like this are absolutely nauseating. They make it very difficult to watch many of the outstanding presentations featured. I pledge to NEVER watch an ad all the way through and to NEVER patronize one of the advertisers. If there are others out there who feel as I do, I hope you will add your comments every time you get a chance. Maybe if enough of us do it, the powers that run KZbin will get the idea. Save the ads for either before or after the feature.

[@yvfan]

L. Dalton... You can see more of my model railroad layout on KZbin (yes, with the same disgusting ads). I can't provide a link but just search KZbin for "Jack Burgess Yosemite Valley Railroad". You can also Google the same words which will lead you to my website. There is a layout tour under "Modeling/Virtual Layout Tour" with a few more photos of El Portal. Jack Burgess

[@tsgmultimedia]

There are two possible workarounds for not having to watch ads: 1) KZbin has a paid thing that removes the ads. I can't remember what they call it, but it's something like 10 bucks a month. It lets you watch ad-free. 2) Members of the TSG Train Crew on Patreon get sneak peeks of most new releases weeks or months ahead of time. These previews are ad free and in 4K Ultra High Definition. Other than that, it's just about skipping the ads if you don't like to see them. Unfortunately, KZbin changed their rules and informed us (creators) that they would be putting ads on any videos they wanted to put them on, regardless of the creator's wishes.

[@ldalton7414]

@@tsgmultimedia Yes, they have actually tagged some ads on a couple of videos I have on there. But at least those were only right at the beginning and weren't slapped indiscriminately into the middle of the video. It's the ones in the middle that really grouch me out.

[@thomasgrider6697]

That's pretty neat.👍🙂..I'm a sawmill worker myself..trimmer operator..and..i like seeing and learning the history of this type of work from back in earlier times..

[@OdeeOz]

One of the Marvels of Engineering Construction for its time. Thanks for sharing this with us all. 💯👍👏

[@floridamike2930]

I have stood next to a Shay at the Pennsylvania lumber museum. Very cool machine. All wheels are driven.

[@travelingman484]

This movie was absolutely priceless to me. I was never one for the lumber railroads history and never really understood how they worked. I am totally taken back by the incredible ingenuity and backbone of these railroad men. This work was not for the faint of heart for sure. Thank you for a great education.

[@loganpe427]

Yeah, a world I'm fascinated by but have never had the opportunity to get involved in, wonderful!

[@dgarvin57]

Thanks so much for creating this great video. I was thrilled to see pictures of my great uncle Jim Law. I visited him many times growing up and was always fascinated with his home at the bottom of one of the old inclines nestled next to the Merced river. My grandfather, Bob Jirsa, was a conductor on the YV from the 20s until it shut down in the 40s. Sad day when they ran the last train out. My great grandfather (Jim Law’s father) worked for the lumber company and raised his family on top of the incline in a tent cabin during the season. Story is told that my grandmother would ride the empty cars down to the bottom. She met my grandfather Bob Jirsa riding on the YV and had a wonderful life together. So thank you again for helping appreciate what their work life was like.

[@yvfan]

Dan... Thank you for your kind comments. I have been researching the YV for the past 50 years and first met Jim Law in the early 1970s. We would visit Jim every time we visited Yosemite NP and he would tell us interesting stories. I have built an HO scale model railroad of the Yosemite Valley Railroad and it includes most of the buildings which were in Incline including Jim's house, the station, etc. It has cast figures representing both Jim and his father. They are included in a KZbin video of my layout: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e3mqnI1-gdZ0grs You might find it interesting... Jack Burgess

[@Vrod1432]

Awesome history lesson ! Thank you John and Jack.

[@joakiminnala2264]

Many thanks for the very interesting film. Very nice model railway.😃👍👍

[@yvfan]

Thanks...if you are interested, you can see my entire layout on KZbin at kzbin.info/www/bejne/e3mqnI1-gdZ0grs Jack

[@jamesmoore3346]

Our little town was founded during the early days lumber business. We have an original Shay locomotive set up next door to our chamber of commerce. It was owned by one of the founding family's and was given to the city as part of this towns history.......pretty neat locomotive...

[@alanmydland5210]

Where would this be at? I want to come and see!! I live west of sacramento

[@randallparker8477]

My Grandfather was a millwright on the various logging operations in the central valley and Sierras in those days. He helped build some of the inclines and the flumes from Sugar Pine Lumber coming down to Madera. He also was one of the mule skinners on freight wagons up into the hills.

[@yvfan]

I have a friend who researches and models the Sugar Pine Lumber Company.

[@tracymesser296]

That’s cool having this grand history in your family’s past! I’d want to know everything that happened!! Cool stuff!!

[@marknoonan3854]

These Jack Burgess series videos have made me interested in learning a lot more about this American railway. These are all great inspiration as I am currently building a new rural branchline railway :) :)

[@keithsorrels6903]

Thanks so much on your excellent presentation about logging and especially inclines. I visited a Diamond Match incline remains on Butte Creek in Butte County CA some years ago. It was certainly not nearly as long as the one in incline, CA, and seeing it raised a lot of questions that you answered. I also was able to ride the cable car incline on Lookout Mtn just west of Chattanooga TN. It was interesting to see the cable and supporting structures in action. Your modeling looked real, amazing. Thanks again, k

[@rafenatho5406]

Finally something worth watching on you tube!!

[@johnmoyer5515]

Love the history, I pulled 8 16"x 10' logs ea 365 ft lots of fun. Sawdust is my glitter.

[@WaltScrivens]

Amazing video and models. Thank you for sharing this!

[@Sovereign_Citizen_LEO]

One thing that's amazing to me was that all those logs/ trees were cut by hand. What an incredible video you have produced here. Thanks for all your hard work. People simply have no idea of the difficulty of life and hard work of our ancestors. When men were men.

[@guillermoszittyay4969]

Excelent job! Very good fotos and beautiful model in HO scale!!! Thank you, that is a very entertaining presentation. From Rosario Argentina.

[@skydiverclassc2031]

It always amazes me just how much preparatory work went in to getting the logs out to the mill. Hoist houses, rail lines, bridges, trestles, cables, all that stuff. At around 13:00, I would imagine that wooden bridge would have to be removed at the end of each season for it to be useful as lumber. It would rot pretty severely if left out there for a few winters until they were done with it. Have you ever heard of the Diamond Match Co. railroads in Butte and Tehama Counties in Northern California? Very extensive railroad system up til about 1953; now replaced by dirt roads. A good book called Matches, Rails, and Flumes details the history of the railroads. It featured a double incline, meaning the loaded cars were let down one side of Butte Creek Canyon, and then hoisted up the other and hooked into the mainline to Stirling City. Thanks for the presentation and the history lesson.

[@cdouglas1942]

What a treasure those old photos are. Give life you your excellent oral description. Your HO efforts not too shabby either. Well done, thanks.

[@Palmit_]

Utterly fascinating. I can only express my genuine thanks.

[@popps2502]

Wow! Great presentation! Thank you for your time and work in making this video, injoyed watching.

[@orchidhouse297]

I was absolutely enthralled by the history wrapped into the video.. What impressive engineering.

[@1musicsearcher]

What a great video and narrative. Jack, I love your photos, they really show what “when men where men” meant.

[@bernardc2553]

OH man I'll be Re-watch ing this 1 !!

[@curtesamoangelos5995]

Watched from Yosemite Kentucky. Locally pronounced as "Yoe Suh Might". This little town also had inclines for logging in the 1870's through early 1900's. Special engines and cabeling. I completely enjoyed your presentation and modeling. Just fantastic. Thank you for sharing!

[@yvfan]

The incorrect pronunciation is typical outside of California. It is the Indian name for the valley where they lived... Jack

[@wideyxyz2271]

just watched it again...fantastic!

[@CM-ARM]

Jack this just brought back so many memories of my childhood. I grew up between Delhi and Dunlap. I lived in Dunlap before we moved to Delhi. We had a log cabin in Yosemite and spent the summer most of the time. I really don't remember much about the railroad but I do remember some things. Thank you so much for this, Chris

[@yvfan]

Chris...There isn't much left of the YV except the old roadbed is visible on the north side of the Merced River when you drive to Yosemite via Highway 140. If you are interested, there is a KZbin video of my entire layout at: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e3mqnI1-gdZ0grs You will need to cut/paste that link into KZbin. Jack

[@gregmoore5905]

Just watched this in amazement. My grandfather & partner were in the lumber business in Orange, Texas and western LA in the late 1800s & early 1900s (Lutcher & Moore Lumber Co.) Their railroad operation brought yellow pine logs to the Sabine River mill at Orange. However, the land there was flat; they certainly didn't have to contend with steep inclines. Thank you for this presentation.

[@southoripper]

Fantastic job on this film! I've watched lots of old train documentaries here on the tube but I've never seen one that was about this vertical logging... I had no idea it existed! Thanks for posting, and your models are really cool!!

[@yvfan]

If you are interested, you can see my entire layout on KZbin at kzbin.info/www/bejne/e3mqnI1-gdZ0grs Jack

[@johnmoyer2255]

Awesome ! Thank you for sharing this video !

[@phillipstephens3079]

Hard to wrap-your-mind around this feat…in simplicity of thought, easy-peasy job where logs are just moved downhill to a sawmill operation 🤷🏻‍♂️💁‍♂️. The scope and complexity of this is simply MIND BOGGLING…😳😵‍💫😬 Wonderful presentation showing such engineering brilliance, build skill AND operating/ maintenance ingenuity…👏🏻👍🏻👊

[@raydunakin]

Great stuff! I never realized just how tall and steep those big inclines were.

[@tsgmultimedia]

It's amazing how they were able to get things done with ingenuity and sheer will.

[@rockyfanatic6846]

TSG Multimedia will you run your TGIF multimedia business car on the back of the lake shore limited in n scale

[@ThePeejRR]

@@tsgmultimedia just throw money and human suffering at it and it will get done!

[@lambertsaldi1550]

Awesome footage thanks for sharing Good Stuff 👍 🇺🇸🗽🇨🇦🍁 The Vermonter

[@ailo4x4]

I grew up on the San Joaquin & Eastern (SJ&E) with all its inclines used for building the local dam system. It was great exploring the old tracks in my '47 Willys as a teenager!

[@cadmanchannel]

That was great! Thank you for sharing.

[@w00dw0rks101]

Very much enjoyed this presentation and your knowledge of the lumbering operations. The lift house photos made me thing of the Basswood brake shoe I made for the Avery Island Salt mine in Louisiana. Still in use today I expect.

[@derrickanderson4932]

What a great presentation! Dave.

[@henryw4129]

Great video! Thanks for posting.

[@michaelsouza3582]

One of my favorite drive's from Turlock. You nailed it.......

[@garydionne1357]

Wow that's awesome, blessings to all those men , yesterday and today, and this is proof that a logger man can and always will survive, loaded truck at the 18 coming down,

[@livingadamman7994]

WOW the wonders of days gone by, some bloody nice logs there well worth the effort !

[@yowser8780]

My uncle worked several inclines in Humboldt County (Pacific Lumber Company) back in the late 1930's. Always good stories out of him. A green kid, he had to hang onto a block on the log cars when the crew rode the incline up the hill... senior folk got to lean on the bulkhead.

[@836dmar]

Fascinating study. Thank you!

[@keenanmcbreen7073]

Those are so steep, holy crap.

[@mikemalliski8380]

Just a great video of how men really worked at one point in our country, so interesting and beautiful in that rugged terrain, thanks so much for making this video.

[@jekylthorn8969]

Greetings from the UK. We have evidence of similar inclines for coke manufacturing. I wonder why they didn't just put bulkheads on each end of the wagons, rather than having to build track systems to turn them around? Fascinating video, loved it!

[@steveskouson9620]

Ephraim Shay. He designed some really interesting locomotives! Current day truck drivers call those bulkheads, "headache racks." Seems that they prevent headaches, if the load shifts, unexpectedly. steve

[@klausvonschmit4722]

I’m guessing, those lumber log bridges was the inspiration for the Lincoln log kits we all enjoyed during our early years!

[@markdeschane4467]

I was always interested in your log Incline, Jack. To see how the real ones operated is a real treat! Thanks Jack!!!

[@berkeleygang1834]

Outstanding job. Great production. Thank you very much.

[@kenzodrow9604]

thank you you have outdone most videos that i have seen, coming from a logger and the changes i have seen, anytime you think you have it rough just look back at how these folks lived

[@stevenbaty6247]

Truly enjoyable. But the best part was the final minutes with the models. Wow.

[@yvfan]

Thanks Steven...If you are interested, you can see my entire layout on KZbin at kzbin.info/www/bejne/e3mqnI1-gdZ0grs Jack Burgess

[@elonmust7470]

I've walked some old switchback track beds going up a mountain in Pensacola North Carolina. I'm a timber faller so it was very special to actually see remnants of old tie logs buried in the ground! Found a full jar of moonshine later that day lower down on the mountain.

[@RobertMaddox]

Awesome job sir! who the hell would give this a thumbs down? both my Grandfathers logged from about 1915 into the 60's I never new about the incline logging, now I do thanks to you.

[@johnbarham7718]

Yes I really did enjoy the presentation.

[@tsgmultimedia]

Awesome, thank you!

[@ricardohuante4729]

I got to go to sugar pine railway in Yosemite and got to ride one of theses shay recently and it was a great experience

[@bruceb3786]

Positively incredible presentation and narration. Makes it like I was there ! The engineering and ingenuity of those folks 100 years ago still is astounding ! My respect and admiration.......Thank you.

[@tsgmultimedia]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@skipgilbert1190]

I enjoyed the video of the logging operation in Yosemite. I have visited Yosemite twice and always wondered how the logging operation worked. As I travel and hike in the Rocky Mountains I would think similar logging methods were used to log the forest. As I hike In the mountains I look for the big trees but realize that they were all logged back in the early 1900’s. Great research and documentation of a long gone industry.

[@COSF101]

Great! I really understand the real thrill of logging.

[@georgeantonaros5580]

Absolutely a Fantastic Presentation of America’s History !! 😊

[@daveaharonian5541]

A fascinating operation. Thanks for sharing this!

[@MrRangeley]

Outstanding work! both in chronicling and modelling. Thanks for sharing. I never knew about the cable trams in the Yosemite area. amazing engineering, consrtruction and operation.

[@paulchamberlain3359]

Thank you for making this video

[@andyharman3022]

Very educational. I never really knew what an incline railway was, and am impressed with the ingenuity of the engineers that designed the machinery, and the toughness of the men that fed it with logs. The color film of the operations is priceless, and shows how important logging was in the era. The first color movie, The Wizard of Oz, was released in 1939, and the color logging film is also from 1939. Even though they were in the wilderness, loggers were up to date on the technology of the day.

[@open-minded-oldie]

Fascinating, thank you!

[@michellepugh2859]

Incredible video!! Thanks!!

[@maccourt8230]

Thank you Jack, incredible work and amazing modelling. Cheers Mac

[@yvfan]

Mac...if you are interested, the video of my entire layout is at: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e3mqnI1-gdZ0grs Jack

[@Peasmouldia]

Sometime a great notion..(with apologies to K. Kesey and H.Ledbetter). Excellent. Many thanks from the UK.

[@dewiz9596]

Thank you. Very nice stuff. I learned a lot, which makes life worth living.

[@johnortmann3098]

Wow! to both the original and the models!

[@yvfan]

John...if you are interested, the video of my entire layout is at: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e3mqnI1-gdZ0grs You'll need to copy/paste the link. Jack

[@johnortmann3098]

@@yvfan Thanks. I'll check it out.

[@arnenelson4495]

EXCELLENT video, thank you!

[@yvfan]

Thanks Arne... Jack Burgess

[@TomokosEnterprize]

Thanks so much. You have a great piece of our logging industry here.

[@BrilliantDesignOnline]

Not only was this incredibly interesting and educational, but the photos and your models are incredible, especially the guy signaling from the roof of the caboose and the line shot with the canyon photo in the background.

[@Sugarmountaincondo]

Superb Presentation !!

[@jaytyrrell7564]

Thank you!! Well done 👏

[@hamiltonsullivan6563]

Loved this video John

[@pamtnman1515]

fabulous video, thank you

[@tonydeleo3642]

Jack, thanks for the response and information!