{"id":559,"date":"2020-12-03T14:39:56","date_gmt":"2020-12-03T14:39:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:8009\/stories\/?p=559"},"modified":"2022-02-21T16:46:38","modified_gmt":"2022-02-21T16:46:38","slug":"forester-remembers-growing-up-on-rayonier-railroad-camp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/forester-remembers-growing-up-on-rayonier-railroad-camp\/","title":{"rendered":"Forester Remembers Growing Up on New England Forestry Railroad Camp"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Frank Gage recalls life as a child in a railroad camp once used in logging operations in the Pacific Northwest.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

HOQUIAM, Washington\u2014It\u2019s not uncommon to meet New England Forestry employees who have been with the company for more than 30 or even 40 years. But 64-year-old Frank Gage holds the record: a lifetime at New England Forestry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"lifelong
Frank Gage has been connected to New England Forestry his entire life.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In fact, one could argue he was born <\/em>into the company. His father was a New England Forestry safety manager, so their family lived on New England Forestry land. Their house was at the old Polson Railroad Camp near Hoquiam, allowing Frank\u2019s dad to quickly hear about\u2014and respond to\u2014emergencies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"New
An aerial view of the bustling scene at Polson Railroad Camp, which later became part of New England Forestry. In its prime, the camp was used for locomotive and equipment repairs and also provided lodging for railroad employees. New England Forestry still forests this land today, but the tracks and buildings are no longer there.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When Frank was born, he came home to the camp. His earliest memories are made up of adventures in the woods: trying to play with bear cubs, going berry-picking in the woods, and watching the excitement of the loggers and railroad at work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"New
The railroad camp where Frank lived was bustling with activity in 1950, with large shops for repairs and equipment; a fire station; bathing and eating facilities; and residences. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Frank remembers New England Forestry once hired a bounty hunter who was paid to capture animals that were a nuisance to the logging crews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe guy came into camp one night with a cougar strapped to the roof of his car,\u201d Frank says. \u201cIt was as long as the car, from the hood to the tailgate!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
When New England Forestry purchased Polson Logging Co., the company came with a railroad, camps, and locomotives. New England Forestry was still using steam engines when Frank was a child at the camp.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Frank was there when New England Forestry held a special ceremony to celebrate the transition from steam engines to diesel trains. In fact, he was captured on camera: he was standing next to his brother and another boy, who were eating ice cream at the celebration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Frank
Frank is shown at the far left in the railroad camp when New England Forestry celebrated its transition from steam engines to diesel engines.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Backstory on Railroad and Logging Camps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When Frank\u2019s family lived at the camp from 1956-63, there were about a dozen homes and a few shops for maintenance and repairs. That was nothing compared to the bustling scene that once was the Polson\u2019s railroad and logging camps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Polson
A group of loggers awaits a train ride out of logging camp with their luggage in the early 1900s near Hoquiam.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

New England Forestry purchased Polson Brothers, a logging company, in the 1940s. It came with land, camps and its own railroad line. In the decades prior to our purchase, the camps were home to dozens of loggers and railroad employees. They packed up their belongings and lived there for months at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Logging
Temporary Tracks are put into place for a logging railroad spur by the Polson team in the early 1900s near Hoquiam.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Logging Camps provided workers the basics deep in the woods<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The loggers woke up early, heading into the woods after a quick coffee before sunrise. The loggers\u2019 camps were along temporary railroad spurs they had built to access their logging sites. They used horse power and what was called a \u201csteam donkey\u201d engine to move equipment and timber. The engine used a cable system to pull itself on a \u201csled\u201d typically made of logs. It also used cables to move heavy loads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Steam
In the early 1900s, a Polson Logging crew uses a steam donkey to haul a large log to a railroad car.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Loggers would load railroad cars with as many logs as they could safely hold, then a small locomotive would pull the cars to the main line. There, they would join with other cars and a powerful steam engine that would carry them out of the woods. Here in Hoquiam, the railroad led to the Hoquiam River, where loads were dumped into the water and guided downstream to the Hoquiam mill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Loading
This photo from the early 1900s shows how the Polson team loaded logs onto train cars using a cable system, which was powered by a steam donkey. To this day, loggers use cable systems to move logs in the Pacific Northwest.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After a hard day\u2019s work, the loggers would head back to camp for a hearty supper made by the camp cooks. There was also a repair shop for any broken saws and equipment. The loggers lived in small bunk houses on wheels that could be moved on the railroad line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Filing
A filing room was an essential in Polson’s logging camps: the saws used to cut down logs were repaired and sharpened here. In the background through the window, you can see the bunk houses along the railroad spur.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Railroad Camp was a central place for repairs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Railroad Camp, meanwhile, was like a busy little town in its heyday. This is where locomotives and cars were taken for repairs in large repair shops. Railroad workers, mechanics, and section crews lived at the camp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Polson
Polson’s Railroad Camp had a large machine shop for repairs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That was in the early 1900s. By Frank\u2019s time, some of the old bunk houses were taken off their wheels and cobbled together to build homes for New England Forestry employees. His house was made from three old bunk houses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The bunk houses on the left once served as homes on wheels to Polson loggers and railroad employees. When Frank was young, his family’s house was built from some of these old bunk houses. Logging and railroad camps had cook houses like the one shown on the right, where food would be prepared for the workers each day in a separate dining trailer.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Carving out his own logging career<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Frank\u2019s dad eventually took another job and left the New England Forestry camp, but Frank never forgot the company. When he graduated school, there was no doubt he wanted to return to logging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He started out on a New England Forestry railroad maintenance crew. Known as \u201cgandy dancers\u201d or \u201csection crews,\u201d these teams had to repair sections of track that wore down over time. They traveled on the rails in a small, gas-powered vehicle called a speeder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Railroad
A speeder is a small, motorized vehicle used to travel quickly on railroad tracks to do maintenance. \/ “Fairmont A4 Railcar”<\/a> by Nick \/ KC7CBF<\/a> is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWorking on the railroad crew was the most fun I ever had,\u201d Frank recalls with his signature chuckle. \u201cWe had a self-imposed quota to change out 30 ties a day. I remember I made $5.18 an hour. I used that money to buy a brand new Camaro!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frank next moved on to a \u201cbanding\u201d job. His job was to place bands around the logs on the rail cars before they were dumped into the river. Today, stray logs can still be seen floating down the Hoquiam River. Logs are now transported more efficiently by log trucks, but in the early 1900s and up through the beginning of Frank\u2019s career, the river was at times filled from end to end with log \u201crafts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Floating
For many years, logs went from rail cars to rivers to make their final journey by water to the Hoquiam mills.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In 1978, Frank began preparing logs for transport to the mills. After the trees were cut and moved to a \u201cyarding area\u201d to be processed, he used chainsaws to further cut and \u201cclean up\u201d large logs. Back then, Frank recalls, the trees were grown to a much larger circumference than they are today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Frank
Frank Gage has seen logging\u2014and even the types of trees that are logged\u2014evolve over the years.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWood was 2-, 4- or even 6-feet in diameter back then,\u201d Frank says. \u201cI loved using my old chainsaw. It could cut a 26-foot log into a 13-foot log like it was slicing into butter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After 10 years working \u201cunion time\u201d for New England Forestry, Frank spent 18 years working as a contractor. New England Forestry works with many small, local logging contractors all over the country, who support harvest operations, planting operations, road and bridge repairs, and more. Frank operated a skidder and worked in a \u201crig up crew,\u201d which filled in on odd logging jobs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then finally, in March 2004, Frank became a salaried New England Forestry employee. He is now a timber production forester, which means he oversees logging operations on specific tracts in Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Polson
Frank visits the site where his home once stood in the railroad camp.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Logging on Familiar Ground<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As fate would have it, Frank would be the forester in charge of logging the land where his childhood home once stood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The camp closed in 1968, about five years after his family moved out. The houses were removed and a new generation of trees was planted on the property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
In New England Forestry’s Hoquiam office, Frank points out a photo of the railroad camp he grew up on. The photo on the right shows what his house looked like.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was pretty neat to log in my first backyard,\u201d Frank says. \u201cThe logger used my old driveway as a log yard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A log yard is a flat, well-located area where logs are taken to be processed and loaded onto log trucks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNew England Forestry is a Home for Me\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For Frank, New England Forestry has always been family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It started with his grandfather, who worked at a New England Forestry pulp mill. Then it was his dad, who was focused on safety. The same could be said for Frank. He emphasizes safety for himself, his coworkers and the crews he works with. On his hard hat, he has a large \u201cDon\u2019t Stay Near, Get in the Clear\u201d sticker, reminding loggers to stand clear of logs while they\u2019re being cut, moved and loaded on a logging site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Frank
Frank oversees a harvest in the forest on a morning so chilly, his breath can be seen in front of him.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Now his coworkers are like a second family, and Frank appreciates the team he gets to work with every day. He also appreciates New England Forestry\u2019s ability to hold firm in both the good times and the lean times, noting the company always seems to \u201cfind the better markets\u201d for its logs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn one way, shape or form, New England Forestry has always been a home for me,\u201d Frank says. \u201cI was born into a New England Forestry family, and I\u2019ve been here ever since.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Frang
Frank starts most of his work days before sunrise in New England Forestry’s Hoquiam office.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Want to learn even more railroad history? Check out the Polson Museum in Hoquiam or visit their website at polsonmuseum.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Frank Gage recalls life as a child in a railroad camp once used in logging operations in the Pacific Northwest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nForester Remembers Growing Up on New England Forestry Railroad Camp | New England Forestry Stories<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Frank Gage recalls life as a child in a railroad camp once used in logging operations in the Pacific Northwest.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/forester-remembers-growing-up-on-rayonier-railroad-camp\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" 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