The “A” team are busy planning/building a flume on our logging layout, The Mendocino Coast Model Railroad & Navigation Co. There was a flume here on the Mendocino Coast at Rollerville. Mike Aplet has been locating photos and vids to aid the crew in the construction.

Serendipity being what she is these photos fell into my lap today courtesy of Ted Curphey when he added them to the “ Logging Railroads of the Pacific Northwest” Facebook page. Here’s his intro:

“Photos of the Broughton Lumber Flume that ran from a sawmill at Willard, WA to the finishing mill at Hood, WA along the SP&S/BN railroad. The flume was in operation from 1923 until 1986 and was featured in such films as Charlie the Lonesome Cougar and Lassie.“

Remnants of the flume #1

Remnants of the flume #2

Remnants of the flume #3

Remnants of the flume #4

Remnants of the flume #5

The only flume that operated along the Mendocino Coast wast at Rollerville. There were many flumes in the Sierras and club member Mike Aplet used to work on them. Vids of flumes are as rare as hen’s teeth. But, I have found one – of the last log flume in United States. Another coup!!!!!!

https://youtu.be/D_payIaCemA/watch

Neato freeto right?

Club Member Mike Aplet used to work for PG&E in the Sierras. Mike’s Facebook post that he sent me today says, “This pic is totally deja vu for me. It is one of the old canal/flume systems in the Sierra Nevada that has been converted to an ADA trail. I didn’t work this particular canal during my days at PG&E but many others exactly like it.”

Here’s the pic:

The Independence Trail in Nevada City

Thanks muchly Mike

Near Point Arena in the late 1860s timber men Stevens and Whitmore began to exploit about 7,000 acres of redwood timberland on the watershed of the Garcia River, some five bee-line miles inland from Point Arena. Their Garcia Mill cut 40,000 board feet per day, and in one eight month season produced eight million feet. The problem they faced was getting the lumber to market. They were stymied because they could not secure a right-of-way to build a railroad to the Point Arena wharf. The grades were too steep and attempts to haul by wagon had to be abandoned. Clever Mr. Stevens, however, had a neat solution; a transportation system with water power at the heart of it.

As usual there are not too many pics of the flume. Those we have are located on this and this page. Time rolls on and I now have another photo to add to the collection. Click on the photo to read the text at the bottom.

Flume using water from the Gualala River