David Russell said:
Andy Clarke said:
It’s not fun, building something, then watching it come apart…
Yes it is I do it all the time!
Son, but yours fall apart, because you never use any glue…
Ray Dunakin said:
Wow, too bad to have come so far and then have to make major changes, but hopefully you can save most of your existing work on it. Very impressive project.
it is in a way, but most of it can just be moved over to the new frame, and the old one will wait for another project. would still like to build this one as factory someday, but since it would be a static model, would have to wait till I can build a shelf layout or something, where I can set it up in a camp and just stay there, but for now something a little more operator friendly for ops will get more use.
Andy Clarke said:
David Russell said:
Andy Clarke said:
It’s not fun, building something, then watching it come apart…
Yes it is I do it all the time!
Son, but yours fall apart, because you never use any glue…
ehhh, glue is overrated these days (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-tongue-out.gif)
So after doing some research into the Lidgerwood design and looking into the only remaining Lidgerwood unit, I found this link of a unit being built in 1:25 scale, so guess I am not the only g scale person that has gone insane lol this link does have a few pics of the remaining unit, and the great work on the model. Now I am fired up to get back on this project when I come back home lol
Aaron,
Are you aware of the Lidgerwood tower skidder that was on display at Camp 6 (Point Defiance Park in Washington State) for many years? The Camp was closed and the equipment sold off, fortunately most of it went to another collection open to the public. The Lidgerwood went to Roots of Motive Power in Willets, CA. Here is a link to the report of Chris and his crew moving that monster, hard to believe.
Here is the link.
http://www.rootsofmotivepower.com/sites/default/files/2012-December-Vol-30-No3-web.pdf
Have fun with the build
Rick
PS, this is the machine in your link above.
Rick, thank you for posting this link!! I heard of the remaining unit at Camp 6, but pictures have been few, and none from the move to Willits. These pictures will be a valuable recourse when construction continues.
I like the simpler frame design on the shop built Cass unit, but like the more massive tower design of the Lidgerwood, so it will probably be a combination of the two, and maybe some elements of the original Willamette design. Excited to get back on this project when I return home.
And here is a little info on the shop built rig at Cass:
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/lionel682/6822849185/
High-lead Steam Skidder – Built by Meadow River Lumber’s Rainelle shop using older Lidgerwood skidder engines and winches – completed in 1945 – rostered as No. 1; mounted on a 55-foot car frame, the mast (tower, spar) fabrication (standing 96-feet from its base in operating condition) and cable capability (over 3,300 feet) made it one of the largest high-lead skidders ever used in the East. The purpose of the rebuild was related to handling tree-length logs; service ended sometime in 1966 (it was the last operating steam skidder in the East); brought to Rainelle in early 1968 and stored on a siding across the mill pond from MRL’s bandsaw plant). Shipped to Cass as part of the donated equipment in 5-72; the mast came on two B-series log cars (one of these also carried the boiler’s cupola housing); moved to Whittaker by Shay No. 2 and No. 5 in 11-93; the mast was brought to the site via the same power combination in [8]-94; one of only two Lidgerwood skidders extant domestically.
And this may be what becomes of the Crown Willamette skidder frame, build a car mount skidder, basically a tower skidder, but using it on a siding with a spar tree rather than its own tower. A cheaper option then, but more work, having to find a good tree to use, and running a siding right up to it at each site. Willamette only built one tower skidder, but due to design changes after a threatened lawsuit from Lidgerwood over design, it was the only one, but these car mount units were fairly common from Willamette, with many built. Mine would be based on a larger unit they built, cant remember the company it was built for off hand, but it looked much like the tower skidder without the roof and tower.
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Aaron,
Yea us logging guys all seem to have our favorite machines or machine type. Who knows why??
My favorite, and one I am going to build one of these days, is the “Logging Machine” built by Seattle
Car and Foundry from the design by, and for, the LaMoine Lumber and Trading Company, Shasta County, California.
These machines (there were only two of them ever built) were turned out in 1916 and the design
concept would mature in later years into units such as the Clyde Universal Skidder and Willamette Iron & Steels
“Long Bell” Titanic.
Here is a picture of one of the “Logging Machines” if I can get it to stick.
There I finally remembered how to post the picture
Rick
Wow, I have never seen one of those, I like it. Yea, not sure why, especially when none of the lumber railroads I model stuff from ever had a standard guage skidder lol but for some reason I have to build it lol cant wait to see what you can do with something like this!
Rick,
That is a great pic!
Aaron,
This is a great project you are doing. One question: Can I have it when you are finished? 
Thanks John Been a fun and exciting project. Well, it would look nice on your rails, and for the right price, anything is possible lol(http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
Aaron,
The beauty of these machines is that they were 3 foot narrow gauge.
Here is a link to a posting I made years ago in a land far away about A
model of said machine.
http://gold.mylargescale.com/MikeReilley/Car%20bashing/Log%20loader%20crane.pdf
cool model
Rick
Try this
http://gold.mylargescale.com/MikeReilley/Car%20bashing/Log%20loader%20crane.pdf
Still won’t do it. Have to copy and paste I guess.
Nice rig!! I remember that popping up on the forum some time ago, didn’t realize it was the same!! May need to build one of these as well someday 
I like the lidgerwoods, mcgifferts etc… but none were ever made narrow gauge. it can be done, but just look massive riding on narrow gauge trucks lol that’s why my version is swaying towards a shop built unit like at cass, cause then it can be whatever gauge that way 
wouldn’t it be great to see one of those working. Or a video. Is there any out there?
John Bouck said:
wouldn’t it be great to see one of those working. Or a video. Is there any out there?
would be amazing to see one running for sure. Been searching for some footage of one, but nothing yet. Combing through some video of the meadow river lumber company and the greenbrier cheat & elk as they were the companies that ran the one that is at cass, but nothing yet.
Not aware of any on the “Logging Machine” but there just has to be something on the tower skidders somewhere.
Here is a few shots of a McGiffert used in loading at Long-Bell’s operation in Weed, CA.
Rick
I have the book Weyerhauser Vail McDonald and was just reviewing the Lidgerwoods and the steel spar.
The Kinsey brothers have a lot of photos of Washington operations.
John
Those are some awesome pictures John, thanks for posting them. Don’t really know of any operations outside of Washington that used them, though I can’t imagine the cost of getting one moved from the factory cross country to another operation.