Large Scale Central

Surry Parker log loader and vicinity

Modeling
#1

On the Durango & Jasper garden railroad [link] there’s a spot to load logs onto buggies for transport to the (not yet built) sawmill). Originally, the plan was to put a spar tree there, but then I discovered the Surry Parker log loader. Instant infatuation. Here are a couple of inspiration photos of models:

This is your standard steam driven crane with the difference being that it is built over the top of the tracks and empties run underneath the crane. I believe the deck, boiler, boom, etc. were transported to the site and then raised up on pilings to the right height.

Of course, I have nothing yet. I’m started on my boiler, following the great work of Devon [link] and Rick [link] in their recent Mik builds. Not having a lathe, I needed to do something different to create the tapered top to the boiler so I am trying putty (using milliput epoxy putty recommended by boomer). We’ll see how this goes.

Here’s where I am so far:

Waiting for the putty to dry (tapping my toes impatiently) so I can sand it down.

Cheers!

[edited to remove a stray close paren]

#2

Jim Rowson said:

On the Durango & Jasper garden railroad [link] there’s a spot to load logs onto buggies for transport to the (not yet built) sawmill). Originally, the plan was to put a spar tree there, but then I discovered the Surry Parker log loader. Instant infatuation. Here are a couple of inspiration photos of models:

This is your standard steam driven crane with the difference being that it is built over the top of the tracks and empties run underneath the crane. I believe the deck, boiler, boom, etc. were transported to the site and then raised up on pilings to the right height.

Of course, I have nothing yet. I’m started on my boiler, following the great work of Devon [link] and Rick [link] in their recent Mik builds. Not having a lathe, I needed to do something different to create the tapered top to the boiler so I am trying putty (using milliput epoxy putty recommended by boomer). We’ll see how this goes.

Here’s where I am so far:

Waiting for the putty to dry (tapping my toes impatiently) so I can sand it down.

Cheers!

[edited to remove a stray close paren]

about as neat as neat gets, oh next time try a turkey baster no drying time

#3

Post deleted because the picture was lost.

#4

Nice, John!

#5

Great project Jim. Yea the Surry-Parker’s were used mostly in the East and South areas of the country.

Your correct they were transported on a flat or skel log car around the woods then jacked up and secured once in position.

I have an O scale model I built abot 30 years ago still kicking around here somewhere.

#6

Jim Rowson said:

On the Durango & Jasper garden railroad [link] there’s a spot to load logs onto buggies for transport to the (not yet built) sawmill). Originally, the plan was to put a spar tree there, but then I discovered the Surry Parker log loader. Instant infatuation. Here are a couple of inspiration photos of models:

Looks like a little “EBT influence” down the track in the background. Nicely represented, any story behind that?

#7

yikes! double post…

#8

Ric: That picture was for inspiration and I don’t have any backstory, sorry. The picture itself appeared in an online magazine article [link].

The loader appears to be from the Eagle Point Railroad [link] in Tennessee, an impressive 1/8" club, see their current track plan and an example image from their site below:

The layout is big enough that the little bit of clicking around I did could not find that specific stretch of track. Maybe somebody here on the site would know…

[edited to add the link to the original magazine article]

#9

A small funnel makes a great tapered dome for your boiler as well.

#10

Small size Funnels (Tundish). …Albeit on UK Amazon, they ARE available ON the US site and billed as

perfume funnels.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=PERFUME+FUNNELS&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

#11

That’s were I got mine. About 1" to 1 1/2" in dia. Find a size that fits your piece of pipe, or vis versa.

#12

Thanks for the suggestions and pointers, folks!

#13

Hi Jim,

Those are all good suggestions for tapers,but, if you take a few minutes and learn to use radial line pattern development you can build any cone or funnel shape you need. You control the larger and smaller diameters, you control the height, you control the taper, just like Outer Limits(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-foot-in-mouth.gif).

Your pattern then can be placed on Styrene, brass, or any other light material and rolled up for a perfect fit on your project.

Below is a diagram and instructions I plucked off the internet that you can take a look at to see what I am talking about. If your interested in learning this I can walk you through it step by step.

Rick

https://sielearning.tafensw.edu.au/toolboxes/toolbox905/3_tem/tem_t4/htm/tem4_2_3.htm

#14

I love it Rick! Thanks!

#15

Hey Jim, great project!!

BTW, that second to the last pic you have in your initial post shows a model that I believe was built by our buddy here, Jerry Bohlander. Aka “Naptowneng,” which is short for “Annapolis Engineer.”

In case you don’t have it, here’s a Surry-Parker catalog which has a bunch of great info on their loaders:

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nc01.ark:/13960/t76t1pc5v;view=1up;seq=7

Looking forward to seeing your build!

Cliff

#16

Thanks Cliff! And thanks for the attribution on that loader. I just found it on google images…

[edited to add a Bruce Chandler photo of Jerry Bohlander’s loader at a drag & bag in 2015 [link]:

]

#17

Good deal, yeah, Jerry’s model is gorgeous.

#18

Jim,

This is great. I was going to attempt a McGiffert loader at one time

I love the idea of pulling the empty cars through the loader as they are then loaded. But this is just to big a challenge that I really don’t want to take the tie to tackle. So then I was thinking a spar loader as you were. But now this idea is easy to build and has that same concept as the McGiffert only not as mobile which for my layout plan wouldn’t be necessary anyway. So this is a good thread. Now I have two of your projects to steal.

#19

John Bouck said:

Here’s the one I built a few years ago.

And of course John yours is a work of art. Was finally nice to put a face to the name and meet you in person.

#20

I made a small bit of progress on the boiler for the steam engine for the Surry Parker loader. I chose to continue with the putty taper (though lots of people had funnel suggestions) as it turned out to be not a big deal to sand it down to be smooth and it won’t kill me to do it this way. Next time.

I’ve got banding and the door in place and partially drilled for rivets. It should look a lot better with actual rivets in it :-).

Cheers!