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Oregon California & Eastern Railroad Log Cars |
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When Weyerhaeuser commenced operations out of Klamath Falls, logs were initially hauled on a fleet of spine cars of wood construction. These cars, called "woodbellies" by the crews, served the company well up until the time that Weyerhaeuser bought the OC&E. By this point the cars were getting old and worn, and many were simply retiring themselves through repeated derailments. Rail safety inspectors from the State of Oregon were also frowning over their use on the rails of the common carrier. Weyerhaeuser was forced to completely replace its fleet of wooden cars. The company purchased used flatcars, boxcars, gondolas and other types of cars that the Sycan shops converted into acceptable log cars. In addition to those cars produced by the Sycan shops Weyerhaeuser also imported log cars from other railroad operations as well as building some new steel spine cars in the Sycan shops. Following the cease of operations all log cars were stored at either Sycan or Bly until the last clean up trains brought the cars down to Klamath Falls in 1992. The company initially inked a deal to sell the cars to the Kiamichi Railroad, but that deal fell through and the log flats were scrapped in Klamath Falls except for a small handfull of cars that passed into the hands of museums. |
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A string of the woodbellies sitting on the track connecting the OC&E and GN yards in Klamath Falls in 1957. Jack Bowden photo. |
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A closer shot of one of the woodbellies in 1957. Jack Bowden photo. |
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Another shot of a "woodbelly", this one of the #592 at Sycan in 1959. Jerry Lamper photo. |
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Some later WTCX log flats sitting on the GN/OC&E connection in 1970. Jack Bowden photo. |
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A pair of log cars sitting behind the Sycan shop in early 1984. Jimmy Bryant photo. |
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A pair of modern skeleton log cars in what used to be the OC&E Klamath Falls yard. Jeff Moore photo. |
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A detail shot of one of the modern skeleton cars. Jeff Moore photo. |
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A truck under a modern skeleton log car. Jeff Moore photo. |
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