British Columbia Forest Products Ltd.

[Born2clearcut]

In your Grandfathers pictures is there a picture of a mobile A frame . It was custom built by Hayes ,was built on a frame with a rubber tire undercarrage it had steel A frame hanging over the front ,the winch and cab on the back guyline to hold up A frame attacted to the back . Must have had quite a bit of counter weight as it would take the weight of a loaded off highway logging truck ,right side stakes were tripped and mobile A frame would back up withload drop it on the ground then back up leaving room for next truck to pullin front of it. Yes "Surfer Joe weve cross paths a time or two.

Custom built Hayes Aframe unloading a truck in 1963-64 at the Port Renfrew dryland sort . It must of been a pretty kool time in the logging industry, for people to come up with a idea or drawing and the company would let them start cutting and welding until they came up with something that worked . This is a VERY kool machine ,would have loved to see it in action .

 

[camptramp]

Born2clearcut You came through again great pictures I worked on that machine for a day in late 1966 I was on the ground hooking the straps to L Hooks ,I think one of the stackers was broken down , by that time they had moth balled their mobile A frame and were using a Kenworth stacker to split the loads in two or three bites to unload the trucks . Youve got to remmber the Renfrew DLS if it was not the first DLS on the BC coast it ran a close second and there was some trial and error. I didnt realize that it picked the load up high enough to clear the stakes , mind you the stakes in those days were shorter. On the A frames over water you use one line to hold the spreader bar over the load while taking the weight by lifting on the other line ,trip the water side stakes , release the line holding the spreader bar. As the load swings out over the water you release the brake on the other line dumping the load in the water . I dont know when it happened but sometime in the late 60s it was dismanteled and shipped to Black Water camp at their Mackenzie Div. Later on its my under standing the winch part of it was brought back to the coast to pull bundles out of the water at Shoal Island DLS.

 

[camptramp]

Born2clearcut Heres a tale for you .When that Aframe arrived at Renfrew the story goes that George Giberson the mastermechenic who probably desizned it was testing it out moving it around the yard . There was also a shop forman Morris Thomas who had a bad stutter watching ,as George was heading for the new hydro lines with his new Aframe Morris couldnt get word out as he tried warn George all he could do was through up his arms as George cleaned out the hydro lines.

 

[Hayesno1]

camptramp; not much left but can you identify this HDX. It was on auction in 2008

 

[camptramp]

Hayesno1 Dont know the no. but I think it was the line horse from Caycuse when Caycuse and Renfrew merged to be HBO in 1992 I can tell it was a preloader by the wings welded to the top side of the water tank to support the front bunk of a preload trailer, before it self loaded its own trailer. The muffler in the water tank ladder tells me it was converted from another engine to a V12-71 I know where all the old Renfrew truck are similar to this so I would guess it between the 6-212 and 6-221. HDX can probably fillin the banks.

 

[Born2clearcut]

Camptramp maybe you could identify this camp , all I know about the pictures is that they were developed on Oct 1964.

 

[camptramp]

Born2clearcut Sorry I cant identify the camp , I know its not Renfrew Caycuse Pit lake or Malibu It looks like an established camp but by look at the the growth in surounding slash its only a few years old . could be a contractors camp acrss from Campbell River. On a second look it looks like the fuel truck on the barge is an old Shell truck with F C Henry on the tank F C Henry was the Shell dealer in Sooke , Mallock and Mosley were from the Sooke area ,were contracters for BCFP at Muir Cr. and Later moved in to the old Moore Witington holdings on Nitnat Lake are you sure about the date on the pictures , Im not positive but it seems to me Malloch took over Nitnat around 1968 or 1969 could those pictures be from around 1974 . Ill ask our friend Gordy Isacson , he and his father work for Malloch in most of their operations Gordy has a bunch of the Malloch family picture albums maybe he has more pictures of Nitnat Comp.

 

[Born2clearcut]

Ya pretty sure on the date . When the slides were developed the company that developed them stamps the date on outer cardboard of the slide . So I don't know when picture was taken , but I do know when they were developed .

 

[camptramp]

Born2clearcut Im still thinking its Nitnat Lake as that was around the time your grandfather was transferred to Cowichan Div. looks like a west coast beach in front of the houses . Ill still get Gordy to have a look to night . Tried a return by e mail let me know if it came through.

 

[camptramp]

Bornclearcut Do you have a copy of BCFP,s book of basic history up to 1975 titled First Growth I guess I was in a transition when it was handed out in 1975 or 76 but Ive got my fathers copy lots of good information in the back . Starts page 273 gives brief run down of start up in 1946 of major purchases and events .The last load of logs on the railroad was hauled from Bear Cr. to Beach Camp was hauled in 1957 .Moore-Whittington Lumber was purchased in 1963 . I remmber in the spring or summer of 1966 Les Valley joined the Renfrew staff as a woods forman, he had previeously been a woods forman at Nitinat for Moore- Whittington. Im thinking Nitinat was run by BCFP from 1963 to 1966 then shut down that was around the time your grandfather took over management of the Cowichan area.

 

[camptramp]

Born2clearcut Just finished going through the M+B thread ,on a posting you mentioned some Macks from the St Lawrence Seaway .I had a chance to meet the late Frank Norrie a couple of years ago . During a breif conversation I learned Norrie Brothers Logging had also out to the coast some of thoughs St. Lawrence Seaway Machs and made logging trucks out of them.

 

[RCP57]

camptramp, My dad was wondering if the 3 wheeled stacker in post #497 ended going to M+M's setup at Muir Creek after Renfrew?

Thanks, Reg

 

[camptramp]

RCP57 Thats a really good question . I dont kmow for sure which DLS opened first Muir Cr. or Renfrew and I cant say I spent a lot of time at at the Renfrew DLS site when it first opened . But I do know there was some trial and error getting it up and running. The land scape in that posting I'm certian is Renfrew DLS , but it was'nt there when I started working there in Feb. 1966 . That having been said I can remmber riding the school bus from Port Renfrew to Sooke in 1963 and seeing a similer stacker at the Muir Cr. DLS . I would say its the same one. Just for the record I beleive Butler Brothers were the original contractors at the time .They were contacting for Pacific Logging closer to Sooke and BCFP at the same time When Pacific increased the quota at Sooke they couldn't handle both so they gave up Muir Cr. Giving Malloch+Moesely a chance to enlarge to their company. But I don't know what year M+M took over Muir Cr.

 

[RCP57]

Thanks for the reply. I have a picture of the one from Muir creek but I need to ask if I can share it first.

Reg

 

[Y&L Wrench]

Bear Creek Community Hall 1961
Picutre #1 was taken in the 50's picture was sent from a family friend . The rest of the picutres are of the Hall being burnt down on purpose to destroy it , guess it wasn't worth trying to move .

When were kids we found a way to break into the hall without causing damage and go upstars to shoot pool on rainy days, if we heard someone come in we climbed out the window before they got the upstairs.

 

[Y&L Wrench]

I remember that old Line Horse Truck from when I was a kid, my dad drove that beast a lot in Bear Creek Camp

 

[Y&L Wrench]

When I was a kid in Bear Creek Camp my dad used to drive that Old Line Horse as it was called and you could hear that screaming jimmy coming for miles away.

 

[camptramp]

When Bear Cr. was shut down the crew and equipment were moved to Harris Cr. as they had 2 Linehorses 1 was sold to the Tashis Co. Was that the one BCFP sold?

 

[Y&L Wrench]

When Bear Cr. was shut down the crew and equipment were moved to Harris Cr. as they had 2 Linehorses 1 was sold to the Tashis Co. Was that the one BCFP sold?

Not too sure but think so!!

 

[camptramp]

Hayesno1 I was looking through page 2 posting #22 I'm wondering if that P16 could be the 6-259 the 6-257 6-258 were P16s and were conventionals with the lower cabs roofs and windshields and were new at Silver River .I know the 6-260 was a P16 with the higher roof and windshield and was a preloader as were the 6-263 6-264 they are all with IPL The 6-261 6-262 were P16 conventionals that are with Moore Logging I do'nt know of any other BCFP P16 off highway trucks unless they went to Elk River . Is there a chance the 6-259 was the first high wind shield P16 sent to Pit Lake ?