Atlantic Coast Line pulpwood car #110332 and another 70 ton car await loading by Cleveland Pulpwood Yard          
The empty pulpwood cars are located on the former Cragford House Track which has been reconfigured. Formerly, the track ran parallel to the main and siding before being curved away to enable pulpwood car loading. Normally, procedure was for the Lineville Switcher to arrive from the north (around the curve in the distance), open the woodyard switch and remove the loads, set the loads over to the main, ease backwards with the empties behind the power, cut off from the empties and roll the locomotive to a coupling with the loads, and let gravity take the empties into the clear (roll by switch) into the woodyard. Facing point switches were handled with ease and speed back in the day. When gravity failed, sticks of pulpwood would be used to move the cars into the clear in a "poling" type move that could be very dangerous if the wood wasn't sturdy enough to withstand the pressure.
Date: 8/12/1974 Location: Cragford, AL   Map Show Cragford on a rail map Views: 1212 Collection Of:   Bernie Feltman
Author:  Bernie Feltman
Atlantic Coast Line pulpwood car #110332 and another 70 ton car await loading by Cleveland Pulpwood Yard
Picture Categories: RollingStock,Yard This picture is part of album:  SCL/SBD (Black/Yellow) Alabama/Florida roster/still shots
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User Comments
Name Type Comments Date
Charles Burgess General Sure miss the pulpwood cars...nice shot! 12/26/2011 1:09:20 PM
Fred Stuckmann General Any switcher or local usually had a push pole and we sometimes had to use them. Gravity drops were the easiest, as timing was not an issue. 12/26/2011 3:52:08 PM
Robert Farkas General Nice piece of history. I certainly wouldn't want to be around when a poling pole broke. It sounds like it would be a rain of splinters or worse! 12/27/2011 6:01:51 PM
Charles Stookey General Great railroading shot. Is that a phone box at the left? 12/28/2011 2:51:28 AM
David Barrentine General I miss the pulpwood cars too! Nice one Bernie! 12/29/2011 7:13:11 PM
Olaf Junges General Very interesting! 1/2/2012 3:24:46 AM
Jeffrey Allen General I miss the pulpwood business too. Glad you shot it and I got to see it first hand also. 1/3/2012 10:23:00 PM

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