This thread was started in April, 2020
MuddyCreekRR
April 2020 in Prototype Information
When I traveled out to Sacremento for the National Narrow Gauge back in September 2019, I made the side trip up to Sturgeons Sawmill. It was not officailly open when I got there…but I was very lucky that I found Bob Sturgeon wandering around…and after introducing myself and explaining why I was there…I ended up with a 3 hour long personal tour of the sawmill and surrounding grounds…the only thing missing was firing it up with steam to operate…but I got to see the machinery up close…and get some good photo’s. Since the SWSM O scale sawmill is somewhat based on this mill…it answered a lot of questions. And I got a 1 on 1 lesson of the operation of the mill…so here’s a couple doxen photo’s that some of you might find interesting if you are yet to build the mill…I have some others I can’t seem to find on a card somewhere…I may post a few more if I find it…
Comments
MuddyCreekRR
April 2020
Hope these are useful to some of you…even just to look at…I’ll post others once I find them…I have some of the saw dust burner too…
sdrees
April 2020 edited April 2020
You lucky guy. And thanks for the photo’s. here is a link to my version of Sturgeons.
MuddyCreekRR
April 2020
After Bob gave me the tour…I had this urge to do all my belts below the work deck…but I already have the substructure done…and the more I thought about it…I decided to stay with the overhead pulleys…I may add a second steam engine to drive the log hall…
brownbr
April 2020
Great shots for sure. Thanks for sharing.
Dave_S
April 2020
Wow! What a tour. By the mill owner/operator, nonetheless. Bet your mind is still spinning. Thanks for sharing the photos.
Later, Dave S. Tucson, AZ
MuddyCreekRR
April 2020
Dave…it was amazing…I also have some good photos of some mining stuff…along with the Yosemite Sugar Pine Railroad operations…
MuddyCreekRR
April 2020
This is a planer…
sdrees
April 2020
I decided to put the belts overhead so that they would add interest to the project. They would be hidden from site if put under the deck.
Robert.G
April 2020
Most interesting to compare the real mill and SW version. Thanks for sharing Muddy.
Karl.A
May 2020 edited May 2020
Wonderful photos of the real mill, such a lucky break to have a personal tour from the owner, damn that was a fortunate experience.
Thank you so much for sharing your day/time with us, these shots are really going to help and show the reality to many of us modelers. Brett and I spent months and months (ultimately probably a year or two) researching the Sturgeons Mill, along with many other logging facilities to make sure the kit was as accurate and as plausible as possible, not a direct facsimile of Sturgeons but heavily based upon it, and every adaption to make it a viable and attractive kit was deeply researched and based on reality to make it as authentic as possible.
Those were the best, most enjoyable and rewarding months/years of my modeling time, such an honor to be a part of the greatest kit ever produced. (At the time, now, as he always did/does, Brett continues to keep pushing that line with every new release.)
Thanks again for these informative pics that will help us all understand, emulate and improve our models.
Great stuff !!!
Karl.A
May 2020 edited May 2020
Oh, and that last pic of the planer looks way too clean, needs some ‘grunge’… and they would never leave that bucket and gas bottle next to the machinery, way too dangerous, tripping hazard…
Karl.A
May 2020 edited May 2020
Dang Ed, you know I’ve got a ‘Keen’ eye for these things…
MuddyCreekRR
May 2020
Karl it was a great half day of learning everything I ever wanted to know about the mill. Bob was surprised that a guy from NJ was as familiar with logging as I was. He was even impressed when I “crawled” into a few machines to get a better look. the only thing missing was “steam”…they were doing a live steam weekend the next week…but by then I would be done with the NNG convention in Sacramento and in Yosemite…I even have some sawdust from the mill…lol
Karl.A
May 2020
Hey, look for the silver lining, if that sucker was running there would be no way you’d be able to get that close to the machinery, let alone crawl into the machines for a REAL CLOSE look…
You definitely got the best of it..
Karl.A
January 2023
Nudge…
Some fantastic pictures of the actual Sturgeons sawmill provided by Art.
Thanks so much Art for sharing these wonderful pictures with us all.
Some great inspiration and detail ideas to be seen for anybody building the kit.
Or even just getting started on the newly ‘updated’ Sawmill machinery set, available now.