Art & Words by
HOWARD B. TAYLOR

I watched gravity operate when about six years old. This is about the way it looked. As Dad engineered it I went along and watched it work. The old spar poles mark the progress of the logging which is beyond the reach of the gravity so a conventional railroad is built to feed it. One load is led down at a time so the little saddle tank donkey engine waits for the trucks to be returned before going back for another load. At the landing they will not have to wait as they have two sets of trucks and can trade the empty for a load. Some outfits had a passing track in the middle. The empty switched into it as the load passed. Some built two tracks as the miners built their tramways. Some had curves. The lines used were two inches in diameter or more so monstrous drums were required.