Phil Miller was instrumental in forming our club. I was one of the first to “answer the call” to the advertisement he placed in the Fort Bragg Advocate in 2001. Phil was president from 2001 onward till Chuck Whitlock took over. (Marvin Schenk was president for a period when Phil was very ill.) When Club Members pass on we try to honour them by creating a diorama on the layout or a loco with their name on it. In Phil’s case Chuck created the Phil Miller Lumber Company office diorama.

Phil Miller Lumber Company Office on the work bench

Phil Miller Lumber Company office interior

Phil Miller Lumber Company Office installed on the layout

Phil Miller Lumber Company – installed with more detail added

Phil Miller Lumber Compant – installed with more detail added.jpg – side view

A repetitious comment from visitors is, “I love the detail.” Thanks in large part to the inexhaustible patience of Club Member Frank Davis there is an ever changing “guard” of mini-scenes. I “work the crowd” a lot and every morning when I take up my normal position at the north inside end of the layout I make sure I take a GOOD look to see what has changed or moved.

This picture came about because a grandma came in with her granddaughter and grandson. The boy spent the entire time he was there following trains. The little girl was too short to see the “action” on the Fort Bragg depot. The grandma picked up the little girl and the little girl began naming all the people. With grandma’s help she named quite a slew of “characters.” Grandma, after a while, told her she was too heavy and she would have to return to the floor. This did NOT go over well. So, I asked Grandma if I could lift her up – no prob says Grandma. I spent the next fifteen minutes racking my brains for names. When I used a name that had already been used I was met with, “Don’t be silly – that’s Jack over there!!!” It wasn’t till all the figures had names would she go back to Grandma.

Grandma’s parting comment was, “I don’t know whether we have done the right thing – I am going to hear all about the people on the Depot all the way home.”

People on the platform of the Fort Bragg Depot

If Frank Davis or Chuck Whitlock are around visitors can get a demo of how a steam donkey was used to load logs onto flat cars to be taken to the Mill. My photography is hit and miss. For every five pics I take two are “good” with a bit of luck. These are two shots of the “action” in the loading area out of a bunch of failures. Hope they give you an idea of the detail that Chuck and Frank have put into this diorama.

Steam donkey at work

Railtruck full of wood to fire the steam donkeys

The railtruck is powered and runs beautifully.

Presdident Chuck Whitlock bought several chain driven Federal trucks as kits and already built. They have now found their way onto the layout:

[Click on any photo to enlarge]

Federal truck with massive log and a smaller federal truck awaiting kitbashing

Federal trucks under construction

Federal trucks passing the Fort Bragg Cemetary

Federal truck on Main Street

Boomer Jack was a real live dog who had no home or master. He roamed the rails mostly between Willis and Eureka. Quite a while back I wrote up his story from the “facts” that I learned. We give the story away and my best estimate is that we have passed out some 500 copies to date.

Boomer Jack riding the rails