American sawmill units in Scotland - Rail Station at Ardgay, Ross-shire
The image is courtesy of Alasdair Cameron, Black Isle and also Kyle of Sutherland Historical Society.
The photograph covers a great deal of detail and may have been taken by a press photographer as the assembled people are all facing the camera. It is notable that the rail wagons appear to be all loaded up and chained down and yet still the loaded lorries are next to the wagons indicating that there has been a scene set up.
The rail station (confusingly called Bonar Bridge which is about one and half miles by road on other side of firth and in a different county) is very busy with a goods train loaded with timber from the New England Sawmill units based in Balnagowan Estate Strathcarron and Swordale area of Skibo Estate, Bonar Bridge. Some of the wagons have additional side pins to enable the timber battens to be loaded to quite high levels. Other wagons are loaded with sawn timber which is longer that the actual wagon and is loaded with ends sticking out over the rear edge and the other ends down at front floor level thus severely limiting the volume that could be accommodated. All wagons (approx thirteen visible) appear to have their loads chained down.
The six lorries of various types most of which are also loaded also have chains on securing the timber loads. Note the double solid tyre configuration. Any suggestions as to the lorry types and makes?
Around the rail goods yard there are many stacks of different timber products and next to camera rails set up on ground to take more stacks of timber. The recent looking roadway surface indicates that the facilities had to be extended to accommodate the high volumes of timber being moved. A Northern Times report of the period describes extension of the goods yard to accommodate up to 30 wagons and a new road driven though.
Looking at the people most are dressed in work clothing typical of the time but perhaps one or two have a tunic jacket and Glengarry type hat. Sitting down on a timber pile to the left of the largest group of work men is a man and a woman. A local lady, Isobella Fraser, apparently worked as a payroll clerk in the main office that was responsible for the management of all the timber harvesting and dispatch operations. This was located in Ardgay House which is just off picture to the left. Could this be Isobella?
Within this view also by chance is Seabank House and alongside a cabin. This was the initial location of the administration team, the nurse staffed hospital room for the workers as well as the veterinary base for the horses. The house now called Grianach is located on the right of the Scots pine tree on the far side of the railway with the front down close to the high tide level. As mentioned previously when the winter approached the much roomier Ardgay House was acquired for the purpose and this was just off photograph to the left. See map attached as a PDF below.
The 1907 map in the attached PDF illustrates more clearly the positions of Seabank Cottage, Ardgay House, rail station and goods yard. In the case of the latter the lines appear to have been doubled up and extended.
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Groups: American sawmillers in Scotland 1917, Groups of people, Other Vehicles and Machines
Comment left on 16 August 2020 at 22:35 by Alasdair Cameron