Last Update:  June 5, 2008
Birkenfeld & Neverstill
The community of Birkenfeld today, dates to as far back as the 1880s.   When the Kerry Line came through in 1916 it was a lifeline for a community that was very
isolated from the rest of the world due to poor roads.   The community regularly used the Jitney passenger service provided by Kerry.  By the time the tracks were
pulled up in the mid 1930s, the local roads had improved enough for regular travel to the outside world by car and truck.
Photo:  Nov, 2005
About 1.5 miles south of Birkenfeld is Neverstill.  Not much is left of Neverstill today, except for a couple of farm houses, but from 1916 through the mid to late
1930s it was the main repair facility for the Kerry and later K-P Timber Companies.    The three photos on the right are of the road between Birkenfeld and
Neverstill which was built over the old Kerry Line grade after it was abandoned.
Photo:  Nov 2005
Neverstill today.   Open fields and a couple of farm houses (some that probably date to the Kerry Line days) are all that's left of what used to be a major logging
railroad camp.   The Engine house that used to exist here fell down in the early 1980s.    Photo:  Nov 2005
Part 4 of 8  Fishhawk Lake to Neverstill
Copyright © 2004-2008 Brian McCamish,  All Rights Reserved

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Continue to Part 5,
Neverstill to Deep Creek Bridge

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Map of this section of railroad grades covered on this page.
Road sign on the road to Neverstill, most likely built over the original railroad grade.    Photo:  2007
These more recent pictures of a farm house in Neverstill are said to be the original head quarters of the Kerry Railroad.    Photo:  Nov 2007
Fishhawk Lake, Thompson Siding
Unfortunately, most what used to be Thompson siding is under Fishhawk Lake or on private land.    Fishhawk Lake is a major private community in the area we
have generally be unable to explore it, however, just south of Thompson Siding, the grade again enters public lands where a major railroad camp once existed.
Greasyspoon Camp
We don't know the true name of this camp, but a logging road that was later cut right through the middle of the camp is called Greasyspoon Road, obviously
paying homage to the camp cook house.  So, we'll call this Greasyspoon Camp for now.    Could this cook house have survived beyond the railroad days and
served locals who later moved here and built up the Fishhawk community?    We don't know.   There's certainly little evidence of anything surviving beyond the
1930s at the camp.

We suspect this was the living quarters, cook house and repair facilities for Thompson Siding, which is north of here.  Thompson siding was where log trains were
built, with multiple engines to make the run up and over the mountain.   These log trains were built day and night at the peak of operations and likely generated a
lot of noise, hence moving the living quarters and main camp south by a little less than a mile.
The grade leading north from camp to where Thompson siding used to be and an old oil can found along the grade.    Photo:  2008
This field is where the main living quarters were once located.   Not much remains today.     Photo:  2008
Remains of trestle pilings in and around camp.  These pilings once supported mainline trestles over Fishhawk Creek as the the mainline ran south out of camp and
towards Neverstill.     Photo:  2007
A surprisingly rare find.   A fairly well intact railroad tie.    Completely by itself and fairly well preserved.    Most railroad ties in this part of the state, if they were left
behind at all, were either burned up or are completely rotten by now.   Then again, most were untreated and it's possible this one was and helped preserve it all
these years.     Photo:  2007
At first we stumbled on this camp by accident.    A pile of cable mostly buried under brush caught our attention.  It was later found to be a scrap pile left behind by
the loggers at the beginning of a short storage spur.    The storage spur had brick at the end of it.    It only later when we consulted old USGS maps that we knew
we found a camp.   We repeatedly visited the site, but it took us numerous visits to under the true lay out of the camp.   Photo:  2006-2007
A few artifacts at the camp site.   Unfortunately, its proximity to a major logging road and area communities, means its probably been picked over pretty well by
locals and others in the 70 years since its abandonment.    Photo: 2006,  2007, 2008
Greasyspoon road running right through the old camp.   Most hunters and loggers who use this road have no idea of the history they are passing through.
Photo:  2007