DALE

On the way from Lake Town to Dale, the railroad passes Mirkwood Lumber Company.

After the lumber is sawn, it is dried in a storage building and then loaded onto flat cars for delivery to other towns on the railroad.

The Hobbit tells us that the town of Dale was attacked by the dragon Smaug. After Smaug's death, men from Lake Town returned to the original site of Dale and rebuilt the town. Now it is a pleasant stop on the Lake Town & Shire.

The train station is on the track side of the main square. On the hill behind the town is another smaller station on the short line to Lonely Mountain.

After a new, larger engine house was built at Rivendell, the one-stall engine house at Dale was abandoned and has fallen into disrepair.

One of the main industries in Dale is the toy and chair factory. In this photo, the employees are taking a lunch break together on the front porch.

Here is a view looking back at Dale as we leave on our way to Gridley.