It is indeed wild that the easiest way to do large-scale logging in those days was to slap together some tracks and roadbed and run trains up the valley. And then tear it all down again when it was time to move to the next one.
replyThe railway is the historical norm, roads as we know them needed rubber tyres to really 'get traction'. This was a late innovation compared to rail.
replyRails for high speed with safety, ride comfort and advanced signalling to maintain a scheduled service is a very different proposition to some temporary rails to get to the front line of a war, a new coal seam or forest 'port'. The latter is much easier compared to a road but now we have big machines for the latter, not the former.