Model Railroad Hobbyist | July 2015 | #65 LITE AND NARROW column larry smith The New Merkle Connecting Part 3 | Some of the structures for the town of New Merkle ... TCI&RR STYLE COMPANY HOUSES THE LOWLY COMPANY HOUSE. YOU WILL find them all over the country. They still exist from the hills of Appalachia to the permanent logging camps of the Pacific Northwest. Everywhere you look you can find them, and depending on the location and the company, they are very similar in design. The purpose of the company houses, as was the company town, was to provide decent living conditions at a mill, mine, or construction site for the workers. Oft‑times these sites were far enough from the nearest town or city, and without adequate transportation, to allow the workers to live elsewhere and com- mute to work. While some of the towns were somewhat widely X X RAMBLINGS ON THE NARROW GAUGE MRHMAG.COM • TABLE OF CONTENTS • INDEX