they took up less space, fitting inside narrower canyons where there wasn't room for a railroad. The main disadvantage of the light construction was they were damaged more easily by fire, floods, wind, and falling timber. But they could be repaired more cheaply.

Flume sites were mostly in rough, undeveloped wilderness. Unlike railroad construction, this required lumber and supplies to be carried in by hand. Flume boxes and trestles were built onsite. Construction crews included six to eight workers. On trestles, four worked aloft continuously.