Western Railroad Discussion > Whats the history of this shay?

We took a drive up to Merrill Oregon today and stopped by the loco scrap yard located there. I dont remember seeing this shay in the lineup since our last visit a few month ago. looks like some of the stuff has been moved around certainly not under their own power. The shay had a well worn #8 on the cab, It had new metal sheeting applied to the boiler jacket and cylinders.

Robert Morris Photography
http://www.snowcrest.net/photobob/index1.html

---

---

It's the ex-Pickering Lumber Co. No. 8, owned by Fred Kepner. While I can't say how recent this particular one is, the 8, like a handful of other Pickering engines has more or less always sported a stainless boiler jacket.

Bob, What's that ?loco? in front of the Shay? Something interesting?

--Mark J

Just another artifact decaying in Kepners boneyard...

The loco in front of the Shay is the framework of an articulated engine. The Great Northern tender is on the next track.

---

that frame belongs to sierra #38.

Sierra Railroad No. 38 2-6-6-2

The high Sierra Nevada elevations experience rain showers in the summer. The tall pine/fir forests are nothing more than a high altitude rain forest. Things heat up all day long and the clouds build from the moisture being released by the trees. By mid to late afternoon the clouds are at saturation and it rains and often times there is some lightning to kick up the display of mother nature.

Pickering found that with stainless steel sheet metal on the boiler, the issue of corrosion and resulting boiler jacket replacement was eliminated. With outside storage at lower elevations in the winter, also with considerable rain at the Standard City shops, the stainless steel provided a year around protection to their motive power. The high altitude rains were so common during the afternoon that the log reloads in the woods featured small shelters for the crews to hang out in until the shower was over and they could go back to switching the loads and empties.

The articulated chassis appears to be that of Sierra #38, Rayonier #38 in standard Kepner iron oxide finish.

Glad to see that #38 is being well taken-care of!

The rest of the 38 was in McCloud several years ago. I don't know if it still there.

Shannon

found on another site


Here are the notes for Sierra Railroad No. 38, a 2-6-6-2 located in Merrill, OR
If you have additional information about this locomotive, and would like to share it, click the Add Note button.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: 2004-07-25 00:53:12.12 by Michael Ledingham

The 38 was actually one of three mallets built to the same specifications that were owned by Rayonier. The other two were #14 (ex-Bloedel-Donovan Lumber Mills) and #120 (ex-Weyerhaeuser). Both of these were retired in about 1962 and scrapped in 1968. Rayonier also owned an ex-NP 2-6-6-2 that was about five tons heavier. The 38 was operated intermittantly by Rayonier until Railroad Camp's closure in 1968. It was on display at Crane Creek until being sold to Fred Kepner (owner of the Great Western Railway Museum) in 1982. It was moved to McCloud, along with some other pieces of Kepner's equipment, in 1985. Its current location is private property, not the McCloud River RR.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: 2004-07-14 08:53:55.027 by craig smith
#38 was the largest engine on the Rayonier inc. #38 was also the largest engine on the Sierra Railroad from 1952 - 1955. #38 made her last run on the Rayonier on March 31, 1962. Now the Railroad Camp 14 is abandon today.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: 2002-09-28 18:40:17.413 by Dale Brown
I realize that this is a ugly image but it wasn't possible to get a better angle.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

trainordres post in 9-08
http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?10,1755135

Oh contrare'. The Rayonier #38 made it's real last run in 1967 due to problems with the diesels. It was operated at slightly lower boiler pressure due to having been out of service for awhile. I have some of the movies taken by my father of that wonderful surprise outing of her. The pinstriping on the cylinders had been removed by this time, but she was still at her best that fine, cold day!..Pat

My sentiments exactly,Lurch!, but I'm not supposed to go there anymore! My doctor says it's bad for my boiler pressure. What a waste ,huh?...Pat

That GN tender looks good 8^D

Here are all 3 of the engines Bob shot in Merrill, OR recently. These photos show them in operating condition following extensive restorations after years of hard work. These photos show that these engines were restored once, they can be restored again.

Martin

---

---

---

More on the Kepner collection on the Steam Board.

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?10,1851911

Martin

DaylightGS-4 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The high Sierra Nevada elevations experience rain
> showers in the summer. The tall pine/fir forests
> are nothing more than a high altitude rain forest.
> Things heat up all day long and the clouds build
> from the moisture being released by the trees. By
> mid to late afternoon the clouds are at saturation
> and it rains and often times there is some
> lightning to kick up the display of mother nature.
>
>
> Pickering found that with stainless steel sheet
> metal on the boiler, the issue of corrosion and
> resulting boiler jacket replacement was
> eliminated. With outside storage at lower
> elevations in the winter, also with considerable
> rain at the Standard City shops, the stainless
> steel provided a year around protection to their
> motive power. The high altitude rains were so
> common during the afternoon that the log reloads
> in the woods featured small shelters for the crews
> to hang out in until the shower was over and they
> could go back to switching the loads and empties.
>
> The articulated chassis appears to be that of
> Sierra #38, Rayonier #38 in standard Kepner iron
> oxide finish.


Your rainfall analysis is incorrect. I have lived for the last 38 years about 20 airmiles north of northern most reaches of the Sugar Pine Railroad. The summer rainfall is rare at this elevation and at the elevations that the Sugar Pine Railroad operated. Most of the rainfall occurs from November through April with some October and May can also be rainy from time-to-time. The annual rainfall at my location at 4400' is 40"-50" with occasional bursts to 100". The rainfall at Standard, CA is about 20"-25". Summer rainfall during the monsoon seas an does fall at the Sierra Nevada crest but certainly not on a regular basis. The timber lands are not like the rain forest type lands of the Pacific northwest. During the logging season, the locomotives would operating most of the time keeping the sheeting dry.

As you mentioned, the locomotives were stored outside during the off season. The normal rain and the high humidity during this time would be damaging to the boiler jacket as the jacket was not water proof and water would become trapped inside the boiler jacket causing corrosion. Management probably figured out the stainless steel was cheaper in the long run because of reduced labor cost for making new jackets more often.