Steam & Excursion > Oscar Coffman Locomotives

Does anyone here in T.O. World know anything about Oscar Coffman and the 18" gauge locomotives he built? I bought the Meadows and Lake Kathleen locomotive and most of the rest of the railroad and am trying to find some history on the engine. Thanks for the help, I know it's much smaller than the normal topics. There are just so many that might have that one bit of information.

I know nothing about the Oscar Coffman locos, but am interested in your statement that you bought most of the M&LK railroad. Does that mean that it is still in place, the track and facilities? Or have you purchased the torn up track? That was a wonderful place, and very tragic that politics caused it's closure. I am interested in the possible future of operations there.

I might recomm4nd the Yahoo "Park Trains" group or the Chaski Home Machinist "live steam" website at

www.chaski.org/homemachinist.

They have all kinds of members interested in Large Gauge equipment.

--Jim Baker, Whittier, CA

The M&LK loco is one of the finest remaining examples of a Coffman I have seen. There aren't many. I was up there before the place was torn up and took a good look at it. I have also been to see the Snug Harbor Railroad Coffman which is probably still rusting away in a vineyard outbuilding in Healdsburg.

Chaski is mostly us 7.5" gaugers but there are some grand scalers on there. Last I heard the M&LK locomotive may have needed some boiler work and perhaps a little re-plumbing. At that size you don't want any unknowns in your boiler condition. I would recommend consulting with the Hillcrest Shops in Reedley, CA. They are the premiere grand scales shop on the west coast and can evaluate the locomotive and depending on what you want to spend get it in running condition for you. http://hillcrestreedley.com/products_shop.html the contact page has all the info. They will really take care of you if you bring the loco in to them.

For 18" gauge stuff in general, the yahoo 18" gauge group is fairly active though there is not a lot of steam.
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/18inch/info but if you need track or rolling stock they can provide some suggestions.

I did do a little research on Coffmans when I was looking at the Snug Harbor train but I didn't turn up much other than cursory info. I think the M&LK locomotive ran in Southern California before making its way northward.

-Mike

Mike Massee
Tehachapi, CA
Photography, Railroading and more..

Yes it looked like a wonderful operation, sadly by the time I saw it all the rail had been removed as well as most of the road bed on the house side of the creek. The locomotive and all of the track work as been moved to the Black Forest area of Colorado Springs. New Shop is being built and the track will be re-laid. Going to remove the boiler from the frame and have it checked and new flues installed, I don't want to be part of any boiler problem.
Thanks to all of you for the help.
Mike.

RRMike Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yes it looked like a wonderful operation, sadly by
> the time I saw it all the rail had been removed as
> well as most of the road bed on the house side of
> the creek. The locomotive and all of the track
> work as been moved to the Black Forest area of
> Colorado Springs. New Shop is being built and the
> track will be re-laid. Going to remove the boiler
> from the frame and have it checked and new flues
> installed, I don't want to be part of any boiler
> problem.
> Thanks to all of you for the help.
> Mike.

Ah OK you're mid-west now. Should be a nice setting for it in Co. Spgs. Did you also get the diesel?

Cheers,

-Mike

Mike Massee
Tehachapi, CA
Photography, Railroading and more..

No, the Diesel was already sold by the time I found the Coffman on Discover Live Steam, Worked at Lakeside Park in Denver for many years during the 70's, running the two Cagney locomotives and the Ruth diesel there, always wanted my own.