Steam & Excursion > Sometimes Only Parts Of A Steam Locomotive Lived On!

When most steam locomotives were retired by their owners the were sent lock stock & barrel to scrap yards and little if any parts of the engines were saved for the future.  Sure sometimes their bells or plates and maybe headlights were saved, but those were simply momentous for collectors who would put them on display.  Rarely was any part of the locomotive saved for future use.

The smaller shortlines and logging lines tended to be a bit more practical when they disposed of their steam locomotives.  Often located in remote areas of the country they had few industrial resources at their disposal.  When the retired steam locomotive was set to be sold for scrap, their was often an effort to save any part that could become useful.  Sometimes the boilers were saved and sent to laundry's for future use.  Occasionally as we see here, the tenders were saved for use as water tanks.

These 2 photos show the water cisterns from 2 different 2-truck Shay-type engines that have been preserved as water tanks.  The first is from a 3-truck Shay from the Polk Operating Company that was set up in the LP&N yards at Grand Ronde, Oregon.  Dave Lustig found her still in water service when he took this fine photo in 1967.

The next tank was found by me just a few years ago in Eastern Oregon.  The Mount Emily Lumber Co. had a 3-truck Willamette #4 that they were intending to donate intact to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in 1955 at the end of operations.  Unfortunately the scrapers were not told of the donation and they started to cut up the Willamette.  All that was saved from her (besides her bell and plates) was her water cistern that we see here.

While the Shay tank at Grand Ronde is long gone now, the Mt. Emily Willamette tank is still in service long after the rest of here fine locomotive has long since vanished.

Martin



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/23/15 04:37 by LoggerHogger.

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Interesting water tanks. The tender of an old Espee "ten wheeler" was saved by the Yreka Western for use as a water tank, and is still there as far as I know.

Tony, the tank is still there in the hillside behind the shop in Yreka. It was from Yreka Railroad Co. No.3 which was orginally SP 2093. After the No.3 was scrapped the tank was used for storing fuel oil, which I'm pretty sure it is, at the most, half full, but the hatch is welded shut which is probably for the best. There was also the halves of a tank car nearby, (one was empty and scrapped in recent years if I recall), but the other half also has old fuel oil in it as well.

Tim Stricker
Gillette, WY

Tim. Thanks for additional information on the tank car.

Ah scrappers, is there anything they can't ruin?