Steam & Excursion > Santa Maria Valley RR #205 Returns To Operation After 66 Years!

Last month in Independence, California we saw a Baldwin narrow gauge 4-6-0 come back to life and turn her first wheels under her own power since 1954.  Yesterday, it was Independence, Oregon that saw us run for the first time under her own power since 1950  a standard gauge Baldwin 2-6-2 in the form of Santa Maria Valley #205.

She was put in the Park at the fairgrounds in Santa Maria in June 1950 after just being taken out of service earlier that year.  No one thought she would ever run again.  Then in 1983 came along my good friend George Lavacot who heard the County was thinking of scraping her.  He made them an offer and purchased #205 and promptly shipped her to the former Valley & Siletz enginehouse in Independence, Oregon.

As George likes to say, "#205 was completely worn out, then run 10 more years and then she was put in the park".  He was right.  #205 needed everything to make her run again.  Well, after 33 years of hard work by George and a number of his close friends, yesterday a dream was realized when George pulled on the throttle and #205 came back to life looking better than new!

George's wife Marcia shot the first video while George ran #205 with me firing out of the V&S yards for her first break-in run.  #205 was square and ran perfectly.  There are just a few more items to install on #205 including jacketing and some piping, but run she does and run she will.

Congratulations George.  What a great day this was!

Martin



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/09/16 03:16 by LoggerHogger.

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It would really be cool if either one of the existing Santa Maria locomotives would come back to their home line.....

Congratulations for getting another locomotive running.

Posted from iPhone

Out of curiosity, what is that large tan-colored thing bolted to the bracket mounted to the backhead?  Looks like some sort of manifold, but I've never seen anything like that before attached to a boiler.

milwrdfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Out of curiosity, what is that large tan-colored
> thing bolted to the bracket mounted to the
> backhead?  Looks like some sort of manifold, but
> I've never seen anything like that before attached
> to a boiler.

Looks like a hydrostatic lubricator.

Congratulations,,,,,,,George!

Nice to know that "CTC-1-64" is still making it's mark on the world !  Congratulations George!
Max Van Orsdel

Great news!  Congratulations to George and to all who participated over the years in this restoration.  Sure hope to see 205 run in the future.

Congratulations to all involved in the restoration and especially to George for his foresight and ability to save this locomotive!

milwrdfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Out of curiosity, what is that large tan-colored
> thing bolted to the bracket mounted to the
> backhead?  Looks like some sort of manifold, but
> I've never seen anything like that before attached
> to a boiler.


It is indeed a hydrostatic lubricator.  We just don't have it put together yet an hooked up.  We did lots of manual oiling yesterday.

Martin

Congratulations George. Well done.

Martin, where will she run?  On the SMV RR?

Jim Lipnitz
Morrisville, PA
Big Jim Video Productions

bigjim4life Wrote:
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> Martin, where will she run?  On the SMV RR?

For now her shake-down runs will be on the Valley & Siletz Railroad in Independence.  After that, we are exploring our options.

Martin

Where can I find out more about the V&S/the SMV 205?  I'm not finding much other than a Wikipedia page that says the V&S is a defunct railroad (?). 

Jim Lipnitz
Morrisville, PA
Big Jim Video Productions

If he had to, could he get his locomotive to the P&W tracks by rail?

Stan

bigjim4life Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Where can I find out more about the V&S/the SMV
> 205?  I'm not finding much other than a Wikipedia
> page that says the V&S is a defunct railroad
> (?). 

There is still about 2-miles of V&S track in place.  It does connect to the P&W but excursions on that line are hardly unlikely.

Martin

Saw this on FB, way cool

Posted from Android

Made my day!   Is he related to Paul Lavacot, whos runs or ran a LIve Steam Model business called "Ridgeway Roundhouse?"  He offered casting etc. for 2-1/2' scale 7-1/2" gauge equipment which is 3 foot narrow gauge.

Paul is George's son.

Martin

Posted from iPhone

Huge congratulations, George and everyone who worked
on this neat little locomotive!  What an incredible achievement!
33 years?  wow....."Never say "Never!"!!!

This is sooooo wonderful!

Congratulations on a job well done!!!!

I don't think I've ever seen a 6 feed lubricator.  Seen lots of 5 feeds, a few 4 feeds (they go on Shays), but never a 6 feed.
Assuming that both valves and pistons account for 4 of the feeds, and one goes to the air compressor, what does the 6th feed lube?