Steam & Excursion > If You Look Close At Her You Can See What The True Story Is Here!

At a quick glance at this handsome engine one might think that she is still in active service just waiting for her crew to return.  However a closer look tells a different story.

Perhaps it is the broken headlight glass that first give this engine's story away.  Maybe the missing bell cord is your clue.  If you are real sharp-eyed you will see the spot where her builder's plate used to reside until recently.  All of this hints at a locomotive that is done with her service and is in fact abandoned.

If you look in the background to the right you will see the unmistakable outline of the Western Pacific depot that gives this location away as Crescent Mills, California.  That with the lettering on the tender shows that we are indeed on the Indian Valley RR where it connects with the WP.  The date of October, 1940 tells us that #1 is very much abandoned as the IV ran it's last mile of revenue operation in 1938.

IV #1 is one of a pair if former D&RG 2-8-0's purchased back in 1916 to serve as the some motive power for this line that originally connected with the WP at Paxton.  That was before the WP built north in 1931 to connect with the GN at Bieber, California.

IV #1 is cold now and she will stay that way until the warm flame of the scrapper's torch finisher her for good.

Martin



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/17 03:40 by LoggerHogger.

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Tears of Glory?!

Jim Baker
Riverside, CA

Is there any remains of the Indian Valley right of way?  Did it run where hwy 89 is now?

A lot of the right of way is visable from hwy 89 and 70.

There are still remains of the Indian Valley that you can see.

The right of way heading from Paxton to the Feather River Bridge at the intersection of highways 89 and 70 is still visible on the opposite side of the river from 70, plus some remains of the bridge footings.

Highway 89 from the intersection with 70 for several miles is largely on the IV right of way.

It is hard to see from public access, but using Google Earth you can see some trestle remains and right of way running east from Crescent Mills and heading into Lights Canyon, which is the canyon the IV ran up to reach Englemine.

Trestle remains outside Crescent Mills and right of way running east: https://goo.gl/maps/2k6fTBTvzk42

Trestle remains and right of way just north of Taylorsville: https://goo.gl/maps/AtToMjxLY8P2

There is some right of way right next to North Arm Road north of Taylorsville.

The remains of the smelter at Englemine is still highly visible: https://goo.gl/maps/ZWnFucByEVJ2

Z



 

Unusual touch the number boards on the headlight contain the railroad initials as well. Any idea where the builders plates ended up?

Taylor

Posted from iPhone

The plates off #1 went to Jim Boynton. I have the plates off IV #3

Martin

Posted from iPhone