Steam & Excursion > Barn Find-Southern California Style- Ventura Cty Ry #1!

The Ventura County Ry was originally a 20 mile long shortline started in 1911 as the Bakersfield & Ventura County Railway Co. It ran from Oxnard to Round Mountain and to McGrath and Port Hueneme in Southern California.

The second locomotive to occupy the #1 spot on it's roster was this 2-6-0 built by Baldwin in 1906. She was the sole engine on the roster for most of the early years of the railway. Here we see her in her simple wooden enginehouse with a dirt floor waiting for her next run. the date is 1942 and she wears her mandatory war-time headlight shield thought to be very important in Southern California due to the perceived threat of attacks from Japan.

The engine shed is peculiar in that there appears to be no smoke jacket to ventilate the shed when the engine is fired up. You would have to be careful not to catch the roof on fire during fire-up.

During the war #1 would be joined by 2 former logging 2-6-2s from the Oregon and Washington. #1 would soldier on through the rest of the war and would not be retired and scrapped until June 1948. Stan Borden took this fine shot of #1 at rest during the war.


Martin



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/13 07:47 by LoggerHogger.

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Nice light in this interesting shed.

Steve Mitchell
http://www.yardgoatimages.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/13 07:45 by YG.

I'm guessing by the fairly clean state of the timbers, they somehow dragged it outside to fire it up. If they had no other motive power, then perhaps by horse?

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

I'm sure VC 1 is long gone, but VC 2 is very much with us, being kept in running order by the members of Orange Empire Ry. Museum in Perris, CA. Right now she's on summer hiatus, in consideration of the torrid summers of Perris, but in a month or two, she'll be sharing the tracks with an assortment of vintage diesels and some Pacific Electric Red Cars.

I don't have any in service photos of #2 handy, but here's an inside look from her last overhaul.

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