Steam & Excursion > Sumpter Valley questions.

How many miles of track are there? How many cars and engines are there? I know nothing about this road.

There are nearly 7 miles of track laid on the old SVRY right-of-way between McEwen and Sumpter. There are 2 operable engines, SVRY #19 and Eccles Lumber Heisler #3.

Next to be taken to the shop for restoration is SVRY #20. She will be back-dated to her days on Sumpter, before she and #19 went to the White Pass & Yukon.

Martin



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/22/14 07:14 by LoggerHogger.

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The SVRR website probably has a fairly complete roster of equipment. Besides the steam engine's Martin mentioned, there is a Whitcomb gas mech. switch engine that SVRy purchased new in 1929. It is restored, but not presently operable due to a busted wheel. There is GE 50 ton diesel elec. #720 which is under restoration. This engine was originally from Panama. There is an 18 ton Plymouth under rebuild and a 10 ton Plymouth that is operational. Also there is a sister 50 ton engine to the 720 and a GE Std. ga. 70 ton engine stored on site owned by one of SVRR's members. In terms of cars we have coach 20 which is a former U&N coach that came to the SVRy around the turn of the cent. and is in regular use. We have original SVRy cabooses #3 and #5 which are operational. On site but not operational are 2 SVRy box cars, 1 SVRy refer car, and 3 SVRy stock cars. We have SVRy tank car 100 and possibly the tank for car #99, or at least a look a like. Also as far as original SVRy equipment is a NG idler car made from a locomotive tender frame which is unrestored. Beyond this there is a large amount of equipment from other NG rr's. 6 hopper cars from the EBT come to mind which are operable. There are a number of cars from the White Pass such as container flats as a base for open rider cars, a fire service tank car, another Utlx tank car, and a couple of side dump cars. There is a wedge plow constructed by the shop crew at SVRR using the surplus frame from a White Pass side dump car. There are a number of pieces from DRGW such as a refer, a couple of box cars, and a gondola made into a coach. SVRR also has a small std. ga. business car from the Bingham and Garfield RR that rides on NG trucks. It is currently out of service.
A sister organization Western Railway Preservation Society also works out of the McEwen site. There equipment includes a Westside Lbr. coffin tank car recently restored complete with operable steam pump. The work on this car alone is worth a trip to see. They are currently working on the restoration of Westside caboose #3 and so far as I recall have a couple of Westside flat cars which are unrestored.
Likely I have missed something.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/22/14 14:03 by jbbane.

Thanks for the information.

If you are curious you can check the line out from Google Earth. It helps put things in perspective. Also, if you can find it, the book The Stump Dodger tells the history of line.

Alan

Likely the book you are thinking of is "Rails Sagebrush and Pine" by Mallory Hope Ferrell. It is long out of print, but copies often come up on Ebay. Well worth adding to any railroad book shelf for reference and a great read. Even though Mal did the book a great many years ago, the data in it is still substantially correct. There are a few points in the locomotive rosters where new info has been found that would supplant what was known at that time, but nothing that conflicts so much as to not make this book the best starting point for anyone interested in SVRy history.

The photo ops at Sumpter Valley are pretty impressive. This shot taken in May, 2010, snow still on the mountains, but reflection pond available, not iced over, and really every season of the year presents different opportunities.

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As a partial pictorial supplement to JB's list above, here are some photos.

Cheers,
Jack

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More.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/22/14 21:29 by africansteam.

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"The Last of Sheila"...

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Narrow gauge?

Yes, 36" NG.

I know I keep repeating this, but I can't help it.

As I was leaving their property back in the 1980s, the Heisler blew its Balloon Stack completely off as the were leaving west on one of their trips.

I was in the car crossing the right-of-way behind the train, so no camera was in hand.

--Jim Baker

The whole stack or the screens and cyclone out of it? I ask just because I know how heavy that stack is!

Taylor

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