Steam & Excursion > This Poor Old Tired Gal Has Clearly Run Her Last Revenue Mile!

You can just tell when you look at some photos of steam motive power that these engines would work long and hard years before they finally were set aside.  Here is one such example.

We are near Valsetz, Oregon in the late 1950's at the logging camp of Western Logging Company. The regular power at this time for the logging railroad is a 3-truck Climax that has been converted to diesel power.  While she toils away our photographer has hiked up the hillside above camp where the deadline is.  There he finds this gem waiting out her last days.

Built by Baldwin in August 1916 this little 2-6-2T went to her first owner as Deer Island Logging Co. #102.  She was later transfer ed to Murphy Logging Co. as their #102 and later went to Washington where she worked as Saginaw Timber #6 our of Brooklyn, Washington.  She returned to Oregon in the 1940's when she went to Valstez Lumber as their #6 and finally to Western Logging were we see her now.

Her missing bell and whistle and empty backup light give away the fact that she is certainly retired from operation and will just wait until the logging line closes up and the scrapper comes for her and all the rest of the equipment.

This little saddle tank lokie lasted long enough to be measured by John Cummings who sent the drawings to Raoul Martin of Northwest Shortline to turn her into a brass model. 

At least she can live on in memory as she runs still today on various model railroads around the world.

Martin



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 08/21/16 12:09 by LoggerHogger.

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What with all the recent discussions about water treatment on mainline steam, I'm wondering what backwoods lines like this did to take care of the boilers? I suppose a few might have found naturally balanced water sources.

Water treatment varied by individual loggin railroad operators. Some tested the water and added appropriate treatment, while others simply used any water on had and hoped for the best on what it did to the boilers.

Martin

So that may explain why some locos like WSL #9 survived many years of annual service on the Midwest Central RR in Mt Pleasant, IA with routine maintanace and local water treatment in both locations? It finally was rebuilt by the Georgetown Loop with the throat sheet replaced in Silver Plume, CO in 2010. MCRR got the Pineapple Princess #12 in a trade lease deal.
While Other logging steam locos were just put out to pasture if the cost and/or replacement boiler was too much to deal with?
Steve Rippeteau
Woodburn, OR

Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/22/16 08:54 by railscenes.