Steam & Excursion > In Her Second Career She Serves This Beautiful Remote Shortline!

Some of the early steam locomotives that were built for mainline railroads found second leases on their lives after they were deemed too old and worn out by their original owners.  This was true for a pair of aging Baldwin built 2-8-0's after their service ended on the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad.

D&RG #661 and #668 were sold in December 1916 to the newly constructed Indian Valley Railroad that ran from Paxton, California on the Western Pacific to the mines at Englemine, California.  We see #1 making up her train at Paxton in 1937.  She was built in April 1891 and would not be retired until the IVRR quit in 1938.

Famed Western railfan Doug Richter took this fine photo of #1 as she approached the end of her second and final career.  I have included a photo of IV #1's builder plate as well.

Martin



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 10/28/16 16:30 by LoggerHogger.

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Interesting photo of an operation that I knew nothing about.

Several short line feeders off of the WP used second hand D&RG locomotives.

Also interesting that a sister  (#683) survives today at the Colorado Railroad Museum.

We're just deluged with pictures of the Indian Valley, with that one we're up to one! Talk about remote and rare,
I'd forgotten the line even existed! Martin, any more shots you'd care to share and post?

Out

Yes, I would be interested in knowing more about the line. The name sounds like something a model railroader would make up.

Victor A. Baird
​http://www.erstwhilepublications.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/28/16 08:58 by wabash2800.

I havve posted some Indian Valley shots before and have more to post in the future.  This is one of my favorite roads.

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?10,3124650,3124915#msg-3124915

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?10,2943928,2943928#msg-2943928

Martin
 

Wow.  One of the better shots of the 1 I have ever seen.

I am working on an article or maybe whole issue of the WP Museum's Headlight Magazine on the IV.  Been doing research on the road and even found some goodies from Jim Boynton in the museum's archives.

Interesting little railroad.  Was partly owned by the WP for a while.

Thanks for posting Martin.

Z

Z,

I have many good IV photos if you need any for your article.

Martin

Indian Valley Railroad.....where is Shining Time Station?..
Where is Thomas?

Posted from Android

LoggerHogger Wrote:
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> Z,
>
> I have many good IV photos if you need any for
> your article.
>
> Martin

Thanks Martin.  I'll take you up on that!

Z

PS: 

Some interesting tidbits on IV 1 and 2, aka D&RG 661 and 668.  They were originally built for the Rio Grande Western and were very similar in design the Deep Creek 2, which was also built by Baldwin around the same time, but for the D&RG as their 597.

661 and 668 were no strangers to California by the time they went to the IV.  They had been leased to the Western Pacific starting in 1914 and also were used on the Boca and Loyalton, which was 51% owned by the D&RG.  On the WP, they were converted to oil.

There were 6 ex-RGW / D&RG locos that came into the WP family: IV 1 and 2, Deep Creek 1 and 2, and WP 126 and 127.  WP 126 went to Tidewater Southern 1 after only 5 months of WP service.

IV 1 and 2 and Deep Creek 2 were all scrapped within just a few months of each other, even though DC operations outlasted the IV by about a year.


 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/28/16 16:19 by zephyrus.

Very interesting second sand dome ahead of the cab.  It obviously came off something very old..