Steam & Excursion > This Locomotive Has An Unusual Appliance But It Makes Sense!

When you first look at this view of this 3-truck Willamette #106 you think you see a pretty standard geared logging engine built in the 1920's.  Sure it shows wear and tear from it's years of service in the woods, but that is to be expected.

What one does not expect is to see a modern superheated piston-valved steam locomotive of this size built for the steep grades of the Pacific Northwest to be sporting only a single one cylinder air pump.  What were they thinking?

Well, the answer lies in the fact that this engine is still working on the same logging railroad for which she was first built by the Willamette Iron & Steel Works of Portland, Oregon.  Both her original owner, the Oregon-American Lumber Co. and her successor, the Long-Bell Lumber Co. of Vernonia, Oregon used only disconnect log trucks to haul the fresh-cut timber from the woods.  Since disconnect trucks had no air brakes and they relied entirely on brakeman turning hand brakes the locomotives pulling these trains only needed air supplied for the brakes on the locomotive itself.  This reduced the demand for brake air and thus, a single one cylinder pump was more than enough to do the job.

Once again we see how the steam logging lokie was adapted to fit the particular use her owner put her to.

Martin



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 03/22/17 03:51 by LoggerHogger.

---

That cab looks hand-crafted. Is there a story there?

ajax247 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That cab looks hand-crafted. Is there a story
> there?

That is the factory cab installed by Willamette.  They were different than Lima Shay cabs as the did not cover the rear cylinder.

Martin

LoggerHogger Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ajax247 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > That cab looks hand-crafted. Is there a story
> > there?
>
> That is the factory cab installed by Willamette. 
> They were different than Lima Shay cabs as the did
> not cover the rear cylinder.
>
> Martin

The roof sheets look to have been "repaired" by a backwoods shop using what was handy.

That is not a repair. In wet climates like the Oregon coast range, loggers would often add sheet metal panels over the cab to extend the rain gutter beyond what the manufacturer designed. The cab is entirely original. They simply welded on extension sheet metal sheets for him and it rain gutter. This was very common on logging locomotives. Martin

Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/22/17 16:28 by LoggerHogger.

PHall Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> The roof sheets look to have been "repaired" by a
> backwoods shop using what was handy.

The cab is completely original. . . 


Except for the part that they changed.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/22/17 19:16 by portlander.

...and obviously because of the modified cab, the orignial factory warranty was voided.

John