Steam & Excursion > After 54 Years Saginaw #2 Finally Arrives Back In The Northwest!

It was 54 years ago when my old friend Jim Gertz was asked by his employer Rayonier Inc. to shepherd a Baldwin 70-ton 2-8-2 that the company had just sold back to her new owners in Michigan. Jim left on his adventure with only $75.00 in his pockets and his woolen underwear to keep him warm on the 2300-mile journey.

I a twist of fate 2 years ago I was asked by #2's owner for the last 40-years, Skip Lichter to help him find a new home for his beloved Mikado and help him part company with the Museum where it had been operated for the past several decades in Wisconsin. As fate would have it, after being courted by 19 different steam railroads around the country , Skip decided that the Oregon Coast Scenic RR in Garibaldi, Oregon was the best fit for #2's new home.

2 weeks ago, we sent our crews from OCSR back to Wisconsin to load #2, her tender and a 3rd trailer loaded with #2's new cistern and a container of her spare parts for shipment back to the Northwest.

Yesterday, was the big day at Tillamook when #2 finally arrived and we were waiting for her to unload her at her new home. The skies were clear and sunny which we all took as a good omen for the end to this project.

The 3rd photo above shows myself and Skip in front of #2 just after she arrived and was lined up on the track for unloading. We both are looking forward to putting #2 back into service here in the Northwest where she belongs. Soon she will be steaming up outside the enginehouse at Garibaldi just one track over from Rayonier 2-8-2 #90.

I cannot help but think my old friend Jim Gertz would be very pleased to see #2 come back to the Pacific Northwest after all these years.

Martin



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 10/17/17 03:33 by LoggerHogger.

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Martin-3

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Congratulations on your latest move! Great to see Saginaw #2 arrive at former Naval Air Station Tillamook, Tillamook, Oregon. Your group never ceases to amaze me.

Martin...couldn't quite read the name on the truck but looked like Redmond Heavy Haul's logo...am I right? They're really good folks to work with!

Dick Samuels

EMDSW-1 Wrote:
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> Martin...couldn't quite read the name on the truck
> but looked like Redmond Heavy Haul's logo...am I
> right? They're really good folks to work with!
>
> Dick Samuels


Dick,

Yes, that is in deed Redmond Heavy Haul. We have used them many times before and the do a wonderful job.

Martin

Another reason to head over to Tillamook County!

Having visited the OCSRR several times, I thought I had heard that the line from the hanger (old NAS Tillamook) to Garibaldi was not usable (bridge out or something). But if you unloaded the locomotive in Tillamook then the line must be usable. Will the OCSRR ever use the line from Tillamook, or do they not want to?

Ed

The airplane is of interest too. What was it used to carry?

Auburn_Ed Wrote:
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> Having visited the OCSRR several times, I thought
> I had heard that the line from the hanger (old NAS
> Tillamook) to Garibaldi was not usable (bridge out
> or something). But if you unloaded the locomotive
> in Tillamook then the line must be usable. Will
> the OCSRR ever use the line from Tillamook, or do
> they not want to?
>
> Ed

They would have have Hampton Lumber move a lot of material out of the way. Google sat view it. The line goes right through the company.

So do they truck the loco to Garibaldi?

Posted from iPhone

CPRR Wrote:
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> Auburn_Ed Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Having visited the OCSRR several times, I
> thought
> > I had heard that the line from the hanger (old
> NAS
> > Tillamook) to Garibaldi was not usable (bridge
> out
> > or something). But if you unloaded the
> locomotive
> > in Tillamook then the line must be usable.
> Will
> > the OCSRR ever use the line from Tillamook, or
> do
> > they not want to?
> >
> > Ed
>
> They would have have Hampton Lumber move a lot of
> material out of the way. Google sat view it. The
> line goes right through the company.
>
> So do they truck the loco to Garibaldi?
>
> Posted from iPhone

The track is in service. Tillamook is the best place to unload a truck that's 123 feet long. There's no room in the engine house in garibaldi so its there for now.
Luke Johnson

Posted from Android



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/17/17 07:59 by LJohnson.

The airplane is called a Guppy. I think it was used to fly Saturn rocket parts around the country to Florida.

czuleget Wrote:
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> The airplane is called a Guppy. I think it was
> used to fly Saturn rocket parts around the country
> to Florida.


Was built in Goleta CA by Conroy Aviation back in the sixty's from a surplus Boeing C or KC 97 and was owned by Aero Space Lines.

Actually, Isn't this known as a "Pregnant Guppy"?

Martin

Would love to see a story with pix of the trailer move cross country. Did they need the low-hanging wire protector much? What was the route? All interesting questions.

Ed

We had a number of pilot cars along the way. At all times a minimum of 2.

At several spots long the way we had boom trucks staged to raise phone and power lines.

This was quite a truck move of a big engine.

Martin

The OCSR is getting more interesting every day. I had the same question Auburn Ed asked, and thanks, Luke for answering it. Martin, back when the guppies started, they WERE known as "Pregnant guppies." Then there were bigger ones, known as "Super guppies." Very interesting large cargo conversions.
Lockheed Flight Test, 1961--1994



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/17/17 19:32 by nycman.

LoggerHogger Wrote:
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> Actually, Isn't this known as a "Pregnant Guppy"?
>
> Martin

No. There was the Guppy and then the Supper Guppy when they reengined them with Turbo Props.

The KC-97/C-97 was an outgrowth of the B-29 Super fortress. The availability of larger more powerful engines resulted in the B-50 which was an upgrade to the B-29. The new designation was in part to allow the aircraft to be built after World War II when almost all other projects were cancelled. The Boeing Strato-Cruiser was a passenger variant of the same basic airframe design.

Very interesting documentary on how the Russians copied 3 B-29's they seized during the war.

Back to topic: I am very glad for Skip and the #2, but I will miss them at Mid-Continent. I had the pleasure of talking with Skip at length several times, the last time, was Snow Train 2015. A fine gentleman!

Steve

Thanks for the info on the guppy/super guppy.

transportation in all it's mechanical forms can be interesting.

I will look up if I hear an aircraft overhead