Steam & Excursion > Steam Power Today Can Find Itself In Some Unusual Company!

In this modern era of preserved steam motive power, you can occasionally find active steam in some unusual surroundings. Case in point is the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroads use of the blimp hanger in Tillamook, Oregon as a temporary enginehouse.

Some unusual sights were certainly on hand on Friday as we rolled Polson Logging 2-8-2 #2 out of the cavernous blimp hanger on the Port Of Tillamook Bay to light her off for her first test runs on the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad. The sheer size of this enormous wooded structure is breathtaking. Even the 70-ton Baldwin Mike looks like a toy when it is near the structure.

Once outside with the engine up to pressure we had some interesting surroundings as the near-by Super Guppy cargo plane stared back at us. This was not the typical environment for a logging lokie.

Scot Gordon and I were given the honors of being her engineer and fireman for this first day of break-in runs between the blimp hanger and the nearby town of Tillamook itself. Also on board was #2's long-time owner and patriarch, Skip Lichter. After we had run #2 enough to assure ourselves that she was in good working order, we stopped and I hopped off to catch a few run-by shots while Skip fired her. We see Skip in the fieman's seat in the second photo and to the right of #2 in the 3rd photo.

For those who have followed the story of #2 from her time in Wisconsin to her travels back West you can be assured that the extensive rebuild that Skip and his friends did was a good one. We found only an small number of minor issues to address in the coming months before #2 is put into service at OCSR next Spring.

In the coming few months at OCSR we will finish the work on Craig Mountain Lumber #3 Heisler and then the famous 2-4-4-2 Skookum so that they will all join McCloud Ry #25 and Polson #2 in active service on the Oregon Coast. Stay tuned!

Martin



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/17 01:33 by LoggerHogger.

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Here are 2 videos of our operation on Friday:

https://www.facebook.com/martin.hansen.5895/videos/1701556689862577/

https://www.facebook.com/martin.hansen.5895/videos/1701635436521369/

Martin



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/17 01:27 by LoggerHogger.

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Terrific day there at the Port of Tillamook Bay! Thanks for sharing your latest adventure. Great to see the blimp hanger keeping #2 safe and away from the graffiti artists.

Keep those rails shined...
Case in point is the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroads use of the blimp hanger in Tillamook, Oregon as a temporary enginehouse.

Some unusual sights were certainly on hand on Friday as we rolled Polson Logging 2-8-2 #2 out of the cavernous blimp hanger on the Port Of Tillamook Bay to light her off for her first test runs on the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad. The sheer size of this enormous wooded structure is breathtaking. Even the 70-ton Baldwin Mike looks like a toy when it is near the structure.

Love it! Strange Bedfellows indeed. A Mini Guppy rubbing noses with a steam engine!

That's the biggest engine house I've ever seen. Good the see it running. Hope I get to visit the operation some day.

Tom

Those Guppies were a familiar sight here in Mojave back in the day!

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

Martin, is the ROW in good enough shape that you guys will be able to run Polson No. 2 on the rails to Garibaldi?

nycman Wrote:
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> Martin, is the ROW in good enough shape that you
> guys will be able to run Polson No. 2 on the rails
> to Garibaldi?

Jim,

Absolutely. That's how we will get her there, along with Skookum's tender very soon.

Martin

Last time I went through there the ROW looked pretty decemt between the hangar area and Garibaldi.

Out

Where is Dennis?