Steam & Excursion > History Is About To Be Repeated With This Famous Locomotive!

It was back in 1910 that Herb Arey took time away from his duties as a locomotive engineer for the Southern Pacific to go down to the yards in Portland, Oregon to see a very unique steam  that had just arrived on the afternoon freight.  This engine was on her way from the Baldwin Locomotive Works to her new owner the Whitney Company in Astoria, Oregon.  Arey, along with the others that saw her, were amazed by what she represented.

Here was the first of it's kind built by Baldwin.  She was a 2-4-4-2 mallet built for logging service.  This was Baldwin's very first logging mallet.  She would be followed into the woods in the next 29 years by nearly 40 more logging mallets of different wheel and tender arrangements.  However, none after her would be a 2-4-4-2.

Soon after Arey took this photo of this one-of-a-king locomotive she departed on her way to her new owner to start what would become a 45 year logging career in both Oregon and Washington.  No one present that day could know what fame lie ahead for this fascinating product from Baldwin.

Today, some 108 years after Arey took this fine portrait of her, she is about to be returned to service on the Oregon Coast near where she first started her logging career.  Her factory paint and lettering has all been re-applied just as before.  This month she will be back in service much to the delight for all who know just how unique and how historic a locomotive she is.

Back in 1910 she had no number on her spot plate.  None was needed.  She was quite unmistakable because of the name her owner had told Baldwin to paint across the sides of her cab; Skookum.

Martin



Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 10/13/18 05:16 by LoggerHogger.

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Actually, Baldwin built two other 2-4-4-2 Mallets. While you are correct that Skookum was the first, her construction lead to the construction of the second. When she was first delivered to the Little River Railroad in 1909 as their #126, the railroad deemed her too heavy and sent her back for a replacement. What they recieved would go on record as the smallest and lightest standard gauge Mallet ever built for American railroads. This was Little River #148. She was also built in 1909 but wasn't delivered until 1910. One unique feature about her is that for a period of time she actually wore Southern green and gold. She operated with the Little River until 1940 when she was retired and scrapped.

The other 2-4-4-2 Baldwin built was #64 for the Laurel & Tullahoma Western Railway of Mississippi in 1910. She was the largest of the three, but designed for 30 degree curves, 5% grades and 60 lb/yd rails. In fact, with her order were a set of special requests for extra space over the crown sheet to compensate for the steep grades, ample clearance between the springs and the boiler to compensate for the bad track, and extra space above and below the axel boxes in the pedistal jaws. Unfortunately, she was destined to burn Green Pine wood and ended up being a poor steamer. She was returned to Baldwin sometime between 1911 and 1914 and turned into a stationary boiler and steam generator. Her scrapping date is unknown.

Let me correct you. 

Besides the three 2-4-4-2s that Baldwin built for the U.S., they built 3 copies of Skookum for a railroad in China.  We have discovered these records in researching our up-coming book on Baldwin Logging articulates.  These were the ML2 Class engines in China with the first being built by Baldwin in 1911.  Here is a photo of one of the three 2-4-4-2's (#73) built by Baldwin for service in China.

My post was referring to the fact that when Skookum was first  built she was the only 2-4-4-2 ever built at that time and no other 2-4-4-2's were built to be logging mallets.  The others in the U.S. and China were used on shortline and mainline railroads.

Martin



Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 10/13/18 05:15 by LoggerHogger.

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Martin,
You are correct in that the other two 2-4-4-2s were built for shortlines. However, in the case of Little River RR 148, the railroad was totaly controlled by the Little River Lumber Company and the the railroad's locomotives were used on the lumber company tracks between the mill at Townsend and end of the main line at Elkmont. I am sure the various branches were only worked by Little River Lumber shays. 
Charlie