Steam & Excursion > Another West Side Lumber Shay May Get A New Home To Run!

Word came to me last week from a friend of mine in Felton that Lindsey Ashbey has discussed leasing his former West Side Lumber #14 to the Roaring Camp & Big Trees Narrow Gauge RR. #14 has been idle since Ashbey left the Georgetown Loop over 10 years ago.

The agreement being discussed would be a lease for now with an option to purchase if #14 works out on the steep grades that are now shared by former West Side Heisler #3 and Shay #7.

Shay #14 came to the West Side in 1939 from the Hobart Mills Lumber Co. where she was the #10 there after Hobart shut down for good.  She had the distinction of pulling the last trains in from the woods on the West Side on June 6 and 7, 1961 after the West Side shut down in October, 1960.

In 1965, #14 was sold to Hal Wilmunder's Camino, Cable & Northern for it's short lived operation out of Camino, California on the former Michigan-California Lumber Co. logging grades.  When that operation shut down, Lindsey Ashbey bought #14 and took her to Central City, Colorado where she ran there for a few years before going to the reconstructed Georgetown Loop Railroad.

If a lease can be worked out #14 could arrive in Felton later this year..

Martin



Edited 9 time(s). Last edit at 04/29/23 08:32 by LoggerHogger.

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#8 is listed on ozark for 900k

nice to see 14 turning some wheels hopefully

Big engine for the Roaring Camp, guess we'll see some interesting operation. This will be like a six
axle diesel on four axle track.

Out

Looks like she needs some love first.  

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I've always understood that West Side Lumber's Shays #7, 14, and 15 all weighed about the same.

West Side Lumber Co. #14 is ex-Sierra Nevada Wood and Lumber Company #10, purchased in 1941, three years after SNW&L ceased operations.  At the same time, WSLC purchased SNW&LC #9, which became WSLC #15.

callum_out Wrote:
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> Big engine for the Roaring Camp, guess we'll see
> some interesting operation. This will be like a
> six
> axle diesel on four axle track.
>
> Out

It's my understanding that the only weight carried by the third truck is just the weight of the water tank and the water. Which should be less what the other two trucks are carrying.
Or am I misinformed?

That's very true, there's a noticeable dip when reversing up the 13 (or so) percent, be curious as
how the three trucker goes through there. Their current locomotives are small compared to the 14.

Out

callum_out Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That's very true, there's a noticeable dip when
> reversing up the 13 (or so) percent, be curious
> as
> how the three trucker goes through there. Their
> current locomotives are small compared to the 14.
>
> Out

According to the roster in "Last Of The 3-Foot Loggers",  #14 wieghs in at 117,000 lbs with 25,830 lbs. of TE.   The #7 (which is already in Felton) wieghs in at 120,000 lbs. with 25,900 lbs of TE.
So, #7 is ever so slightly larger than the #14.  Both are 60-ton 3-truck class Shays.  It ought to do just fine on Bear Mountain.

I couldn’t think of a more fitting home if this works out. Best wishes to all.

Ryan Barber
Stockton, CA

Earl, thanks for that, didn't realize that the 7 was that large.

Out