Steam & Excursion > Some People Often Wonder How These Locomotives Were Delivered!

While we all have see photos of mainline steal locomotives being delivered from the factory dead-in-train with rods and sometimes pistons removed, we rarely see geared engines in transit from the factory to their first owners.  Here is one photo to show how it was often done.

This photo was taken in January, 1921 as Northern Redwood Lumber Co. Heisler #4 was delivered to that company's facilities at Korbel, California.  One might assume that #4 was delivered on a flatcar rather than on her own wheels simply because she is a geared locomotive.  However, that is not the reason.  She had to be delivered on a flatcar because she was built to the 451/2" gauge used by NRL on their logging line out of Korbel.

While some geared steam locomotives were delivered with their line-shafts removed dead-in-train like other rod engines, many had to be loaded onto flatcars because of the non-standard gauge used by many loggers and other operators of these unique locomotives.

Martin



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/02/19 04:12 by LoggerHogger.

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Do you know how or why they settled on such an odd gauge? Seems like it would eliminate any potential equipment trading.

Posted from Android

A-1 Wrote:
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> Do you know how or why they settled on such an odd
> gauge? Seems like it would eliminate any potential
> equipment trading.
>
> Posted from Android

The Northern Redwood Lumber Co. ran off the Arcata & Mad River, one of California's ver first railroads.  The A&MR had the same gauge due to their early years running off the docks at Arcata.  The odd gauge was the result of the first set of wheels obtained by the new company arriving with that gauge.  The first rails were 6 x 6" redwood timbers topped with strap iron.

Martin



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/03/19 04:05 by LoggerHogger.