Steam & Excursion > The Factory Lettering On This Hard Working Locomotive Held Up!

Logging service was some of the hardest and roughest service that as steam locomotive could be assigned to.  While the motive power we often see in use on logging railroads shows the scars and marks of such service, some companies were the exception to this rule.  Polson Logging was once such exception.

This photo taken at Railroad Camp in April, 1939 shows Polson's Pacific Coast Shay #91 after 11 years of logging service was already complete.  While there is certainly some dirt and grime on her, the factory lettering on her cab and tender still is intact.  With the exception of the addition of a Gerlinger spark arrestor and the movement of her air pump exhaust pipe, #91 shows little if any change from when she departed the the Lima factory.

In 5 more years she will receive a new paint job, however.  In 1945 with the Rayonier folk buying out Polson Brothers, she will finally get a new paint job and new lettering.

Martin



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 11/15/20 02:50 by LoggerHogger.

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