Steam & Excursion > This Clearly Will Be The Very Last Movement For This Locomotive!

The year is 1941 and in the California-Western Railroad yards in Ft. Bragg, California the crew of one of that lines Baldwin 2-6-2T's in moving the hulk of that railroad's 4-6-0 #38 for what will surely be her last trip.  The shop forces have already stripped off any potentially useful parts from the ancient 4-6-0.

It is quite sad that this locomotive was not saved.  By 1941 she was already 74 years old.  She was first built by McK&A in 1867 for the Central Pacific Railroad where she was there #39.  When she was 43 years old she was sold to the California-Western in 1910 where she was originally give the #8 and the in later years renumbered to #38.

In April, 1938 during the famous railfan excursion that came through Ft. Bragg on the way to Caspar, California, the C-W had #38 parked out by the Ft. Bragg depot on display for the visiting railfans to capture her on countless rolls of film.  Those railfans would have been stunned to know that just 3 short years later, #38 would be in this condition and going for her last ride into the sunset.

Martin



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 04/05/21 04:16 by LoggerHogger.

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California Western RR #38 was a true old timer, shown here at Fort Bragg, CA. May 1st, 1938. I've found a few images of this locomotive in this pose on this day, and it seems to be part of a railfan excursion. Built in 1867 by the McKay & Aldous Iron Works at East Boston, Mass for the Central Pacific Rwy as their #39, it became Southern Pacific RR #2002 when the CP was folded into the SP. In 1910 the locomotive was sold to the CW to become the CWR #8. Later it was renumbered as #38.While the locomotive looks to be in fine shape here 70+ years after it's construction, it would be stripped bare in 1941 and scrapped the following year. John Trulson collection.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

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