Steam & Excursion > Here Is A Steam Preservation Project I Was Proud To Work On!

Yesterday saw the first public announcement by the Stephan F. Austin University of their donation of their W. T. Carter & Brother Lumber Co. Shay 2 to the Harbor Springs Area Historical Society of Harbor Springs, Michigan.  I have been working on this project for the past year and it was good to see it actually come together.

How it started was quite a coincidence.  Over the last year I was editing the new Shay Book (which is now being shipped from the publisher).  During that work on the book, I was contacted by one of the principal from the HSAHS.  It seems he had been given my name by one of the authors of the Shay book as someone who knew Shays and also who was used to buying, selling and moving steam locomotives.  They explained that the HSAHS is the owner and keeper of Ephraim Shay's famous hexagonal house and his steel yacht the AHA.  Both of these were designed by Shay himself. 

They explained that they knew that their collection would not be complete until they could also display a Shay on the Shay home property.  They asked me to help locate and acquire a suitable Shay for their museum collection.  I told them that this was no small task in this day and age as most owners of Shay locomotives were hanging on to them and they had already spent considerable money to restore and preserve the ones they had.  What I had to do was to scour the survivor Shays in the U.S. and look for one that may not have been restored yet and which might be available for this very worthwhile project.

After sending out dozens of letters and e-mails to possible Shay donors, I came upon a favorable response from Hans Williams, the Dean of the Stephan F. Austin University Forestry center.  I knew that they had their W.T. Carter Shay #2 since 1970 and from the looks of it, she was slowly deteriorating.  When I explained to the dean where we wanted to send his Shay and that it would continue to be a teaching tool for those interested in this Nation's Forest Industry, he quickly embraced the project.

For my part I was tasked not only to find a Shay suitable for acquisition, but to also advise the HSAHS what the moving costs, restoration costs and display costs would be for such a project.  This gave them the info they needed to go to their donors to look for funding for the project.  Over the months all the parties worked well together and deal was struck and now the move is on for October 6, 2021.  I also helped arrange the donation of the log car behind her tothe Southern Forest Heritage Museum.  They will move the log car at the same time as the Shay move.

The Shay is Lima c/n #2005.  She was built in 1907 originally for the Bering, Kiam & Southern Ry as their #2 at Bering, Texas.  She later was sold to W.T. Carter & Brother for their logging railroad out of Camden, Texas.  We thing she last operated in 1928.  After that she was stored in the Carter mill yard in Camden all the way until 1970 when she was donated to the University.

#2 shows the signs of age and decay after 114 years of being outside in the elements.  She will be trucked to the same machine shop in Michigan that the HSAHS used to restore Shay's steel yacht the AHA.  Once there she will be given a cosmetic Restoration to improve her appearance and to stabilize any further deterioration.  Once that is done she will be placed in covered pavilion on the Shay home property so that future generations of people will be able to learn about the amazing legacy that Ephraim Shay left behind.

Throughout all this it was a pleasure to work with the University and the HSAHS in seeing this project come to a wonderful ending.  I was able to include this move of Shay #2 in the new Shay Book before it went to print.  You will see it covered on page 21 of the book.

Martin

https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/shay-locomotive-to-be-displayed-in-inventors-michigan-hometown/



Edited 10 time(s). Last edit at 09/22/21 07:27 by LoggerHogger.

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Two things to add to Martin's story. 

 First, We all owe a great debt to the Carter family for preserving all of their steam locomotives that wound up at the mill in Camden.   10 all told (I think) 
The locomotives were 2-6-0 #1, 2-8-2 2nd #1, Shay #2, 2-6-0 2nd #2, 2-6-0 #3,  2-6-2 #4, 4-6-0 #6, 2-8-0 #6. 2-8-2 #14 and Panama Mogul #201.    All are on display, or operable today.
The Carter family embraced and supported this project as well.

Second, behind the Shay is an Angelina County Lumber Co Steel log car.  The car has been donated to the Southern Forest Heritage Museum (again through the efforts of Martin), where it will be displayed as an exhibit with the museum's McGiffert Log Loader which is undergoing a full cosmetic restoration (and will be operable on air).

Martin -  Thank you for all of your efforts to see this project through.  I was VERY pleased that the locomotive will be cosmetically restored and it will be placed on display under a roof.  This sounds like a win-win situation for all of those involved.  It is interesting on how one project can lead into another one!!

Ron

Am I correct that this locomotive along with Peggy at theForestry Center adjacent to the Zoo in Portland will be the only Shays exhibited with a car load of logs behind them?

Jsporseen Wrote:
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> Am I correct that this locomotive along with Peggy at the Forestry Center adjacent to
> the Zoo in Portland will be the only Shays exhibited with a car load of logs behind them?

No, according to the postings, the Shay's and log car's destinations are over 1,200 miles apart, Michigan and Louisiana.

John......sounds like the log car being discussed has connected trucks....the one here in Portland is disconnects....Arlen

Martin......is your story being picked up by Trains and/or Railfan & Railroading magazine?   If not, should be as the story  certainly needs preserving.    Arlen

My mistake as I do have a tendency to skim through things when reading with the intent to come back and reread them when time allows.  (Usually)