Steam & Excursion > This Locomotive Performed This Same Grim Task Twice In It's Time!

While many Shay locomotives operated on more than one logging line during their years since leaving the Lima Locomotive Works factory, few hold the unique distinction of this 2-truck Shay.

Here we see Swayne Lumber #3 in 1940 in the Swayne mill yards in Oroville, California.  Despite her fresh black paint job and new lettering, the days of the Swayne operation are over.  The logging line shut down for good 2 years earlier.  All that is left to do by 1940 is for the scrapping of the Swayne logging railroad.  That is the task that #3 has been assigned to on this March day.  When this job is finished in a few more weeks, #3 will be parked in the mill yard awaiting her fate.

Fortunately, in December, 1940 a buyer came along to give #3 a new lease on life.  This was the Michigan-California Lumber Company of Camino, California.  They were in need of another narrow gauge Shay for their logging line and #3 fit the bill.  She was quickly shipped to Camino and given the "#4" as her new number and then was sent across the Cable to the North Side operations of M-C. 

#4 worked well for her new owner and she was the very last locomotive in operation in 1951 when M-C shut down the logging line for the last time.  What was her next role you ask?  You guessed it, the scrappers used #4 to tear up the M-C logging railroad just as they had back at Swayne.

When this grizzly task was complete, #4 was parked to see if another buyer would come along.  However, by 1953 they gave up on trying to sell her as the market for 43-year old narrow gauge Shays was very limited.  This time, when the scrapper returned to #4, it was not to use her but she was the last time to be scrapped at M-C.



Martin



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 10/17/21 02:40 by LoggerHogger.

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It sure is a nice looking Shay.  Did M-C put MCB couplers on it or use the link bar?