Anyone Else Fascinated By Old Locomotives?

[LE BARON]

Well, here is a photo of one of these rare locomotives. This 3-tank compressed air locomotive was built in 1910 by Porter for the United States Navy for use in their Bay Areas shipyards. Her Porter builder's plate is quite evident on the side of the lower tank.

We see her here in 1936 at what looks like the end of her days of service. Note her exhaust stack mounted on the front pilot between the cylinders and the 2 sand domes on top of the tanks.

 

[LE BARON]

This handsome 70-ton 3-truck Climax worked for 3 prior logging companies on Vancouver Island, B.C. after she was built in 1927 before she was purchased in 1944 by Canadian Forest Product. We see her in a dealers log in May, 1959 in Vancouver, B.C. waiting for a buyer who would never come. Soon after the photo was taken of her she was scrapped.

 

[LE BARON]

Assembled here at Rayonier's Hoko Camp in 1959 were 3 steam logging lokies from 3 different manufacturer but all designed to do the same task. Their job was to navigate flimsy trackage over steep grades and still have the power to bring in long heave loaded log trains.

On the right we see Lima's Pacific Coast Shay. This was the final refined version of Ephraim Shay's geared locomotive invention that had proven so valuable in the development of logging railroads.

In the middle we see 3-truck Wilamette #4. When some of the Shay patents had run out in the early 1920's The Willamette Iron & Steel Works of Portland, Oregon hired away one of Lima's chief designers and they set out to build a close copy of the popular Shay locomotive. The Willamette would incorporate a number of improvement that buyers of Lima's Shays had been asking for. It was the success of the Willamette that led Lima to develop the Pacific Coast Shay that is represented with #10 to the right of #4.

Finally, on the left we see Baldwin's answer to the 2 geared engines sitting to the right. Baldwin knew that one of the draw-backs of the geared logging locomotives was their slow speed. As logging line pushed ever further from the mills that need the logs to cut, this speed factor became a problem. Baldwin set out to develop a series of small-drivered logging mallets that could handle the flimsy trackage of most logging lines and still take steep grades. The addition of saddle tanks, as we see here with 2-6-6-2T #8 gave the mallets traction that began to rival that of the slower geared engines.

Fortunately for us, all 3 of these engines survive today. #8 is privately owned and awaiting restoration. #4 is on display at Port Angeles, Washington. #10 is on display at Forks, Washington.

 

[LE BARON]

With the recent restoration and operation of the Skookum and her steam up and near completion, many have learned the story how Skookum was originally ordered by the Little River Lumber Co. of Townsend, Tennessee in 1909 only to be deemed too large for their light track and returned to Baldwin just a month after delivery. Well, what locomotive did Baldwin finally build to replace the rejected Skookum? Well, it was this one, LRL #148.

When LRL placed it's original order for the first 2-4-4-2 ever built, they specified that she be no more than 120,000 pounds in size. This limitation was due to the very light and twisting track out of Townsend, TN. For reasons that have been lost in time, when the first 2-4-4-2 locomotive was delivered to them by Baldwin, it tipped the scales at 146,000 pounds. Needless to say, the extra 13-tons did not work well on the LRL track. Thus the first engine, #126, was quickly rejected. This engine would go on to be resold to the Whitney Company who would give her her famous name of "Skookum".

Baldwin did not give up on the LRL order however. The factory soon was back building another 2-4-4-2 for the Little River Lumber Co., this time sticking to the weight limitation of 120,000 pounds. This engine, #148, was the result. With the correct weight as originally specified, #148 worked just as hoped on the Little River trackage and was deemed a complete success.

Here we see #148 near the end of her career in April, 1938 at Townsend, Tennessee. While not nearly as famous as the engine for which she replaced, she is still an important part of the Skookum's famous story.