Anyone Else Fascinated By Old Locomotives?

[LE BARON]

The date is July 7, 1915 and a small crowd of workers and on-lookers has gathered around Southern Pacific #2622 in the yards at Ashland, Oregon. They are inspecting the damage to #2622 following a collision she has clearly experienced.

There is plenty of activity in the background near the Ashland Depot as other trains are ready to depart. On the right we see the back of the brick Ashland roundhouse and then the huge oil tank that was needed to keep all these oil-burning steam locomotives fueled.

 

[LE BARON]

Beech Grove Shops
Supposedly around 1910. Engine in the foreground (Brooks 2401) appears to be having the port faces in the steam chest rescraped in order to get the valve sealing properly. Judging by the white paint above the pedestals on the frames the engine might also be getting re-trammed for squareness. A wonderful semi candid shot of a very much in use shop facility

 

[LE BARON]

 

[LE BARON]

Back in the early days of steam excursions, most all fans rode the trains rather than motorcade it as we see today. The availability of cars, gas and the crude roads of the day all attributed to most fans deciding to ride the trains in these early days.
Fortunately, for these fans, there was one trait peculiar to steam motive power that gave them the chance to stop for photos several times during any such excursion. That was the locomotive's constant need to stop for water to replenish it's tender before proceeding on. While only a few minutes long, the adventurous fan could quickly jump off the train he was riding with his folding camera and snap a photo or two of the train before the engineer would blow his whistle indicating all should be back aboard as they were departing.
We see just such a water stop on the NWP in the late 1930's with 4-4-0 #23 doing the honors on this fine day. One fan and his girlfriend have used this time to quickly explore the cab of #23 while our photo is taken by another passenger who has jumped off to grab this fine photo. All too soon, the tank will be full, the rods greased and the crew of #23 will signal they are ready to depart.

 

[LE BARON]

Richard W. Biermann stopped by the Weyerhaeuser Timber mill in Klamath Falls, Oregon on September 26, 1956 and he found WTC 2-6-6-2 #6 receiving some service on her throttle.

 

[LE BARON]

Photos of the 4 ALCO 2-8-2's of the Minarets & Western Railroad are difficult to find as the railroad folded in 1935 after only a few years of operation.
Here we see M&W #101 boarded up at the Southern Pacific roundhouse in Fresno. The SP had foreclosed on the M&W and would soon sell #101 and her three sister 2-8-2's.

 

[LE BARON]