As we were rolling south towards Tillamook the other day, I noticed some steam engines in Garibaldi. A return trip to the small town near the mouth of Tillamook Bay was a chance to see the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad in action.
The train runs three times daily during the summer between Garibaldi and Rockaway Beach. In addition, they have lots of other special excursions on other parts of their line.
I was surprised to see they were running an unusual combination of steam locomotives on the train on Saturday. Don't know if it was their normal setup or if it was special for Rockaway Beach's Pirate Days weekend.
Leading the consist was Curtiss Lumber Company's 60 ton Heisler. This standard gauge, geared locomotive was built in 1910 and worked the lumber industry in Mill City east of Salem, Oregon.
Serving as the second engine was McCloud River Railroad's (California) Number 25. This ALCO 2-6-2 was built in 1925 and survived the scrap heap fate of its sibling in 1955. It was purchased from McC.R.R.R. by Oregon Coast in 2011.
It turns out, some (perhaps all?) of the rusty iron on a siding near the Tillamook Air Museum is also part of the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad collection.
Sandwiched between a pair of diesels was a Baldwin 2-6-2 that was originally operated by Polson Brothers Logging in Hoquiam, Washington. It had been part of the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad collection.
The engine shows lots of external rust and appears to need a total restoration. It isn't shown on the Oregon Scenic Railroad roster, but the sign hanging on the left piston says it is "headed" to them.
The 44 ton General Electric switcher bounced around various Oregon locations, most recently with Stimson Lumber before ending up here hiding the more interesting engine in the collection.
This 42 ton Heisler was built in 1909 for the E. C. Shevlin Timber Company in Kalama, Washington. It has the smaller drivers and a classic wood-burner stack.
It's nice to see some of these classic lumber company engines being collected and restored. Turns out OSRR has a restoration shop in Chehalis, Washington. I may need to do some nosing around while we're in the Olympia area.
Oh, you like trains too?..On the way home from S.E. Oregon I stopped at the Northern Pacific Railway Museum in Toppenish Wa. A docent led me in the back door and let me view steam locomotive 1364 they are restoring. This was just last week, it is worth the $5.00 admission, check it out next time you are headed up to Ellensburg.
ReplyDeleteDavid
I'm a fan of old trains, trucks, and machinery. I haven't decided if I like the rust version or the restored version better. Suspect I'd like to be working on a restoration.
DeleteThanks for the tip, David. I'll check it out next time I'm in the area.
Well knowing that I have another out of the way tip. If you ever ride H/W 12 stop in Pomeroy Wa. One block South is the old Railway museum and just on the other side of the street there is a building with all sorts of neat stuff inside. They were both closed when I was through there last month. Outside was this neat old 5th wheel truck and the moving trailer it once carried peoples things around.
ReplyDeleteI have some swell pictures if there is a way to send them to you.
Sometimes you just have to stop and walk around these old towns and find treasures. I don't think most of us are in a hurry anymore.....
David
We just missed Pomeroy on our way north this year. Guess it will have to wait until next year. My e-mail address is included in the graphic at the top of my Google page - just click on my name at the top of this response to go there. Since Dad was in the moving business for 30 years, I'm a sucker for old trucks, especially moving trucks.
DeleteIf you like Old Narrow Gauge Steam Locomotives you should check you sumptervalleyrailroad.org
ReplyDeleteSounds like a guy could spend a bunch of time just checking out historic trains in the Northwest. Thanks for the tip.
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