A LITTLE SIDE TRIP THROUGH LOCAL RAILROAD HISTORY
A couple of weeks before Christmas we took a 3-4 day trip south to visit with family and friends in the area where we used to live.
As we were in no hurry I thought it might be fun to stop and see a few of the railroad items of interest along the way and share some brief history about them.
Our first stop was to visit Southern Pacific locomotive # 1727 on display in the historic railroad town of Dunsmuir, CA. I first became acquainted with this locomotive display in the Summer of 1986 when we attended a rail event in Dunsmuir and a book sale/signing by Dick Murdock a long retired steam locomotive engineer who worked out of the Dunsmuir yards.
Here she is.
Dick Murdoch’s books. Web site.
https://www.google.com/search?tbo=p&tbm=bks&q=inauthor:“Dick+Murdock”
Dunsmuir park web site
Next up we have a pretty rare critter, a Willamette geared locomotive. This is one of 3 that have survived out of a total of 34 ever built. And this one is special because it is the only “open cab” model in existence.
This beauty is on display at Rail Road Park just south of Dunsmuir, CA and is one of only a hand full of display locomotives that you are allowed to climb into the cab and grab handles and levers, pretty cool.
When I came home from Nam in 68 I heard they were trying to open a RR museum in this location so went up to have a look and take some pictures. Unfortunately those pictures are lost in the foggy past. But I will post a link to a great little promotional video that tells a lot of this locos history. I know, it’s FaceBook but what do ya do?
Also on display here are the snow plow and flanger that once operated on the McCloud River RR East of Dunsmuire. I did a build log on these two pieces and posted them on this forum.
A current picture
A link to the video.
A link to my builds if interested.
Last but far from least is the Sacramento Valley and Eastern railroads locomotive #2.
A 2-6-2 tank loco built in 1908 for the named railroad it had a long but interesting history.
Currently on display about 2 miles from it’s original right of way it sits partially cosmetically restored waiting for further interest and funding.
I am proud to say that I was able to participate in the recovery and display of this local gem of history.
As she sits today.
For a description and history of the loco and the railroad I will share with you some notes used in my Shasta County railroad history presentations given at the Junior College years ago. Though they contain numerous place names and local references the story still comes through.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY & EASTERN RAILWAY
2-6-2 TANK LOCOMOTIVE #2
The complete history of SV&E #2 is not known but the following is an outline of it’s heritge as we know it. This outline is compiled from several sources including my own memory but should still be considered mostly accurate despite that source.
This locomotive was ordered from Baldwin Locomotive works of Philadelphia, PA in 1907by the SV&E railroad. Baldwin was the largest builder of locomotives at that time and this was a common design for small industrial locomotives of the day.
Engine number two as she became known was built from standard drawings as Baldwin class 10-28 ÂĽ D-22 with 17 X 24 inch cylinders and 44 inch drivers. She was completed in January of 1908 and steam tested on the 28th of that month then given construction # 32651. Further technical information lists her with; 170 psi boiler pressure, tractive effort of 22,800 lbs, fuel was/is oil, gauge is standard
(56 ½ “), engine weight 136,000 lbs with 97,000 lbs on the drivers.
Although Bldwin had the engine tested and ready for delivery in January of 1908 it is reported that it wasn’t delivered to SV&E home rails until late 1908. Perhaps, and this is just speculation, there was a delay in payment that held up delivery.
Because of the steady decline in copper and zinc prices the Bully Hill mining and milling operations were permanently closed down in 1927. It seems that #2 wasn’t really used that much during all those years, reportedly not more than 8 years of total service. In 1937 Francis Guido found #2 still stored on company property in the engine house at Delamar City/ Bullu Hill. All trackage said to be still in place in 1939 when Shasta Lake Reservoir was being cleared, but the SV&E bridge across the McCloud River had been washed out, All track and equipment was removed and scrapped during the lake bed clearing process.
Sometime between Guido’s sighting in 1937 and the bridge washout probably in the Spring floods of 1939, the locomotive was removed from company property by parties unknown and reportedly stored on a Southern Pacific siding near Gerlinger Steel Company in Redding where it remained until 1942.
Engine #2 was sold to Hyman-Michaaels Company a used equipment dealer and scrapper in South San Francisco that year. Because the engine was in such good condition they refurbished it and leased it to General Engineering Company for use in a construction project in Nevada. By 1944 the engine returned to California where it was photographed in the GEX yard in San Leandro. Sometime in 1946 SV&E #2 was sold to M. Davidson Co. scrap yard in Stockton, CA. Where it sat rusting away for many years with two other old steam locomotives.
On April 30th 1969 all three locomotives were donated to the Promontory Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Promontory Chapter then transferred the engines to the Wasatch Railroad Museum & Foundation that was developing a tourist railroad in Heber, Utah. After many more years of sitting and rusting all of the Heber equipment including #2 was sold to the Nevada State Railroad Museum in 1993 and moved to Boulder City, NV.
By 1998 SV&E #2 was deemed surplus to Nevada Railroad Museum’s needs and was offered to the Shasta Cascade Rail Preservation Society (SCRPS) of Redding who had been trying for several years to acquire #2 and bring her home. Negotiations were finally completed with NSRRM in June of 2002 and with semi-firm costs in hand a fund raising effort was undertaken. With a grant of $15,000 from the McConnel Foundation and other donations the purchase price of $23,500 was raised and paid over the next few years.
Transportation costs presented another obstacle. The lowest bid found was $13,500, this was a major problem having just raised the purchase price all sources of funding seemed to be tapped out. The moving of the locomotive hung in limbo for several years as we struggled to raise the funds. Meanwhile the Nevada Museum was becoming more and more impatient for #2 to be relocated.
A Major break in our luck came in the Spring of 2006.
The Nevada Museum was going to be making a locomotive move of their own in March of that year and would have cranes and a 60 foot Low-Boy truck on site in Boulder City. They kindly offered to let SCRPS piggy back into their move thus reducing our costs by over $3,000.
By meeting the severe challenges (finances, logistics and weather) that this early and unplanned for move presented #2 was finally on her way home. After a circuitous route and unexpected delays #2 finally arrived back home in Shasta County after a 60 year odyssey. On the 21st of March 2006 she was unloaded from the Low-Boy and sat on rails for display 2 miles from her former home trackage.
As my current pictures show she is now sitting and waiting for further restoration work if only the interest and funding would magically appear.
Leaving Boulder City.
On the road
Unloading at home.
I hope someone enjoys this little bit of obscure history.