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Northern Pacific Auburn, WA yard scrapping of 3-foot steam
http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=38094		 Page 1 of 3
Author:  p51 [ Wed May 20, 2015 12:17 pm ]
Post subject:  Northern Pacific Auburn, WA yard scrapping of 3-foot steam
After WW2 was over, there was a small section of the Northern Pacific yard at Auburn, WA where 3-footer steam was scrapped. I assume most (if not all) of it was White Pass & Yukon stuff that was no longer needed after the Army operations pulled out on the WP&Y
Does anyone know the general area of the yard where this was? I want to get photos of the area today.
Author:  JohnHillier [ Wed May 20, 2015 2:24 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Northern Pacific Auburn, WA yard scrapping of 3-foot st
Lee, if you're successful I would like to see the pictures you capture. I'm working on one of the few engines that weren't shipped down and sold/scrapped at the time and it would be neat to see where the ones wound up after they left Skagway.
Author:  p51 [ Wed May 20, 2015 4:55 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Northern Pacific Auburn, WA yard scrapping of 3-foot st
Sure thing, John.
I'm mostly interested in where ET&WNC ten-wheelers 10 and 14 were scrapped, but it would have to have been the same spot as the rest of the WP&Y locomotives as there couldn't have been a very large 3-foot portion of that yard.
Image
Most references today say it was Seattle, but I know it was in the large NP yard at Auburn (which is just South of Seattle).
Ironically, 10 and 14 went to Alaska and then were shipped to WA state in 1943 to be rebuilt. The actually ran in Alaska for a year in their badly faded ET&WNC green and gold paint. They were rebuilt in the NP shops at East Tacoma that summer.
Image
That place was part of a Superfund cleanup many years ago and today you can't make out any portion of the large shop facilities.
Author:  joe6167 [ Wed May 20, 2015 4:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Northern Pacific Auburn, WA yard scrapping of 3-foot st
Was the cab on that engine always that far forward? seems odd having the back wall of the cab practically right up against the backhead.
Author:  Dennis Storzek [ Wed May 20, 2015 5:28 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Northern Pacific Auburn, WA yard scrapping of 3-foot st
Called a "deckless" cab. Very common just before the turn of the twentieth century... Casey Jone's engine was deckless.
Author:  p51 [ Wed May 20, 2015 5:38 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Northern Pacific Auburn, WA yard scrapping of 3-foot st
Yeah, all the ET&WNC ten-wheelers were like that. # 12 is still running at Tweetsie RR at Blowing Rock, NC. I tried to get a cab ride on 12 the last time I went there several years ago, but sadly they were running their other Baldwin, # 190 at the time. Still, it would have been a tight fit as you can't really ride the cab on #12 for that reason.
In Tacoma, 10 and 14 had their cabs moved much further back and their overall look changed quite a bit.
Sadly, both locomotives burned in a fire at the Whitehorse engine house on Christmas Day, 1943.
Both are in this shot, but I have no idea which one is which as they were from generally, the same class.
Image
They were hulks before being shipped all the way to WA state for scrapping. All the 'goodies' were missing from each before arriving in WA state. I'd like to think that builder/number plates and bells might still exist somewhere today, but nobody seems to know either way.
Author:  HudsonL [ Wed May 20, 2015 5:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Northern Pacific Auburn, WA yard scrapping of 3-foot st
I question that the NP Ry. scrapped the locomotives, a Scraper located on the NP Ry. yes, but not by the NP Ry.

-Hudson
Author:  p51 [ Wed May 20, 2015 6:15 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Northern Pacific Auburn, WA yard scrapping of 3-foot st
HudsonL wrote:
I question that the NP Ry. scrapped the locomotives, a Scraper located on the NP Ry. yes, but not by the NP Ry.
Go back read these posts again. Nobody in this thread made any declarations as to who scrapped them.
Frankly, I couldn't care less who's name was on the paycheck for the guy who lit the torch on either of them, I just want to know where exactly it happened.
Author:  HudsonL [ Wed May 20, 2015 7:04 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Northern Pacific Auburn, WA yard scrapping of 3-foot st
What I am saying is that a place to start would be to find a list of scrappers in Auburn circa 1945, and figure out which ones were served by the NP Ry.

In 1967 none are listed in the NP Industries list

-Hudson
Author:  p51 [ Wed May 20, 2015 7:15 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Northern Pacific Auburn, WA yard scrapping of 3-foot st
There's simply no way that even if I could track down the folks who broke out the torches in 1946, that they're going to have records of where in the yard they cut up some 'old steam engines' in an era where there was nothing special about them.
Author:  John T [ Wed May 20, 2015 9:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Northern Pacific Auburn, WA yard scrapping of 3-foot st
Lee,

Odds are that the 3 foot equipment was stored at the GSA facility at Auburn. The locos may have been cut up there or shipped to a mill in Seattle. The photo of #10 on a flat car was taken at South Tacoma shop. There are other photos of the narrow gauge equipment at South Tacoma in the Seattle PI collection at the Museum of History and Industry.
Author:  Bobharbison [ Wed May 20, 2015 11:42 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Northern Pacific Auburn, WA yard scrapping of 3-foot st
It's also possible they were scrapped in Tacoma on the Tideflats, Simon & Sons (not sure if it was called that back then) was well known for scrapping steam.
Author:  Trevor Heath [ Fri May 22, 2015 6:00 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Northern Pacific Auburn, WA yard scrapping of 3-foot st
Have you asked Martin Hansen?

TH
Author:  John T [ Mon Sep 07, 2015 8:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Northern Pacific Auburn, WA yard scrapping of 3-foot st
While not an answer to the original question I just found some related information:

Steel Vol. 118 1946: War Assets Administration has sold for scrapping 15 army narrow-gage locomotives for $7695. Original cost was nearly $500,000. Three 110-ton units went to Dulein Steel Products Co., Seattle and thirteen 60-ton units to M. Bloch & Co. of Seattle.
Author:  Alan Walker [ Mon Sep 07, 2015 10:29 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Northern Pacific Auburn, WA yard scrapping of 3-foot st
joe6167 wrote:
Was the cab on that engine always that far forward? seems odd having the back wall of the cab practically right up against the backhead.


Deckless locomotives stopped being built in the early 20th century as the construction of new deckless locomotives was outlawed by the ICC. The boiler prevented effective communication between the engineman and whomever was sitting on the left hand side of the cab. It also created a credible risk to life and limb in the event of a derailment-many railroaders were scalded to death while trapped in the cab of a deckless locomotive. Camelback locomotives were especially dangerous as the cab sat above the running gear. Failure of a driving rod meant instant death for the crewmember sitting in the cab above it.

Years ago, I met up with some friends in Blowing Rock and we had the run of the Tweetsie Shop and the opportunity to ride the 190 around the park. It was mid-summer and the 12 was in the shop for work. They don't run the 12 in the summer months if possible as she's very uncomfortable to run.
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