Was fiddling around on YouTube, and came across this little two-trucker. It's about the smallest geared engine I've seen outside of some class A shays and a tiny 2-foot construction Shay; it's supposedly somewhere in Vermont. Does anybody know anything about this one?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sqrvcvw4 ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW5-sW9D ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOp1KhZC ... re=related

Awww! Isnt that the cutest little thing ever? I do like the three truck shays and heislers, but that is cool!

Here we have the Passumpsic Railroad's Heisler locomotive, constructed on 1922 for service in a stone quarry.

Looks about the same size, 36 tons, as the one that operates at Freeport, IL several times each summer.

http://rogerwld.railfan.net/sc/silvercr.htm

Looks about the same size, 36 tons, as the one that operates at Freeport, IL several times each summer.

http://rogerwld.railfan.net/sc/silvercr.htm

The Passumpsic Railroad is in north central Vermont, right off I95. They have a page at http://www.passumpsicrailroad.com/passumpsic/Home_Page.html

The locomotive in question is builder’s number 1468, built in 1922 for Phenix Marble, (not misspelled) in Phenix Mo. It weighs 22 tons…

While it is a small Heisler, it is neither the smallest built, nor the smallest surviving Heisler… There is a 18 ton example preserved in California, No 1225, 1911, for Stewart’s Point Lumber, later Prather Lumber, now owned by the Wilmunder family. It operated in the 1960’s but now needs the preverbal new boiler to see continued use.

The “Bush Tramway Club” in New Zeeland has two, a 17 ton, No 1041 built in 1899 and a 20 ton No 1082 built in 1905.

My cousin volunteers up there. They have been running quite a bit, especially around the holidays. The owner has assembled what is essentially a private museum of vintage trains - mostly of New England heritage. Among the gems is the last wooden Central Vermont milk car body, but there is a load more including other ancient wooden equipment.

Rob

Thanks to all for the info.

Took a look at the website, and Mr. Davis's comments about a private museum is about what it looks like; the Heisler is the jewel of the collection.

There were a couple of other videos on the YouTube page with some of the other equipment that keeps the Heisler company; thought they might be of interest, even if the other locomotive is a "diseasel". . .:-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amCnE3Oc ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZdCKm_7 ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8-5ePG_ ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKGLd2MrGzo&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r41fw-J ... re=related

While on the subject of small geared steam, here is the little construction Shay I mentioned above; one of only five like this built, and notably different not only for its small size, but for having its three cylinders cast in one block, like a car, instead of the usual seperate cylinders:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgOZAr2b ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYc2zAcN ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3VrFPe9 ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuwY7o0p ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mX3wdLl ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3VrFPe9 ... re=related

Also from YouTube, an export Shay, a 2-cylinder A, in Taiwan:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JUnqW-qwJI&feature=fvw

The appeal of steam, including geared engines, is universal:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0_AEJkn ... re=related

Finally, at least for now, is this full-sized narrow-gauge Class A Climax replica in West Virginia--wouldn't you like this in your back yard?

http://www.wchstv.com/traveling/2008/twv080612.shtml

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhJs9lDHjGk

Enjoy!

Oh, now this is very cool indeed. I wonder how many of these little backyard operations are around that you never hear about. A lot of the big operations get covered quite well, but there's a bunch of these small private things (or engines that are run for thresher's reunions and the like) that never get any publicity whatsoever, and you could drive within 5 miles and never know it was there.

It would be cool for someone to compile a list of all of the little operations.

On the subject of small Heislers.... the company also built one to 2-foot gauge, a
22-ton model.

But the prize for the smallest Heisler goes to a one-off that the company built on speculation as an industrial or contractor's lokie. An ill-fated attempt to break into a market dominated by Porter. A photo of this little beastie has survived, but no builder's data. It was a single-truck gear-driven locomotive with Heisler's proprietary V-cylinder configuration. It looks to have been 30 or 36 inch gauge and probably weighed no more than 8-10 tons.

Folks,
when you are talking small; think Two Foot gauge. I have seen reference to locomotives as small as 8 tons from a sugar plantation in Louisiana.

There is a Shay floating around some place which was built for a Colorado Lumber Company which is long gone but their Shay survives.

I think it is now at the Hessin steam collection.

Anybody recall the details.

Ted Miles

That experiment at a geared contractor's engine is really different. The drive, with a jackshaft running in a slotted side rod, is reminiscent of some rodded electric locomotive drives in Europe, and the boiler looks to be a return-flue job to boot!

Definitely an unusual and rare beast.

Another rarity to see running in a preservation environment is a fireless locomotive or "thermos bottle" engine. Where do these guys at the Lake Shore Railroad Museum get a source of stationary or charging steam for this Heisler-built 0-6-0F? Or are they using compressed air instead of steam? Could they make use of the hot air from the wise-guy comments in the space below the video instead of steam?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZNlvDFzTa8

Enjoy anyway, even with the useless arguments by the commentators. . ."It's a Heisler."--No it's not!"--"Yes it is!"--"Is too!"

I come to appreciate mothers more every day.

It's German, but it is an operating fireless in regular service.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0wvPDgD ... re=related

Enjoy.

I suspect that among the reasons why some of these "backyard" operations are little-known are:
1) The owners have enough trouble staying on the good side of the neighbors without the area being overrun with "foamers".
2) As long as it's a private operation, various government regulations and paperwork requirements don't apply or aren't enforced.
2a) If it only runs for invited guests, it's probably not considered a "public attraction".
3) If relatively few people know about a steamer, word is less likely to leak out and reach the ears of hardware thieves.

The Vermont operation is by the side of a state highway so it is quite visible, but the other element Bob is the very nature of "private museum" being just that, private. As with other collections, it is safe to say that those who need to know, know.

There are a surprising number of private railroad collections and museums scattered about the US, with some rather significant artifacts. From Kepner in the west to the old Curliss collection in the east and many places in between.