Over on "that other board" Martin has posted Edna St Vincent Millay's train poem along with a picture of McCloud (yes, I know the full name was The McCloud River Rail Road, but to us natives, it was always just "The McCloud") 25, one of the Harriman Coaches at the old Company Station in McCloud. I'm not a member, so can't post there, nor view the picture in full size--but I don't need to see that to remember it well--the old Shasta Huff-n-Puff train runs back in 1968. One poster responded with, "I can hear Jeff Moore in Elko sobbing over this photo right now. The loss of that railroad, the locomotive from McCloud, and of course, that magnificent station and general office of the railroad is all truly heartbreaking." Well, Jeff's not the only one with a tear in his eye. I should count myself as one of the lucky ones to have been there and to even have participated in later years. Oh, the dreams we had back then of an operating Museum, even to relaying rails from camp A to Pondosa. And I miss the folks there too, all have gone to the great train beyond.
Had to share this with y'all, figured you'd know what I feel right now.

they ran steam into the 60's? I think theres sound recordings of them, like the Bonhattie and Hattiesburg

Yes, there are recordings, mostly records, I believe, but can't tell you where etc. I do know the grandson of a friend can be heard on one of them asking, "Do you remember 1910?" I haven't heard that recording, but I've been told about it. The 25 was, until almost the end, one of the few Steam locomotives still on her original purchaser's line and never completely retired, although there were periods of "inactivity." Naively, I always thought the McCloud would always be there. . . .

Ah yes...I need to talk to my good friend Lee Hower...I'm sure he had a tear trickling out of his eye viewing that photograph as well...

To answer the question, the arrival of the two Baldwin switchers in 1953 effectively ended the use of all steam on the McCloud, though the company did keep a couple steam locomotives on the property as backup and the McCloud River Lumber Company continued using steam power leased from the railroad in their logging operations out of Pondosa and Kinyon through 1955, when a combination of declining timber reserves and trucks replaced the Pondosa railroad and the lumber company's GE 70-ton switcher #1 ended the use of steam out of Kinyon. The railroad retired all remaining steam power by early fall...one of the equipment roster books I've seen has the #25 scratched off the list. It slumbered away in McCloud from 1955-1962, then operated 1962-1975, slumbered away again 1975-1982, operated 1982-1986, stored again 1986-1997, operated 1997-2001, stored 2001-2007, operated 2007-2008, stored again, then sold to Oregon Coast Scenic in 2011.

Lots of memories around that place...

Jeff Moore
Elko, NV
http://www.trainweb.org/mccloudrails

Well, and sometime around 1997 or so, The railcar leasing company that owned the McCloud (and who's name eludes me right now--Itel?) traded it off to Fred Kepner to settle a "disagreement" (and they really didn't want a steam engine around) Fred got the 25 running again (my only part here was making the cab window awnings, by that time I was living in Oroville, far far away). Jeff Forbis managed to get the 25 back (it never having left the property) again to settle another disagreement. So, while the 25 stayed on her home railroad, she did go through some ownership changes.
Jeff, I remember hearing about the scratched out record for 25, I'd forgotten about it. All this was a while ago, almost a world ago. I remember when there were still passenger car and other car remnants at Hambone--it was like a ghost trainyard. A friend and I discovered a Pullman automobile out there and helped bring it back--wonder where it is now. And the poor Vinegar Valley motorcar, we almost brought it back to McCloud, but didn't act fast enough. As Agent Smart would say, "Missed it by this much!"

Itel rail...the original operating lease to Fred dated back to 1982 or so, the excursions from 1982-1986 were a joint operation of the railroad and Fred's museum. The excursions ended in 1986 when the lawsuits between Fred and the railroad heated up, then around 1988 is when the title transferred. Jeff Forbis got the #25 back in 1995 as part of a settlement agreement over several years worth of unpaid storage fees for the various equipment Fred had stored on the railroad, and had it back in service in 1997...

Interesting note on the railbus at Kinyon, Hanft seems to be the only source for the "Vinegar Valley Express" name...nobody I've ever talked to- including one guy who ran it for the lumber company and several more who rode it- ever heard it referred to as such, they all knew it as the Red Goose. Appears Hanft probably made that name up for his book...

Lastly, the passenger car remnant at Hambone was a GN combination car body, brought in by that road to serve as a motorcar and tool shed.

Jeff Moore
Elko, NV

Jeff,
Thanks for filling in the blanks. I can only rely on memory, and it's kinda spotty, plus I was either in Dunsmuir or off to college in LA & then Arcadia, or Oroville during those times. A combo car kinda fits in with my memories, and I think at the time there was no paint on anything. But I also remember some other RR cars around too, as I said, like an abandoned yard area. I suspect this must have been around 1969, but can't swear by it. Saving the Pullman touring car was probably around '72 or so. Red Goose seems like a better name for the motorcar.

I consulted my notes on the subject...recorded car bodies placed on the ground at Hambone included the following:

-Two outfit car bodies, placed in 1933 by GN for use as bunkhouses. GN records show them removed in 1943, though at least one picture is out there showing at least one of them still in place in the late 1940s.

-GN combination car #530, placed on ground in 1939 for use as a motor car and tool house.

-McCloud River caboose #015, the one originally built for display at the Panama-Pacific Exposition, converted 1947 into bath and toilet facilities.

In addition, there were several other structures belonging to either GN or MR that were originally constructed so as to be easily transportable on flatcars.

I'd love to hear more about this Pullman touring car...

Jeff Moore
Elko, NV