A fried of mine tells me there is a 3' gauge Climax reproduction he read about in W.VA at a personal sawmill setup. Does anybody have any info on this? He read about it in a magazine, not sure when.

I recall something similar to this a number of years ago that a guys used car or truck parts for the drivetrain (no pun intended) of the locomotive. Could this be the same thing?

Thanks,
Ray

some of the Mt. St. guys talked about a fellow by the name of "keith Mason" who sounds about like what your talking about. it looked about like an A class. If I remember right it was in clarksburg..........send me an email and I'll try and get you some more info on it, or atleast point you in the right direction.

Ben

http://www.cassrailroad.com/
btrue@vt.edu

> He read about it in a magazine, not sure when.

It was featured in an issue of the Narrow Gauge & Shortline Gazette a few years ago. I have the issue, but not in front of me. Going from memory, the locomotive was modeled after a very early Class A Climax and is a real steam engine (opposed to say a gas-powered replica). It has a vertical boiler and a vertical two-cylinder steam engine much like the prototype was set up. IIRC from the article, the cobbled-together drive system was rebuilt at least once and made more like the prototype's set up. The owner/builder (Keith Mason from Clarksburg, WV sounds correct) runs it on a short point-to-point length of track on his property. The article has a handfull of good photos showing the locomotive. It looks REALLY neat and a lot like the "real thing".

Regards,
Jim Robinson

I don't know about that rig, but an old issue of Live Steam Magazine (around 76-77) had a picture of a four wheel, plank road Climax some where in British Columbia. I haven't been able to locate the issue lately, but the guy was running the verticle boilered engine and matching four wheel cars with WIDE flat wheels at that time in conjuction with a steam sawmill at his site.

lorija799@aol.com

OK, I dug up the article concerning the locomotive in question.

It's in the Nov-Dec 1997 issue of the NARROW GAUGE & SHORTLINE GAZETTE. The article is by noted narrow gauge author Mallory Hope Ferrell and is entitled "Mr. Mason's Black Satchel".

Mr. Keith Mason's private 3-foot gauge railroad near Clarksburg, WV is called the Locust Heights & Western. At the time of the article, the LH&W had about a 1/2 mile of track complete with a wooden trestle and grades up to 5%.

LH&W 1, "THE BLACK SATCHEL", is a homemade Class A Climax built by Mr. Mason during 1974-76. The locomotive features a coal-fired vertical boiler that came from a two drum hoisting engine. Power comes from a J. F. Byers Co. 4 1/2 x 6 vertical two-cylinder steam engine. A roller chain--instead of gears (like on the prototype)--transmit power to center drive shafts connected to gearboxes on the trucks. The trucks are authentic Climax-style arch bar types with spoked wheels. All eight wheel are powered.

A second locomotive is LH&W 2, a 4-ton 4-wheel gas-mechanical switcher built by the Vulcan Iron Works. It came from the Upshur Brick Co. of Buckhannon, WV. It was originally two foot gauge and has been converted to three foot gauge.

Mr. Mason also constructed an authentic-styled 20-foot log car and an 8-wheel wooden logging-style caboose. His equipment uses link and pin couplers, which came from ex-Meadow River Lumber Co. camp cars.

Joining his railroad is a Frick circular sawmill powered by a Frick portable steam engine. This sawmill operation is similar to the types you see at the various antique steam machinery shows around the country.

Regards,
Jim Robinson

> OK, I dug up the article concerning the
> locomotive in question.

> It's in the Nov-Dec 1997 issue of the NARROW
> GAUGE & SHORTLINE GAZETTE. The article
> is by noted narrow gauge author Mallory Hope
> Ferrell and is entitled "Mr. Mason's
> Black Satchel".

> Mr. Keith Mason's private 3-foot gauge
> railroad near Clarksburg, WV is called the
> Locust Heights & Western. At the time of
> the article, the LH&W had about a 1/2
> mile of track complete with a wooden trestle
> and grades up to 5%.

> LH&W 1, "THE BLACK SATCHEL",
> is a homemade Class A Climax built by Mr.
> Mason during 1974-76. The locomotive
> features a coal-fired vertical boiler that
> came from a two drum hoisting engine. Power
> comes from a J. F. Byers Co. 4 1/2 x 6
> vertical two-cylinder steam engine. A roller
> chain--instead of gears (like on the
> prototype)--transmit power to center drive
> shafts connected to gearboxes on the trucks.
> The trucks are authentic Climax-style arch
> bar types with spoked wheels. All eight
> wheel are powered.

> A second locomotive is LH&W 2, a 4-ton
> 4-wheel gas-mechanical switcher built by the
> Vulcan Iron Works. It came from the Upshur
> Brick Co. of Buckhannon, WV. It was
> originally two foot gauge and has been
> converted to three foot gauge.

> Mr. Mason also constructed an
> authentic-styled 20-foot log car and an
> 8-wheel wooden logging-style caboose. His
> equipment uses link and pin couplers, which
> came from ex-Meadow River Lumber Co. camp
> cars.

> Joining his railroad is a Frick circular
> sawmill powered by a Frick portable steam
> engine. This sawmill operation is similar to
> the types you see at the various antique
> steam machinery shows around the country.

> Regards,
> Jim Robinson

You know that the Byers company made a very obscure four wheel gear drive locomotive, which appeared to have the cylinders mounted vertically on each side of a tiny Tee boiler.

Can any one scan some picts of Masons operation?

lorija799@aol.com

> You know that the Byers company made a very
> obscure four wheel gear drive locomotive,
> which appeared to have the cylinders mounted
> vertically on each side of a tiny Tee
> boiler.

About 10 years ago Mike O'Rourke of Berkeley, CA produced a handfull of 1:20 Scale / Gauge 1 live-steam models of this unusal prototype engine. His model--dubbed the "Cricket"--featured a single vertical cylinder on 1 side with a flywheel on the other side instead of the prototype's 2nd cylinder. See the below link for a photo of his model. NOTE, he has long since stopped building these models and the "Berkeley Locomotive Works" hyperlink is invalid. I have one in my collection of live-steam locomotives--it's a neat model of a neat prototype.

> Can any one scan some picts of Masons
> operation?

I tried searching the web for any online photos--so far no luck.

Regards,
Jim Robinson


live steam model of Byers geared loco

Here is a site that has good info on the Byers.

Roger

> About 10 years ago Mike O'Rourke of
> Berkeley, CA produced a handfull of 1:20
> Scale / Gauge 1 live-steam models of this
> unusal prototype engine. His model--dubbed
> the "Cricket"--featured a single
> vertical cylinder on 1 side with a flywheel
> on the other side instead of the prototype's
> 2nd cylinder. See the below link for a photo
> of his model. NOTE, he has long since
> stopped building these models and the
> "Berkeley Locomotive Works"
> hyperlink is invalid. I have one in my
> collection of live-steam locomotives--it's a
> neat model of a neat prototype.

> I tried searching the web for any online
> photos--so far no luck.

> Regards,
> Jim Robinson


Byers Geared Steam Locomotives
Belpaire@aol.com