I was just curious about the current state of these engines:
SMV 205 in Independence, OR
all of Fred Kepner's engines
Rayonier #2 at MRSR
the class A Climax at cabin creek,WA
and the engines at snoqualmie,WA
anyone know anything about them?

tom_af@hotmail.com

> I was just curious about the current state of these engines:

Santa Maria Valley #205 (2-6-2) is still undergoing restoration at Independence. Owner, George Lavacott, has no fixed schedule for completion.

Freddie's fleet is still mostly in the field near Merill, Oregon. The engine for Pickering Shay #8 is at Cottage Grove, Oregon. Rayonier #38 (2-6-6-2) is in pieces at McCloud, Calif. Sierra #34 (2-8-2) is at Jamestown, Calif., with the CSRM hoping to claim ownership. Bonhommie & Hattiesburg Southern #300 is stored in Hattiesburg, Miss. (B&HS unofficial web page says "as of 1997"). Several of his 0-4-0s are said to be at his home in Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Rayonier #2 is at the Mid-Continent RR Museum. If you mean Rayonier Shay #3, it is in pieces at Mineral, Washington. It is owned by the Western Forest Industries Museum, as is the Mt Rainier Scenic Railroad Co.

Cabin Creek Lbr Co. #1 (class A Climax) is not in my database of Douglas fir timber industry railway machinery. I am sorry to say I have forgotten the name of the family that owns it. It was, of course, rebuilt with a White truck engine in the late '30s or early '40s. It was rebuilt again in the early '70s with all new timber so that the trucks and part of the drive shaft are all that is left of the original machine. It is kept as a pet at the family summer home at the mill site at Cabin Creek.

Locos at Snoqualmie: Most of the machinery is in the old NP yard at Snoqualmie. They are trying to build a small shop for their passenger train -- it will just fit two passenger cars but no machine tools (?). U.S. Plywood 2-6-6-2 #11 is being painted on their Snoqualmie depot grounds for outdoor display. And to pressure the city council to grant the building permit for the shop.
As you probably know Port of Olympia #2 (2-6-2T) was sold to Chris Baldo at Willets, Calif. Deep River #7 (2-4-4-2) was sold to Rogan Coombs of Garberville, Calif. Rayonier #70 (2-8-2) was sold to Tom Murray and donated to the Western Forest Industries Museum. Santa Maria Valley #21 (2-8-2) was sold to the Astoria Railroad Preservation Assn. and is undergoing heavy repairs at Astoria. Their web site (www.astoriarr.org) is quite interesting. Long-Bell Lumber/International Paper #803 (2-8-2T) was sold to P.J. Replinger and resold last year to Will Pickering and partners at Battle Ground, Washington.

There are no known plans for exhibiting or storing any of the Snoqualmie collection under cover.

> Rayonier #2 is at the Mid-Continent RR
> Museum. If you mean Rayonier Shay #3, it is
> in pieces at Mineral, Washington. It is
> owned by the Western Forest Industries
> Museum, as is the Mt Rainier Scenic Railroad
> Co.

MRSR actually has Rayonier #2. #2 is a Willamette, C/N 34, from Jim Gertz. It arrived in Mineral in October 2002, or there about. MRSR has plans to restore the lokie to operation. Jim kept the lokie in a shed since he acquired it from Rayonier in 1962. She served Rayonier on the Clallam branch in the northern Olympic Peninsula.

The other two spot, Baldwin C/N 38967, ran on the Grays Harbor branch near Hoquiam WA is at Mid-Continent. #2 is the older sister of Rayonier #70, Baldwin C/N 55355, which is nearing completion at MRSR.

Shay #3 was acquired by Jack Anderson of the MRSR from the Polson Museum in Hoquiam. He later sold it to me in July of last year. It is in storage in Mineral. I plan to move it to Tillamook OR in the near future to restore it and use it along side the Curtiss Lumber #2 in tourist service on the Port of Tillamook Bay RR.

shay2305@harborside.com

> Locos at Snoqualmie: Most of the machinery
> is in the old NP yard at Snoqualmie. They
> are trying to build a small shop for their
> passenger train -- it will just fit two
> passenger cars but no machine tools (?).

The Northwest Railway Museum at Snoqualmie has been in permitting for nearly 4 years for construction of an 8,000 square-foot collection care facility. 4 years in permitting is a long time but is unfortunately increasingly common in western Washington.

The new center will provide facilities to care for all artifacts in the Collection, not just passenger cars. It will include space for tooling and to accommodate public visitation.

> U.S. Plywood 2-6-6-2 #11 is being painted on
> their Snoqualmie depot grounds for outdoor
> display. And to pressure the city council to
> grant the building permit for the shop.

The US Plywood #11 is being restored at the Museum's outdoor shop located near the Snoqualmie Depot. The project has nothing to do with "pressuring" anyone. Quite to the contrary, it represents a forward-thinking partnership between the Snoqualmie Valley Chamber of Commerce, the City of Snoqualmie and the Northwest Railway Museum. The objective is to complete the first phase of a restoration on the #11 and exhibit it in a high profile location at the community's gateway. It is the first time the three organizations (and volunteers from each)have worked together on a project and it is going really well.

> There are no known plans for exhibiting or
> storing any of the Snoqualmie collection
> under cover.

The Northwest Railway Museum has explored a variety of concepts to exhibit and/or store large artifacts such as locomotives. Unfortunately, the NRM has the resources to pursue only one major project at a time. After the collection care facility is completed, detailed planning for indoor exhibit and/or storage facilities will begin.

Richard R. Anderson
Executive Director
Northwest Railway Museum


Northwest Railway Museum
rra@trainmuseum.org

>The US Plywood #11 is being restored at the ... Snoqualmie Depot. ... it represents a >forward-thinking partnership between the Snoqualmie Valley Chamber of Commerce, the City of >Snoqualmie and the Northwest Railway Museum.

It is sad to see painting this locomotive and displaying it out in western Washington's rain described as "foward-thinking." Contemplating such outdoor exhibits should have been abandoned many years ago. The work will largely be wasted as it will be seriously damaged by the weather in a short time.

> Unfortunately, the NRM has the resources to pursue only one major project at a time. After the >collection care facility is completed, detailed planning for indoor exhibit and/or storage facilities will >begin.

I'm afraid that this suggests that the limited resources are intellectual ones. Few of my readers are unaware that conserving 100,000 to 200,000 lb. objects is a difficult and expensive proposition. Especially in the face of contemporary siting and building codes, a great deal of planning must be done. Minimum conservation involves substantial buildings for weather protection. The time to start this planning is very early in the acquisition of the machinery.
This always involves much comminication with nearby communities who seldom share our enthusiasm for old machinery -- large, old machinery. But the layout of a railroad museum site, even its buildings, does NOT require money. It does require planning for exhibit from the beginning.
And an unfortunate amount of planning by "professional" architects that I have seen reflects little understanding of the use of railway machinery. The historical and curatorial committees of the various railroad museums are the place to start. Again, this does not require money. It does require a lot of time. I learned to do track layout drafting in the pre-computer age.
The collection at Snoqualmie represents an unusually small and cohesive geographic area and deserves much more care than it has got. That the NRM has deliberately put off beginning such planning for the 30-odd years that the collection has existed does not show much serious or thoughtful consideration of this historical resource.
The NRM and its predecessor have managed to run a volunteer-manned passenger train for all of this time. Time to change emphases.

> It is sad to see painting this locomotive
> and displaying it out in western
> Washington's rain described as
> "foward-thinking."

Forward-thinking refers to getting active community participation in museum development and collections care. I believe that active participation and support of local government and business is crucial to the success of any museum.

> Contemplating such outdoor exhibits should have
> been abandoned many years ago. The work will
> largely be wasted as it will be seriously
> damaged by the weather in a short time.

So you'd instead suggest that nothing be done with the artifact? Two coats of paint offer more protection than no paint at all. A quality bridge paint or equivalent (when properly applied) can offer 10 years or more of service life.

Outdoor exhibits are common at nearly every railway museum. Museum guests overwhelmingly prefer outdoor exhibits to no exhibits.

> I'm afraid that this suggests that the
> limited resources are intellectual ones.

Perhaps, but that is rather like the cart before the horse. Financial resources are usually the limiting factor. Design and construction have become incredibly complex in the face of numerous regulations. Many jurisdictions (including ours) will not accept proposals unless they have been stamped and signed by a professional engineer and an architect. A modest structure can require $100,000 worth of design and engineering services before you even get a building permit. Please send your donation check to: Northwest Railway Museum, PO Box 459, Snoqualmie WA 98065

> The NRM and its predecessor have managed to
> run a volunteer-manned passenger train for
> all of this time. Time to change emphases.

Change emphasis to what? Our priority is running a railway museum. Many will attest to the fact that all museums have many competing priorities. We have a variety of interpretive programs (such as an operating railway and operation of a National-Register train station) and a collection to care for but these involve many facets: outreach, marketing, volunteer training, learning about new techniques to conserve artifacts, historical research, membership, fundraising, board recruitment, community relations, dealing with yet another person who wants to buy one of the artifacts ... I think you get the picture.

Richard R. Anderson
Executive Director
Northwest Railway Museum


http://www.trainmuseum.org
rra@trainmuseum.org

Here's Rayonier 2. Photo taken last week at the Western Washington Steam Up at Mt. Rainier Scenic RR.


brianf425@yahoo.com

For good measure, here's a photo of Rayonier #3 also taken at last week's steam up at Mt. Rainier Scenic.


brianf425@yahoo.com

Here's US Plywood #11 in it's new enclosure at the Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie (Sno-kwal-me) WA. (Be sure to read Richard Anderson's posts in this thread!)


brianf425@yahoo.com