Regauging of geared engines is pretty common. The current Roaring Camp Heisler was standard gauge in its last work assignment before Roaring Camp.

I see no hints that the museum itself is in any danger of closing. Lead paint and asbestos seem to be the only reasons the Heisler and skidders are on the chopping block.

I did see while trolling through the SCSD website some specific protocols that agency has for disposing of excess property, I did not look at it closely enough to see if it had any outright prohibitions on donating such items. One factor could be that a sale allows them to wash their hands of any liability issues they might not be able to do with a donation. They can also force a buyer to remove the items in a way a donation might also not allow.

Jeff Moore
Elko, NV

Both northern California logging history groups are aware of this situation and are working on it. Both steam donkeys are much rarer than the Heisler. Pacific Lbr. never used it after the bought out Dolbeer & Carson. The Heisler was chosen for the museum simply because it was the smallest steam locomotive PALCO had at the time.

It could be used on the standard gauge line to Santa Cruz

This thread again raises the question of what is the best use for a historical artifact -- should it be displayed where it originally operated as an example of what was, or is it better to re-gauge it and use it up in a railroad setting with no connection to its history?

The Mt. Tamalpais group plans to display the locomotive at the summit of the railroad which used to run up the mountain from Mill Valley. They already have a restored "gravity car" on display there, and this locomotive (the last surviving locomotive from that railroad) would answer the obvious question of how the gravity cars got up the mountain.

Some historic films (from the Library of Congress) of the railway at the top of the mountain in 1898:

https://www.loc.gov/item/00694251/

https://www.loc.gov/item/00694422/ (may be the Scotia locomotive, Library of Congress says it is the 30-ton Heisler Joseph B. Eastman ("The Bull"))

https://www.loc.gov/item/00694252/

It would be interesting to show visitors these films (or other photos) and then show them that very locomotive 120 years later.

(Full disclosure - I grew up in Mill Valley.)

Footnote: the original images used to make these videos are from paper prints of every frame of the film. These prints were required to be supplied in order to copyright the film.

My dad spent a couple years as the supervisory ranger at Mt. Tam back in the very early 2000s. One of the highlights happened when some group or another mounted a steam whistle and an air compressor on the back of a truck and drove it up the mountain on the old grade, which is now a fire road and hiking trail. My mom rode in the truck, along with Ted Wurm and a few others. Fun day, but they sure pissed a lot of people off who were trying to get away from it all on the trail and did not appreciate hearing the whistle...

Jeff Moore
Elko, NV

The film is of Mt. Tam locomotive #2 which was built in 1896 and weighed 30-tons. The locomotive at Scotia was built in 1920 and is a 36-ton locomotive numbered 9 on the Mt. Tamalpais and Muir Woods Railway.

It is reported the locomotive is to be returned to Mill Valley, satisfactorily ending a 65 year effort by that community.

It will be interesting to see how the locomotive would be trucked to the summit of Mt. Tamalpais. The public road has several nasty switchbacks which would be a challenge for such a load. Probably easier to use the old railroad grade.

That railroad grade is a beast as well; it was for good reason the Mt. Tamalpais & Muir Woods was called "the crookedest railroad in the world."

At the risk of dreaming too much, maybe it would be a good idea for the locomotive to haul itself up there under its own power. . .which of course would require a rebuilt railroad.

(Headed off for the bomb shelter under the Greenbriar.)

Glad to hear that all of the equipment will be going to a good home even if getting it there might be quite exciting.

Will the same remediation work need to be done on the equipment as was required in Scotia?

BTW Al, many thank for the film links. Absolutely incredible to see such old footage.

Here's an article from a Marin County paper about the locomotive "coming home."

http://www.marinij.com/general-news/20180316/marin-rail-buffs-win-bid-to-reclaim-historic-train

This article does not mention the fate of the other equipment in the auction.

To the Timber Heritage Association in exchange for moving the locomotive. Sounds like a win-win situation.