Now it is exactly 7 years that
Baldwin 2-6-2T 10-30-1/4D,53 cn56323 march-1923
Snoqualmie Falls Lumber #6
Canadian Forest Product #112 (since 1948)
moved to Port Alberni.

Any news about any progress done in that 7 years?

Here some lifetime pics:

Thanks for posting. Would you have the specs to share? This machine is a real
stud and not like most six-coupled tank engines. I think t.e. is at or around 30,000 lbs.

6 2-6-2T Baldwin C/N 56323 1923 18X24 44” 158,000
Snoqualmie Falls Lumber Co.
Canadian Forest Products #112 Beaver Cove, BC 1947
(new welded firebox installed 1948)
(display at Beaver Cove, BC 1970)
Alberni Valley Museum (Alberni Pacific RR) Port Alberni, BC 2014
(moved to Port Alberni 03-15)

Thanks for the data John. If the boiler pressure is 200 lbs. as opposed to the normal 180 or so, then t.e. should be up around 30,000 lbs. Just a small item, but I find it interesting.

The regular locomotive at Alberni is the former. M-B 1055. She has a 200 lb. , but smaller 42" drivers and that bumps the t.e. up to around 31,000 lbs., I think. All of this is from memory and I'd welcome any additions and/or corrections.

I suspect the pandemic has delayed work, as it has for so many of us. This photo was posted to their Facebook page in August 2020, with the following caption:

"The back of the firebox on the #112 steam locomotive. The #112 is still awaiting its new cab."

I'm not directly involved with the Western Vancouver Island Industrial Heritage Society, but like so many things this project has been affected by the pandemic and general collapse of the tourism industry here over the last two years. The main focus of their locomotive work has been on Baldwin 2-8-2 #7, this needed retubing a few years ago and this work had just been completed by the local boilermakers union when the pandemic hit. They are also having difficulty with the city council which owns many of the property assets they use. As for #112 it was stripped down for examination, had its tubes removed, and thickness testing done. I've had a good look at the boiler and it is in shockingly good condition considering how it sat out in the rain for so many decades. The boiler is a replacement, likely built by Vancouver Iron works when the engine was imported in 1948. Interestingly it has a lot more flexible stays than the original likely had. I truly hope that this engine will see steam again, it is ideal for the operation they used to have from Port Alberni to the McLean Mill National Historic Site. Their publicly available newsletters can be found at this link which will have much more information.

https://ihsportalberni.ca/newsletters

Pat Hosford

@SD70dude
@E&N6004
thank you very much for the info. I am not on FB so never get this info.
The newsletter is very helpful. Great.

@tom
here are the Baldwin specs.

The idea about 200lbs is nice but not recommended by me. The adhesion factor in the
specs 4.56 is wrong calculated. It is real 4.37. If you up to 200lbs it will go to 3.84, more
suitable for a 1880 4-4-0 not for a logger with 7% grades.
Adding more weight for such a solution is also borderline. It is overall a very big/heavy
2-6-2T logging engine with very light rail for the axle loading.
I expect Snoqualmie Falls Lumber get exactly what they needed.

@tom
A year later ALCOs "small" 2-8-2T logger with the 18" cylinder size is available. That would
match your needs.

@tom

Here the specs of the other Port Alberni locomotive you mentioned.

sidenote

This

Baldwin 2-6-2T 10-30-1/4D,53 cn56323 march-1923
Snoqualmie Falls Lumber #6
and
Baldwin 2-6-2T 10-30-1/4D,54 cn56851 august-1923
Oregon-American Lumber #104

are the biggest 2-6-2T logging engines survive today. The latter a bit heavier with a
bit less TE. It will go from Merrill, OR to OCSR sometime in the future.
All other surviving "logging" 2-6-2 with 18" or bigger cylinders are tender engines.

And there are true cinderella sisters 53+54. My eyes told me 53 is a beauty and the same
time 54 is more the ugly duckling out of Baldwin family...? What you think?

I can't think of a better, more iconic example of a logging road tank engine; itself an iconic breed of locomotive. Did I mention it was iconic?

All my best good wishes towards its restoration.

Speaking of the 104, back in '67, the late Jack Holst gave me his railfan's tour of Portland, OR. The last place that we stopped that afternoon was Peninsula Terminal in N. Portland.

Who should be there but Ralph Reynolds and Arlie Slyffe. Arlie was engineer on the 104 in her last years on Oregon-American (later Long-Bell). What a pair of characters, those two. Lots of logging stories. I wish I had a tape recorder then. Ralph Reynolds had been engineer on the 106, their 70 ton Willamette

Hi Pat,

Would it be possible to expand on just what the difficulty with the city council is? Is it "fixable" or will it end the Alberni Pacific RR? Crystal ball question I know but the newsletters have not been uploaded for over a year now so its hard to find out what's happening or if there is a future

Thanks

Tim: A couple of years ago a new city council and mayor were elected who were less favourably disposed to the Industrial heritage society, and the amount of money that previous councils had been willing to spend on museums / heritage. I would also suggest Googling "McLean mill oil spill", it will show several local newspaper articles. It is indeed a cautionary tale for any railways storing fuel oil on their sites. I'm not optimistic about APR operating in full again, this is a real shame as when the McLean Mill was operating in steam it provided one of the best heritage / railway experiences in Canada.

Pat

British Columbia is not what it used to be and no longer what most Americans perceive it to be. A strong "liberal" bend now and considerable Chinese influence due to money invested, Chinese now living there forcing up the price of land and homes.

The former Chief Parliamentary Counsel there is a family friend and he has had story's of the changes. Heritage matters are now being forgotten or set aside. There have been said comments like that is old white man heritage and lets forget it. Not inclusive, huh ?

We used to spend summers up there fishing. Sad. Right now the whole Canadian economy is sagging. I have part ownership in Canadian mining projects, HQ in Vancouver, so I am in daily consults with the projects. Don't expect a lot of steam activity in the near future. The money is not there.

Interesting observations ZOBEX. Part of the problem as I see it is that there is no longer a critical mass of seriously interesting railway attractions to bring the international steam / train riding fan to BC. It used to be a worthwhile trip when in the course of a week or so you could do the Royal Hudson, BC Rail Dayliners, E&N Dayliners, a bit of Via Canadian. Then hit some of the smaller operations such as the Kettle Valley, Kamloops heritage rwy, Alberni Pacific, Forest Museum, and Ft. Steele. Now the only major draw is the Rocky Mountaneer which is huge money and really aimed at a different market, same with the Canadian. Most people visiting BC are now interested in an outdoor ecotourism experience, take a look at the Tripadvisor forums and there is little interest in attractions such as McLean Mill / Alberni Pacific, even though it is located on a major tourist route to the west coast. The local population cannot support these types of operations on our own. When McLean mill was rebuilt as a national historic site it received a lot of funding from Parks Canada and the Federal Gov't, with the enthusiastic support of local government. This support has sadly vanished in the last few years.

Pat