Hi. A friend asked me if I knew where an old article was about the Polson #2s journey from the Northwest to Mi in the early 1960s? The article was about Jim Gretz and his riding the locomotive on its own wheels through the NW and upper midwest to it destination. As a kid I recall reading about the locomotives trip on its own wheels and was probably in Trains magazine as in the pre internet days it was my only source of RR news. But am not sure either. I never met Jim Gretz and had no relationship with the #2 until it was at Mid Continent many years later. I do not even know if it went directly to Cadillac & Lake City RR or stopped somewhere else first? Can anybody help my friend and I out? Thank you, John.

John - While I don't believe it's the story you are looking for, the February 1968 issue of Trains Magazine has a feature about the start of the Cadillac & Lake City. I recall it mentions the engine was sent to a shop for repairs before going to the C&LC. The July 1975 issue of Live Steam Magazine had an account of the engine's later move from Michigan to Wisconsin.

- Alan Maples

Hi John,

I think the magazine article you're thinking of is "Engine Messenger" by James I. Gertz in the November, 1965 issue of Railroad. He kept a diary of his trip with the locomotive from Hoquiam, Washington to Marquette, Michigan and yes he mentions that it was going to the Cadillac and Lake City.

John

2 2-8-2 BLW 38967 12-12 18X24 44” 141,150 27,040 180
Saginaw Tbr. Co. #2 Brooklyn, WA
North Western Lbr. Co. #2 Hoquiam, WA
M. Bloch & Co. (D)
Polson Log. Co. #2 Hoquiam, WA 06-25-41 $1000
Rayonier, Inc. #2 Hoquiam, WA 1948
Grand Travers Northern Corp. 03-62 (shipped 04-63)
Cadillac & Lake City Ry #2 Lake City, MI 05-65
Carl Ulrich (Kettle Morraine Ry) #2 North Lake, WI
H. S. Kuyper Union, IL 07-79
Illinois Ry Museum #2 Union, IL 06-80
Skip Lichter & others (Mid-Continent Ry Museum) North Freedom, WI 10-82
(moved to Oregon Coast Scenic RR 2017)

Thank you Alan and John for your help. Alan I think the shop work might of been at {Corrected} LS&I/Ann Arbor shops respectively for the trip to film in the movie "Gaily Gaily"? As well as in route from Wa to CLCR. The so called rebuild they did was square up the boxes, shoe's & wedges which it no doubt needed. That poor old gal needed a major overhaul and I think they made it work a while longer is all.

That time frame John sounds right as well as the confirmation of his writing about the journey. I will forward this to the party interested. Must admit I would like to again read this too. As a kid I dreamed about being old enough to be involved in this kind of activity and working on locomotives. It really started quite a romantic dream being a maniac and making noise in the shop. Thanks again Alan and John. Regards, John.

Edit: John T thank you for that contribution I had seen this before but didn't save it. The #2 was restored to look pretty much as delivered. But it had been lettered for the Polson Lumber Company. So since forever I have referred to her as the Polson #2. Skip had a new tank built, painted and lettered for Saginaw Timber Company but the old tank still worked so the swap was never done before he died. I assume the new tank went with the engine to the new owners? Cheers, John.

This webpage has a lot of C&LC info: http://www.railroadmichigan.com/cadillaclakecity.html

Links to a couple of newspaper clippings that mention engine no. 2:

http://www.railroadmichigan.com/19640614Lansing_State_Journal.jpg
http://www.railroadmichigan.com/19680512Lansing_State_Journal1.jpg
http://www.railroadmichigan.com/19680512Lansing_State_Journal2.jpg

- Alan

.

Just spent a lot of time looking through the links Alan and I thank you for the trip to the past. I never had the privilege to visit C&LC operation as mentioned, I was a kid. By the time of the auction I was not invited to go along with the guys who did go. We members of Mid Continent were all excited that the #2 was coming to our place in Wi. Due to events it never did until years later when the group purchase was made for MC. MC did also buy the Russell snow plow which is fully restored. A very cool pc of equipment. The car inspector refused to allow it to continue on its own wheels at Kewaunee or Manitowoc {don't recall which} when it came over on the car ferry. I had to do some welding on the coupler I think? Dave Wantz and I stayed over night inside of it freezing. We had also stopped in at the Manitowoc CN&W round house to see the Soo Line 0-6-0 tank engine being worked on at the time. Not sure where it resides today? Was a long time ago so some facts might be off some. I don't remember if I ate anything this morning or not. So going back this far is a stretch. Some rivet counters get real busy correcting dates and other mistakes.

Years later I was driving semi and cut across northern lower Mi from the Saginaw area to pick up salt at Manistee, Mi and drove by Cadillac, Mi but it was cold and horrible out doubt anything was left to see by that time. Reading about the little RR reminds me of how many companies not just RR were run in those days. The "cell phone" crowd of today would have a melt down to have witnessed the "seat of the pants" operations back then. Hope to read about the journey of Jim Gretz and the #2. So what happened to the #18 2-6-2 that did a stint at C&LC? I presume it resides somewhere. Nice looking 2-6-2. Don't recall all the leased motive power they had coming and going. Thank you again for all the contributions. Regards, John.

https://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=395

Bill Fitt, then editor of Live Steam Magazine, wrote about firing no. 18, which was a wood burner. I don't recall offhand which issue the story appeared in.

- Alan Maples

Unfortunately I have no scanner access or I'd be happy to send it. I did notice the issue is available on ebay for about $5.

John

Thank you John. Found it and bought it. I will have library scan it for me to give to her or just give her the magazine. Appreciate your help. I would not of known how to find it period without your help. I never saw that magazine or would of known the month and year to hunt down. I will send a copy to Skips kids just in case they want to read it as well? Nothing about Dad but that engine was his life once he bought into it.

Regards, John.

John -

Soo Line 0-6-0T number X90 was the shop switcher for the Soo at their Shoreham Shops. The folks in Manitowoc converted it back to an 0-6-0 with a slope back tender. Don't know if the tender was originally Soo Line or not. The engine, built in 1887 by Rhode Island, was originally numbered 321. She now resides at the Pinecrest Historical Village there in Manitowoc.


Les

Very glad to help! Going to go back and read it again too.

John

I've read that the people who bought the #2 from Rayonier did so under the mistaken belief the engine had once worked in Michigan based on the Saginaw Timber name.

Additional details on the wanderings of the #18 are contained in the following thread from a couple years ago:

viewtopic.php?f=1&p=321079

Jeff Moore
Elko, NV

John

If remember correctly from what Carl had talked about. The made a stop at the LS&I on its way to the C&LC. They did spring rigging work on it. There a set of used springs that came with the 2 from the C&LC. When Carl bought the 2, he road it form MI to WI. It came across on one of the car ferry's. It was supposed to go to the C&NW dock in Manitowoc, but it was unloaded at the SOO dock. It was unloaded in the middle of the night and the SOO had no paperwork for the locomotive but handed it off to the C&NW to get it off the property.

When it showed up in North Lake, it was in need of boiler work. If I remember correctly the dome liner had a crack in it. Advance Boiler in Milwaukee did the repair work including replacing a bunch of rivets around the dome.

Steven