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=== Development and design ===
=== Development and design ===
In 1909, the Baldwin Locomotive Works of [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], received an order by [[Tennessee]]’s [[Little River Railroad (Tennessee)|Little River Railroad]] to construct a [[Mallet locomotive]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Sierra Scale Models Gallery - Photographs of Mt Rainier Scenic Railroad: Alco #17 Rod Locomotive |url=http://www.sierrascalemodels.com/Gallery/Rainier/Skookum.htm |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=www.sierrascalemodels.com}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2018-11-29 |title=SKOOKUM |url=https://littleriverrailroad.org/skookum/ |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=Little River Railroad Museum |language=en-US}}</ref> The Little River Railroad’s president, Colonel W. B. Townsend, wanted his company to experiment with a locomotive that would be light enough negotiate light-weight rails and tight curves while being powerful enough to pull longer trains than an average steam engine of the time.<ref name=":0" /> Baldwin subsequently came out with the first Mallet they would ever build for a logging company; No. 7 rolled out of the assembly line in June 1909, originally carrying the number 126, and it was without a name.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Columbia River Belt Line Other Articulated Locomotives in the USA |url=https://www.steamlocomotive.com/locobase.php?country=USA&wheel=Articulated&railroad=crbl#4069 |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=www.steamlocomotive.com}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Little River Railroad #126 |url=http://loggingmallets.railfan.net/list/lr126/littleriver126.htm |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=loggingmallets.railfan.net}}</ref> It was a one-off design, having carried the unusual 2-4-4-2 wheel configuration, and it was capable of negotiating a 160-ft-radius curve.<ref name=":2" /> It was originally ordered and built as a coal burner, but it was converted to burn oil very shortly before delivery.<ref name=":2" />
In 1909, the Baldwin Locomotive Works of [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], received an order by [[Tennessee]]’s [[Little River Railroad (Tennessee)|Little River Railroad]] to construct a [[Mallet locomotive]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Sierra Scale Models Gallery - Photographs of Mt Rainier Scenic Railroad: Alco #17 Rod Locomotive |url=http://www.sierrascalemodels.com/Gallery/Rainier/Skookum.htm |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=www.sierrascalemodels.com}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2018-11-29 |title=SKOOKUM |url=https://littleriverrailroad.org/skookum/ |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=Little River Railroad Museum |language=en-US}}</ref> The Little River Railroad’s president, Colonel W. B. Townsend, wanted his company to experiment with a locomotive that would be light enough to negotiate light-weight rails and tight curves while being powerful enough to pull longer trains than an average steam engine of the time.<ref name=":0" /> Baldwin subsequently came out with the first Mallet they would ever build for a logging company; No. 7 rolled out of the assembly line in June 1909, originally carrying the number 126, and it was without a name.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Columbia River Belt Line Other Articulated Locomotives in the USA |url=https://www.steamlocomotive.com/locobase.php?country=USA&wheel=Articulated&railroad=crbl#4069 |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=www.steamlocomotive.com}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Little River Railroad #126 |url=http://loggingmallets.railfan.net/list/lr126/littleriver126.htm |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=loggingmallets.railfan.net}}</ref> It was a one-off design, having carried the unusual 2-4-4-2 wheel configuration, and it was capable of negotiating a 160-ft-radius curve.<ref name=":2" /> It was originally ordered and built as a coal burner, but it was converted to burn oil very shortly before delivery.<ref name=":2" />


=== Revenue career ===
=== Revenue career ===
After No. 126 was delivered, the Little River Railroad used it for some trial runs on their trackage.<ref name=":1" /> In the process, the locomotive derailed on curves multiple times, and it was discovered that No. 126 was too heavy for the light-weight rails.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> Unsatisfied with its weight, the railroad sent the engine back to Baldwin less than one month after its delivery.<ref name=":1" /> Baldwin subsequently built a smaller 2-4-4-2, No. 148, for the Little River Railroad’s needs, and they offered No. 126 for sale to other companies.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Little River Railroad 148 |url=http://loggingmallets.railfan.net/list/lr148/littleriver148.htm |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=loggingmallets.railfan.net}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> After sitting in Baldwin’s factory yard for a short while, No. 126 was purchased in June 1910 by the Whitney Logging Company of Blind Slough, [[Oregon]].<ref name=":0" /> The locomotive was soon delivered to the company, who then removed the number 126 and added the name “Skookum” (Skookum is a [[Chinookan peoples|Chinook Indian]] term for “Strong, Good, Powerful and Well Made”); the company chose to assign all of their engines names, as opposed to road-numbers.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" />
After No. 126 was delivered, the Little River Railroad used it for some trial runs on their trackage.<ref name=":1" /> In the process, the locomotive derailed on curves multiple times, and it was discovered that No. 126 was too heavy for the light-weight rails.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> Unsatisfied with its weight, the railroad sent the engine back to Baldwin less than one month after its delivery.<ref name=":1" /> Baldwin subsequently built a smaller 2-4-4-2, No. 148, for the Little River Railroad’s needs, and they offered No. 126 for sale to other companies.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Little River Railroad 148 |url=http://loggingmallets.railfan.net/list/lr148/littleriver148.htm |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=loggingmallets.railfan.net}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> After sitting in Baldwin’s factory yard for a short while, No. 126 was purchased in June 1910 by the Whitney Logging Company of Blind Slough, [[Oregon]].<ref name=":0" /> The locomotive was soon delivered to the company, who then removed the number 126 and added the name “Skookum” (Skookum is a [[Chinookan peoples|Chinook Indian]] term for “Strong, Good, Powerful and Well Made”); the company chose to assign all of their engines names, as opposed to road-numbers.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" />


The Whitney Logging Company assigned Skookum to work for its rail subsidiary, the Columbia River Belt Line Railway.<ref name=":3" /> Skookum quickly exceeded all expectations over its performance, as it successfully pulled trains without any problems.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> One factor to this might have been the CRBL’s trackage having more support for the engine, compared to Little River’s trackage. During 1911, Skookum’s success was covered in several local newspapers.<ref name=":0" /> The positive press led to Baldwin receiving additional orders to build nearly 50 other Mallet engines for other logging companies within the coming years.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> Skookum continued to faithfully serve the CRBL until 1920, when it was sold to the Larkin-Green Lumber Company, also in Blind Slough.<ref name=":3" />
The Whitney Logging Company assigned Skookum to work for its rail subsidiary, the Columbia River Belt Line Railway.<ref name=":3" /> Skookum quickly exceeded all expectations over its performance, as it successfully pulled trains without any problems.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> One factor to this might have been the CRBL’s trackage having more support for the engine, compared to Little River’s trackage. During 1911, Skookum’s success was covered in several local newspapers.<ref name=":0" /> The positive press led to Baldwin receiving additional orders to build nearly 50 other Mallet engines for other logging companies within the coming years.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> Skookum continued to faithfully serve the CRBL until 1920, when it was sold to the Larkin-Green Lumber Company, who was also in Blind Slough.<ref name=":3" />


They quickly sold the engine to the Carlisle-Pennell Lumber Company of [[Onalaska, Washington]], who removed the name “Skookum” and added the number 7.<ref name=":3" /> No. 7 was reassigned to operate for Carlisle-Pennell, and beginning in 1924, it was transferred to Carlisle-Pennell’s subsidiary, the Newaukum Valley Railroad.<ref name=":3" /> During its time there, the locomotive was rebuilt with additional [[Handrail|handrails]] on the [[Cowcatcher|pilot deck]], and the air pump was relocated to the front of the smokebox door.<ref name=":3" /> From 1930 to 1931, at the start of the [[Great Depression]], No. 7 was leased to the [[Mud Bay Logging Company]] to pull trains between Mud Bay and [[Olympia, Washington|Olympia]].<ref name=":3" /> After the lease, the engine was moved back to Carlisle-Pennell’s property, but by 1933, the company had cleared out all of their timber lands.<ref name=":3" /> With No. 7 no longer needed in Onalaska, it was sold again to the Deep River Logging Company of [[Deep River, Washington]].<ref name=":3" />
They quickly sold the engine to the Carlisle-Pennell Lumber Company of [[Onalaska, Washington]], who removed the name “Skookum” and added the number 7.<ref name=":3" /> No. 7 was reassigned to operate for Carlisle-Pennell, and beginning in 1924, it was transferred to Carlisle-Pennell’s subsidiary, the Newaukum Valley Railroad.<ref name=":3" /> During its time there, the locomotive was rebuilt with additional [[Handrail|handrails]] on the [[Cowcatcher|pilot deck]], and the air pump was relocated to the front of the smokebox door.<ref name=":3" /> From 1930 to 1931, at the start of the [[Great Depression]], No. 7 was leased to the [[Mud Bay Logging Company]] to pull lumber trains between Mud Bay and [[Olympia, Washington|Olympia]].<ref name=":3" /> After the lease, the engine was moved back to Carlisle-Pennell’s property, but by 1933, the company had cleared out all of their timber lands.<ref name=":3" /> With No. 7 no longer needed in Onalaska, it was sold again to the Deep River Logging Company of [[Deep River, Washington]].<ref name=":3" />


DRLCo undid the modifications Carlisle-Pannell made to No. 7, and the locomotive was used as the company’s primary choice of motive power, due to its greater power and traction, compared to the rest of DRLCo’s roster.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" /> Later, in the early 1950s, DRLCo began to consider discontinuing their rail operations, and they subsequently decided to have all of their remaining locomotives scrapped and their remaining rails ripped up by the end of 1955.<ref name=":1" /> On the evening of February 23, 1955, No. 7 was moving in reverse with a string of empty freight cars, but when it reached a small trestle, its tender hit a broken piece of rail, and it derailed, causing the entire engine to precariously lean towards one side.<ref name=":1" /> The crews killed the fire, came off and examined the situation, and they felt the Mallet seemed stable enough to remain still, so they left it and waited until the next morning to re-rail it.<ref name=":1" />
DRLCo undid the modifications Carlisle-Pannell made to No. 7, and the locomotive was used to pull their heavier lumber trains.<ref name=":3" /> It was commonly selected as the company’s primary choice of motive power, due to its greater power and traction, compared to the rest of DRLCo’s roster.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> Later, in the early 1950s, DRLCo began to consider discontinuing their rail operations, and they subsequently decided to have all of their remaining locomotives scrapped and their remaining rails ripped up by the end of 1955.<ref name=":1" /> On the evening of February 23, 1955, No. 7 was moving in reverse with a string of empty freight cars to pick up a heavy load.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=graphics@countrymedia.net |first=Brian Cameron |title=Skookum back on the track after 64 years |url=https://www.tillamookheadlightherald.com/community/skookum-back-on-the-track-after-64-years/article_257a7a76-3f8b-11e9-8e7f-3f16f015f2b4.html |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=Tillamook Headlight-Herald |language=en}}</ref> However, when it reached a small trestle, its tender hit a broken piece of rail, and it derailed and became hung halfway on the trestle, causing the entire engine to precariously lean towards one side.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4" /> The crews killed the fire, came off and examined the situation, and they felt the Mallet seemed stable enough to remain still, so they left it and waited until the next morning to re-rail it, using the company’s [[American Locomotive Company|ALCO]] [[2-6-2]] engine.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4" />


{{Quote box
⚫
The fireman also chose to keep the crown sheet covered with water overnight, and as water was injected into the boiler, the center of gravity for No. 7 had risen.<ref name=":1" /> When crews came back for No. 7, the center of gravity gave out, and the locomotive completely fell onto its side off of the short trestle.<ref name=":1" /> Despite the locomotive receiving minimal damage from hitting the soft ground and a muddy creek bed, the crews saw no easy way to move it upright onto the rails.<ref name=":1" /> With DRLCo only having a few months left of operating time, and with an [[American Locomotive Company|ALCO]] [[2-6-2]] engine still operable, it was decided to simply abandon No. 7 right where it sat.<ref name=":1" /> When scrapping commenced on the company’s remaining fleet, the scrappers opted not to torch No. 7, because it was too remote and inconvenient to get the remains out of the area where Mallet sat.<ref name=":1" /> From that point on, the engine remained under ownership of an insurance company, who was responsible in helping DRLCo with their debts.<ref name=":3" />
| quote = "[It was] as if an elephant had simply rolled over on its side to go to sleep."
| source = —Unnamed crew member at the time of No. 7’s fall<ref name=":4" />
| align = left
| width = 250px
⚫
}}The fireman also chose to keep the crown sheet covered with water overnight, so the engine would be ready for service the next day, but as water was injected into the boiler, it affected the center of gravity for No. 7.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4" /> When crews came back for No. 7, the center of gravity gave out, and the locomotive completely toppled onto its side off of the short trestle.<ref name=":1" /> Despite the locomotive receiving minimal damage from hitting the soft ground and a muddy creek bed, the crews saw no easy way to move it upright onto the rails.<ref name=":1" /> With DRLCo only having a few months left of operating time, and with the ALCO 2-6-2 still operable, it was decided to simply abandon No. 7 right where it sat.<ref name=":1" /> When scrapping commenced on the company’s remaining fleet, the scrappers opted not to torch No. 7, because it was too inconvenient to get the remains out of the remote area where the Mallet sat.<ref name=":1" />


=== Long-term restoration ===
=== Long-term restoration ===
In 1956, rail fan Charlie Morrow became aware of No. 7’s abandoned status in the woods.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /> He had known about No. 7’s fame for its innovative design for years, and he decided to contact the scrappers with the possibility of buying it.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Finishing Skookum: The saga continues – HeritageRail Alliance |url=https://heritagerail.org/2019/11/finishing-skookum-the-saga-continues/ |access-date=2023-04-20 |work=Heritage Rail News |language=en-US}}</ref> He successfully managed to purchase the Mallet for its scrap value of $1,200.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /> Morrow subsequently co-founded a group alongside other rail fans, called the Puget Sound Railway Historical Association, in dedication of bringing No. 7 back under steam.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":5" /> In the summer of 1960, the process of moving the locomotive out of the woods began, but since the rails had been ripped up years prior, and with roadways not being located close by, Morrow and his fellow PSRHA members had to disassemble No. 7 and move it in sections.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":5" /> No. 7’s [[Fire-tube boiler|boiler]] and [[Locomotive frame|frame]] had been attached to each other since the 1909 construction date, and the PSRHA members struggled to have them separated with the [[Rusty bolt effect|rusty bolts]] locking them together.<ref name=":1" /> As a last resort, they decided to blast them apart, using dynamite, and the boiler and frame were finally separated.<ref name=":1" />
⚫
<ref>{{Cite web |work=Heritage Rail News |title=Finishing Skookum: The saga continues – HeritageRail Alliance |url=https://heritagerail.org/2019/11/finishing-skookum-the-saga-continues/ |access-date=2023-04-20 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Reassembled 2-4-4-2 ‘Skookum’ again upright after nearly 60 years {{!}} Trains Magazine |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/reassembled-2-4-4-2-skookum-again-upright-after-nearly-60-years/ |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=Trains |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Steam locomotive Skookum is heading south today {{!}} Trains Magazine |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/15-steam-locomotive-skoookum-is-heading-south-today/ |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=Trains |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=graphics@countrymedia.net |first=Brian Cameron |title=Skookum back on the track after 64 years |url=https://www.tillamookheadlightherald.com/community/skookum-back-on-the-track-after-64-years/article_257a7a76-3f8b-11e9-8e7f-3f16f015f2b4.html |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=Tillamook Headlight-Herald |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Steam locomotive 'Skookum' running gear problems resolved; few tickets remain for TRAINS' event {{!}} Trains Magazine |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/07-skookum-running-gear-problems-resolved/ |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=Trains |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Blake |first=Rich |title=Skagit Valley and Whidbey Clinic January 2020 Meeting – “Skookum” Night – Welcome to the 4th Division |url=https://4dpnr.com/skagit-valley-and-whidbey-clinic-january-2020-meeting-skookum-night/ |access-date=2023-04-20 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hewitt |first=Sam |date=2018-09-26 |title=Baldwin Mallet to return to steam after a gap of nearly 65 years - The Railway Magazine |url=https://www.railwaymagazine.co.uk/6873/baldwin-mallet-to-return-to-steam-after-a-gap-of-nearly-65-years/ |access-date=2023-04-20 |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-05-01 |title=Photos: Historic steam locomotive runs along Niles Canyon Railway |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/01/photos-historic-steam-locomotive-runs-along-niles-canyon-railway |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=The Mercury News |language=en-US}}</ref>

Soon, the boiler, frame and [[Tender (rail)|tender]] were separately shipped to PARHA’s location in [[Snoqualmie, Washington]], where restoration work to get No. 7 running again was expected to quickly begin.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /> For reasons unknown, the PARHA’s plans to restore and run No. 7 had fallen through, and the Mallet instead sat in pieces within PARHA’s Niblock Yard for the next few decades with little activity done on it.<ref name=":3" /> In 1978, Morrow passed away, and No. 7 fell under ownership of a [[California]]-based [[Lumberjack|logger]], Rohan Coombs.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /> Coombs left the Mallet in Snoqualmie, while he searched for suitable options for it until 1996, when Coombs had the pieces relocated to the [[Mount Rainier Railroad and Logging Museum|Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad]] in [[Mineral, Washington]].<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /> The plan was to have the locomotive restored and eventually ran on Mount Rainier’s trackage, but this also fell through.<ref name=":1" />

In 2004, Coombs began experiencing failing health, and he contacted another rail fan, Chris Baldo, about purchasing the locomotive.<ref name=":4" /> Baldo agreed to purchase No. 7 the next year, and with the help of his young rail apprentice, Scott Wickert, No. 7’s pieces were moved to [[Tillamook, Oregon]].<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" />

⚫
<ref>{{Cite web |title=Reassembled 2-4-4-2 ‘Skookum’ again upright after nearly 60 years {{!}} Trains Magazine |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/reassembled-2-4-4-2-skookum-again-upright-after-nearly-60-years/ |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=Trains |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Steam locomotive Skookum is heading south today {{!}} Trains Magazine |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/15-steam-locomotive-skoookum-is-heading-south-today/ |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=Trains |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Steam locomotive 'Skookum' running gear problems resolved; few tickets remain for TRAINS' event {{!}} Trains Magazine |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/07-skookum-running-gear-problems-resolved/ |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=Trains |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Blake |first=Rich |title=Skagit Valley and Whidbey Clinic January 2020 Meeting – “Skookum” Night – Welcome to the 4th Division |url=https://4dpnr.com/skagit-valley-and-whidbey-clinic-january-2020-meeting-skookum-night/ |access-date=2023-04-20 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hewitt |first=Sam |date=2018-09-26 |title=Baldwin Mallet to return to steam after a gap of nearly 65 years - The Railway Magazine |url=https://www.railwaymagazine.co.uk/6873/baldwin-mallet-to-return-to-steam-after-a-gap-of-nearly-65-years/ |access-date=2023-04-20 |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-05-01 |title=Photos: Historic steam locomotive runs along Niles Canyon Railway |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/01/photos-historic-steam-locomotive-runs-along-niles-canyon-railway |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=The Mercury News |language=en-US}}</ref>


== See also ==
== See also ==

Revision as of 17:59, 21 April 2023

Columbia River Belt Line 7
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderBaldwin Locomotive Works
Serial number33463
Build dateJune 1909
Total produced1
Rebuild date2005-2018
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte2-4-4-2
Driver dia.48 in (1.219 m)
Wheelbase55.17 ft (16.82 m) ​
 • Engine33 ft (10 m)
 • Drivers10.67 ft (3.25 m)
Adhesive weight129,850 lb (58,900 kg)
Loco weight162,650 lb (73,780 kg)
Tender weight80,350 lb (36,450 kg)
Total weight243,000 lb (110,000 kg)
Fuel typeCoal (As built)
Oil
Fuel capacity1,500 US gal (5,700 L; 1,200 imp gal)
Water cap.4,000 US gal (15,000 L; 3,300 imp gal)
Firebox:​
 • Grate area28.30 sq ft (2.629 m2)
Boiler pressure200 psi (1,400 kPa)
Cylinders4
High-pressure cylinder15 in × 22 in (380 mm × 560 mm)
Low-pressure cylinder23 in × 22 in (580 mm × 560 mm)
Valve gearWalschaerts
Performance figures
Tractive effort24,600 lbf (109.43 kN)
Factor of adh.5.28
Career
Official name Skookum
DeliveredJune 1909
Retired1955
Restored2018
DispositionOperational

Columbia River Belt Line 7, also known as Skookum, is a preserved 2-4-4-2 Mallet-type steam locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1909. In 1955, the locomotive fell on its side, and it was abandoned. Several decades and ownership changes later, No. 7 was restored to operating condition in 2018.

History

Development and design

In 1909, the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, received an order by Tennessee’s Little River Railroad to construct a Mallet locomotive.[1][2] The Little River Railroad’s president, Colonel W. B. Townsend, wanted his company to experiment with a locomotive that would be light enough to negotiate light-weight rails and tight curves while being powerful enough to pull longer trains than an average steam engine of the time.[2] Baldwin subsequently came out with the first Mallet they would ever build for a logging company; No. 7 rolled out of the assembly line in June 1909, originally carrying the number 126, and it was without a name.[3][4] It was a one-off design, having carried the unusual 2-4-4-2 wheel configuration, and it was capable of negotiating a 160-ft-radius curve.[3] It was originally ordered and built as a coal burner, but it was converted to burn oil very shortly before delivery.[3]

Revenue career

After No. 126 was delivered, the Little River Railroad used it for some trial runs on their trackage.[1] In the process, the locomotive derailed on curves multiple times, and it was discovered that No. 126 was too heavy for the light-weight rails.[1][2] Unsatisfied with its weight, the railroad sent the engine back to Baldwin less than one month after its delivery.[1] Baldwin subsequently built a smaller 2-4-4-2, No. 148, for the Little River Railroad’s needs, and they offered No. 126 for sale to other companies.[5][1] After sitting in Baldwin’s factory yard for a short while, No. 126 was purchased in June 1910 by the Whitney Logging Company of Blind Slough, Oregon.[2] The locomotive was soon delivered to the company, who then removed the number 126 and added the name “Skookum” (Skookum is a Chinook Indian term for “Strong, Good, Powerful and Well Made”); the company chose to assign all of their engines names, as opposed to road-numbers.[1][2][4]

The Whitney Logging Company assigned Skookum to work for its rail subsidiary, the Columbia River Belt Line Railway.[4] Skookum quickly exceeded all expectations over its performance, as it successfully pulled trains without any problems.[1][2] One factor to this might have been the CRBL’s trackage having more support for the engine, compared to Little River’s trackage. During 1911, Skookum’s success was covered in several local newspapers.[2] The positive press led to Baldwin receiving additional orders to build nearly 50 other Mallet engines for other logging companies within the coming years.[1][2] Skookum continued to faithfully serve the CRBL until 1920, when it was sold to the Larkin-Green Lumber Company, who was also in Blind Slough.[4]

They quickly sold the engine to the Carlisle-Pennell Lumber Company of Onalaska, Washington, who removed the name “Skookum” and added the number 7.[4] No. 7 was reassigned to operate for Carlisle-Pennell, and beginning in 1924, it was transferred to Carlisle-Pennell’s subsidiary, the Newaukum Valley Railroad.[4] During its time there, the locomotive was rebuilt with additional handrails on the pilot deck, and the air pump was relocated to the front of the smokebox door.[4] From 1930 to 1931, at the start of the Great Depression, No. 7 was leased to the Mud Bay Logging Company to pull lumber trains between Mud Bay and Olympia.[4] After the lease, the engine was moved back to Carlisle-Pennell’s property, but by 1933, the company had cleared out all of their timber lands.[4] With No. 7 no longer needed in Onalaska, it was sold again to the Deep River Logging Company of Deep River, Washington.[4]

DRLCo undid the modifications Carlisle-Pannell made to No. 7, and the locomotive was used to pull their heavier lumber trains.[4] It was commonly selected as the company’s primary choice of motive power, due to its greater power and traction, compared to the rest of DRLCo’s roster.[1][2] Later, in the early 1950s, DRLCo began to consider discontinuing their rail operations, and they subsequently decided to have all of their remaining locomotives scrapped and their remaining rails ripped up by the end of 1955.[1] On the evening of February 23, 1955, No. 7 was moving in reverse with a string of empty freight cars to pick up a heavy load.[6] However, when it reached a small trestle, its tender hit a broken piece of rail, and it derailed and became hung halfway on the trestle, causing the entire engine to precariously lean towards one side.[1][6] The crews killed the fire, came off and examined the situation, and they felt the Mallet seemed stable enough to remain still, so they left it and waited until the next morning to re-rail it, using the company’s ALCO 2-6-2 engine.[1][6]

"[It was] as if an elephant had simply rolled over on its side to go to sleep."

—Unnamed crew member at the time of No. 7’s fall[6]

The fireman also chose to keep the crown sheet covered with water overnight, so the engine would be ready for service the next day, but as water was injected into the boiler, it affected the center of gravity for No. 7.[1][6] When crews came back for No. 7, the center of gravity gave out, and the locomotive completely toppled onto its side off of the short trestle.[1] Despite the locomotive receiving minimal damage from hitting the soft ground and a muddy creek bed, the crews saw no easy way to move it upright onto the rails.[1] With DRLCo only having a few months left of operating time, and with the ALCO 2-6-2 still operable, it was decided to simply abandon No. 7 right where it sat.[1] When scrapping commenced on the company’s remaining fleet, the scrappers opted not to torch No. 7, because it was too inconvenient to get the remains out of the remote area where the Mallet sat.[1]

Long-term restoration

In 1956, rail fan Charlie Morrow became aware of No. 7’s abandoned status in the woods.[1][4] He had known about No. 7’s fame for its innovative design for years, and he decided to contact the scrappers with the possibility of buying it.[1][7] He successfully managed to purchase the Mallet for its scrap value of $1,200.[4][6] Morrow subsequently co-founded a group alongside other rail fans, called the Puget Sound Railway Historical Association, in dedication of bringing No. 7 back under steam.[4][7] In the summer of 1960, the process of moving the locomotive out of the woods began, but since the rails had been ripped up years prior, and with roadways not being located close by, Morrow and his fellow PSRHA members had to disassemble No. 7 and move it in sections.[1][7] No. 7’s boiler and frame had been attached to each other since the 1909 construction date, and the PSRHA members struggled to have them separated with the rusty bolts locking them together.[1] As a last resort, they decided to blast them apart, using dynamite, and the boiler and frame were finally separated.[1]

Soon, the boiler, frame and tender were separately shipped to PARHA’s location in Snoqualmie, Washington, where restoration work to get No. 7 running again was expected to quickly begin.[1][4] For reasons unknown, the PARHA’s plans to restore and run No. 7 had fallen through, and the Mallet instead sat in pieces within PARHA’s Niblock Yard for the next few decades with little activity done on it.[4] In 1978, Morrow passed away, and No. 7 fell under ownership of a California-based logger, Rohan Coombs.[1][4][6] Coombs left the Mallet in Snoqualmie, while he searched for suitable options for it until 1996, when Coombs had the pieces relocated to the Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad in Mineral, Washington.[1][4] The plan was to have the locomotive restored and eventually ran on Mount Rainier’s trackage, but this also fell through.[1]

In 2004, Coombs began experiencing failing health, and he contacted another rail fan, Chris Baldo, about purchasing the locomotive.[6] Baldo agreed to purchase No. 7 the next year, and with the help of his young rail apprentice, Scott Wickert, No. 7’s pieces were moved to Tillamook, Oregon.[4][6]

[8][9][10][11][12][13]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z "Sierra Scale Models Gallery - Photographs of Mt Rainier Scenic Railroad: Alco #17 Rod Locomotive". www.sierrascalemodels.com. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "SKOOKUM". Little River Railroad Museum. 2018-11-29. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  3. ^ a b c "Columbia River Belt Line Other Articulated Locomotives in the USA". www.steamlocomotive.com. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "Little River Railroad #126". loggingmallets.railfan.net. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  5. ^ "Little River Railroad 148". loggingmallets.railfan.net. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i graphics@countrymedia.net, Brian Cameron. "Skookum back on the track after 64 years". Tillamook Headlight-Herald. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  7. ^ a b c "Finishing Skookum: The saga continues – HeritageRail Alliance". Heritage Rail News. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  8. ^ "Reassembled 2-4-4-2 'Skookum' again upright after nearly 60 years | Trains Magazine". Trains. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  9. ^ "Steam locomotive Skookum is heading south today | Trains Magazine". Trains. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  10. ^ "Steam locomotive 'Skookum' running gear problems resolved; few tickets remain for TRAINS' event | Trains Magazine". Trains. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  11. ^ Blake, Rich. "Skagit Valley and Whidbey Clinic January 2020 Meeting – "Skookum" Night – Welcome to the 4th Division". Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  12. ^ Hewitt, Sam (2018-09-26). "Baldwin Mallet to return to steam after a gap of nearly 65 years - The Railway Magazine". Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  13. ^ "Photos: Historic steam locomotive runs along Niles Canyon Railway". The Mercury News. 2021-05-01. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
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