Re: 2 Narrow Gauge Shays On Fire!! Hard To Watch!

The photo's of the two shays after the rebuilding are very interesting.
What I see in the end product is not so much the loggers ingenuity but true craftsmanship. Their is a certain pride in the company and the equipment they operated that is clearly evident in the picture.

In those days it was more common just to slap things back together after a wreck (or a fire) with what was on hand. Many engines would never run again after being cooked like that.

Lets think about the 1930's. The beginning of the great depression. Money was tight. Jobs were scarce. So many small logging shows that were running back then was held together with bailing wire and run on a shoe string budget.

In the woods things had to run and the loggers seldom cared about how the lokies looked or how they were repaired. As long as the locomotives were able to move the loads and do the work. Thats what really mattered.

Phil Reader