West Bound at Bates Oregon

This scene combines narrow gauge railroading and logging. The photographer was standing in front of the Oregon Lumber Co. hotel at Batesville "Bates", Oregon. We see the daily Sumpter Valley Ry. passenger train bound for Prairie City. The Oregon Lumber Co. store is seem behind the engine. The square housed water tank was jointly owned by the Sumpter Valley and the Oregon Lbr. Co. with a spout on each side. The back side was the location of the Oregon Lumber Co.'s track leading to the mill and down the Middle Fork of the John Day River. The engine appears to be Sumpter Valley Ry. 4-6-0 #50. Since both building of Bates and the a acquisition of the ACF car sets was 1918, that gives us an earliest year date for the photo. #50 received a Rushton stack in 1927 so that gives us a late date. The store in this photo burned at some point, but I don't have a date on that as far as if it would fine tune the late date. Note the box car tagged on the rear of the passenger train. The scan is from the SVRR Archive.




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/02/2023 03:35PM by J.B.Bane.