Re: New Mexico Lumber - Oregon Lumber Shay #7 (The Indiana Shay)

I have to agree with John Harbeck, keep you're hands off this Shay! This Shay has been in Indiana for nearly 50 years, longer then it was in Colorado, Oregon and the Black Hills combined! It has a very happy home where it was given a very extensive mechanical rebuild/cosmetic restoration in the 1970's and a second restoration in the early 2000,s after it went through the engine house fire in the 1980's. This Shay is safely stored inside a sealed building out of the weather and is only brought outside when it is under steam a few times a year. I want to thank Elliot Donnelly for purchasing this Shay back in the early 1960's and eventually allowing in to come to the Hesston Steam Museum in 1970. Mr. Donnelly also paid for the entire 1970's restoration of this locomotive and gave it to the Museum in 1975 when the restoration was complete. It was at this dedication ceremony on Labor Day Weekend 1975 that John Edris (the founding Father of the Hesston Steam Museum) picked up then 4 year old me and set me up in the cab of this locomotive and told my Father to take me for a cab ride, the ride that started my life time love for this Shay! It is also very important to take the time to thank all of the volunteers who worked 1000's of unpaid hours in the 1970's to bring a very badly damaged locomotive back to life. Had it not been for that very talented group of volunteers and the financial backing of Mr. Donnelly, this locomotive would probably be sitting outside deteriorating in some park "Stuffed & Mounted". As a current member and occasional volunteer of the Hesston Steam Museum, I can tell you that the current volunteers take a lot of pride in the on going care and operation of this Locomotive. IMHO, after two cosmetic restorations and the huge mechanical restoration to bring the locomotive back to life in the 1970's, its now an "Indiana Shay" that belongs to a great organization!