MOST BEAUTIFUL SHAY PHOTO IN RAILFAN & RR MAGAZINE

MOST BEAUTIFUL SHAY PHOTO IN RAILFAN & RR MAGAZINE: LIMA'S #3345
The new December issue of Railfan & RR Magazine published Jeff Terry’s classic photo of Oregon Lumber Co. #7, ex-NML #7, starting on page 20 with a wonderful 3100 word story on the history of the last narrow gauge Shay built.
The story is as much a work of art in research as the photo is a valuable image, good for many years of enjoyment and a credit to all the years of work by Ted Rita along with his many club members to rebuild the engine.
I would like to place a question about the initials fuel the locomotive was built to burn? I know the Hesston Steam Museum used to post a copy of the purchase order for the locomotive so it might show that COAL was the original fuel. I know that order called for an R&H stack plus a Taper CI [cast iron] stack, and both are what are used for Coal.
I would like to make some correction in the order they are in the text, but note they do not deface the value of this great history of this fine machine.
The engine was shipped November 20, 1929 and was held at Pueblo while payment was secured. The length of NML track from the connection at Dolores to McPhee is 4 miles and not 5 miles. If the yard at McPhee is added in, it would be more track than 5 miles.
The maximum length the Shay could have run out on the main of the logging line was about 38 miles north of McPhee and the 60 miles is the total amount of trackage that was ever laid beyond Dolores.
The McPhee & McGinnity Lumber Co. was never a part of the purchase of the Shay as the NML Co. was sold to another company run by John Zalaha in May 1928. The Shay did come into the company when John Zalaha’s company failed to pay the terms on the purchase and the NML Co. was repossess by the original owner, the McP & McG Lbr Co. about May 1930. It was about 10 months later the Shay was taken off the line.
There was NO paper mill at McPhee, but Zalaha was attempting to build one and sent two test trains of the Spruce to Wisconsin to test the wood, that proved it was good for paper. International Paper Company spent a big sum of money to buy the timber that Mr. Zalaha needed to feed the proposed mill, but then took the loss as they never cut the Spruce they paid for just to destroy the competition.
It was good to read that someone read the Sundance’s volume #7 to note the purpose for the Shay, but this story only got the half of it. The big Shay was to be the power to work over a new 12-mile shortcut to get to the new Glade timber purchase. This line would eliminate the 38 miles of logging line by the old route, but included a “Uintah like” steep grade with over a half dozen switchbacks. This grade was later built and used by trucks and much of it can be driven on today as a boat ramp access at Dry River.
The rail from McPhee to Dolores was not heavier than the logging line as it also was 40#s. Thomas J. Orr requested the Shay to run to Dolores when the cars to move into or out of the mill was more than the 2-8-0 could handle. It was rarely used in 1930 but was seen to bring in 26 empty cars on one trip. Retired engineer Green, who was hired after the Shay was history, said he heard the crews were fearful of ever running the engine to Dolores, as they feared a rollover with it. Two enginemen had been killed on the logging line in years prior to owning the Shay.
The September 1985 issue of Trains Magazine page 15 had a small photo of the fire damaged engine in the rubble of the destroyed shop. Credit should include Sundance's RGS Story Volume #7 for the early years of this story.