Hi Everybody-- Well, looks like there will be more STEAM engines at MRSR in Mineral, WA.
Here is a brief explanation.

Volunteers are solicited to help charter a club as well as build a new Live Steam facility of several thousand feet in length, adjacent to MRSR at Mineral, WA. The equipment and trackage worth about two million dollars were donated by Tom Murray of Tacoma, WA to re-build this railroad at Mineral after running around Tom's estate in Tacoma.
Here is a letter from Mr. Peter Comley, owner of the Sunset Valley Railroad in Sumner, WA. Mr. Comley belongs to the Puget Sound Garden Railway Society as do I, and at the group's March 25th meeting, volunteered to try to put together the beginnings of a new club at MINERAL, WA.
For the record, Mr. Comley operates double-headed Big Boys (under steam) pulling 100 cars on his backyard pike.
Anyway, here is his letter that explains the project and I have also attached some more letters from Bill Zingheim that talks about Tom Murray's fabulous donation.

Cheers.

Ken Shattock (KRK)
Secretary
North American Region
IBLS
www.ibls.org
-------------------------------------------------------
Rainier Live Steamers (UPDATE)

At the annual meeting of the Puget Sound Garden Railway Society on March 25th, after the presentation by Bill Zingheim, I volunteered to head up a committee that would form a SIG to possibly build and operate a 7 ½” gauge railroad at the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad in Elbe and Mineral, Pierce County. For those members not at the meeting, the Railroad was given 9 steam locos and 10,000ft of rail, and they have a tract of land on which a railroad can be built. All monies for track building supplies and train components will be provided by the railroad, however this is pending at present by a default on a note due to the benefactor of the railroad. Once this has been cleared then track ties and other supplies can be bought and construction can begin.
The SIG would probably operate as a separate non-profit organization. Members would form a club that would interface with the Mt Rainier Railroad and use the facility. As it would most likely involve giving rides to the public, liability insurance has to be taken out, and Bill estimates $40 p.a. per member of the club to indemnify up to $2,000,000.
The club would have the responsibility of building the track. We would find a suitable location to construct ‘panels’, which are 10ft sections of ready to lay track. As shown at the March meeting the ties are made from moulded plastic with gauged tie plates and screw holes for easy assembly. To make a panel, a team of two would place the ties in a jig and then screw in fasteners, and could build 3-4 panels per hour. We have about 500 panels to make, many of them curved. We also have to make 19 switches, these are more involved. Once panels have been finished they would be taken down to Mineral and stored ready for laying.
The club would have the responsibility for constructing the railroad. The plan of the railroad has already been made and this was shown round at the March meeting. There are 3 phases to be built. With the consent of the Mt. Rainier Railroad we would survey the line, grade and prepare the roadbed, and do some minor cutting and filling. The site is pretty much level so there is no major work to do. We don’t know at this stage what equipment/help is available to assist us. Then we would lay about 200 ft of a line of 2x4’s along the route, lay a second line 4ft from the first, and fill in with sharp ballast. This will have to be leveled and compacted with a tamper. Then we lay the track, and back fill with more ballast. There is about 5000 ft to build.
The club would be able to use the track, along with the Mt Rainier Railroad. Bill has a possible use of an electric powered Plymouth style switcher, and 3 gondolas. However for pulling people we would need to construct passenger cars. These are simply long benches with footrests either side that passengers would straddle. Bill thinks 10 would be required. We will probably ask if some of us could be trained to drive the steam engines, but there is quite a bit of training to be done, and the engine boilers need to be certified by a pressure test plus some other procedures to get them to a working condition. At this stage we don’t know of any other motive power that would be available.
It is likely that some sort of shed or barn would be needed to store the rolling stock, and a transfer table to enable people with their own engines to come and ride on the railroad. Based on the experience at Skykomish, there are quite a few folks out there who have 7 ½” equipment. For example I have a Jolly Trolley.
I’m asking if any member of the club is interested in joining this SIG and participating in the activities outlined above. Please reply to me at pete@sunsetvalleyrailroad.com by the end of April if you’d like to join in. We will then have a first meeting with Bill to set up the club, define a charter and make a plan to approach Mr. Steve Butler, interim General Manager of the Rainier Railroad, with our proposals and requests. We would also make an inventory of assets that members might have (trailers, hauling capability, backhoes, tampers, place to build panels etc.) to help us construct the railroad. It’s going to be a whole lot of fun!

Regards,
Pete Comley
Sunset Valley Railroad

and here is some information from Bill Zingheim :

Mr. Tom Murray (Murray Pacific Lumber Company) has donated his entire collection of TEN museum-class fully-operable 7 1/2" gauge Live Steam Logging Locomotives and 6000 feet of track to the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad at Mineral Washington. Also included are several dozen cars of all types, 28 switches and crossings (see photos below)! The total value of Murray's donation easily exceeds 1.5 million dollars! The twenty plus year-old track is presently located on Mr. Murray's estate near Tacoma. That track must be removed and renovated before it can be re-installed at Mt. Rainier's facility in Mineral. Mt. Rainier Scenic RR has set aside seven acres of fenced land and full financial support to this effort. Four volunteers (Average age 78) have already removed 600 feet of the track on one day last month. That leaves only 5400 feet left! We need a crew of volunteers to donate a couple of days labor to remove the rest. The new Live Steam railroad at Mineral will be operated by volunteers who will form an independent tax-exempt organization which will be named The Mt. Rainier Live Steamers. The layout of the new railroad is already designed and surveyed. It will initially have two loops of track extending over 4400 feet, with unlimited expansion planned as donations come in. (Also, there is a site set aside for a future Garden Railroad within this location.) The LiveSteam railroad will provide free train rides the public similar to the Skykomish's Great Northern and Cascade Railway. Note, most endeavors of this type usually have sufficient people but lack funding and equipment. This is a "once in a lifetime" opportunity to create a fully-equipped and fully-funded new Live Steam railroad with virtually unlimited room for expansion at no cost except for your labor! Also, all members and guests will be free to operate their own equipment (of both gauges) on these premises. Work times will be arranged depending on volunteer's schedules. The track needs to be removed by the end of the year. Please contact Bill Zingheim at zing@olympus.net or at (360) 437-2754 if you are interested in helping remove track.
------------------------------------------------
Once the track is removed from Mr. Murray's Estate in Tacoma, WA, it will be reconditioned in
Mr. Zingheim's shop using PLASTIC ties similar to the Los Angeles Live Steamers Museum.

Cheers everybody.

KRK
IBLS