Re: Weyerhauser C-415
Author: SP5103
Date: 09-08-2008 - 23:45
At one time, POTB owned two GE 80 tonners and three SD9s (xSP) 4368, 4381, 4414. Since the 80 tonners had not been used for several years, they were sold to Bob Steele and Associates (succesor to Rader Railcar that built the Alaska Ultra-Domes; passenger car repairs and rebuilding xSP gallery cars in the old Blimp hanger that has since burned). One of the 80 tonners was later used by Steele on a tour train at the Port with a couple rebuilt xBN cabooses (last seen on the Sierra).
POTB needed another engine to be able to leave one at Banks for mid-week switching and allowing the other three to work the hauler (and for maintenance rotation). Another xSP SD9 was located at Chrome Crankshaft in San Bernardino, inspected, and a deal made to purchase it. In the meantime, the POTB Board ignored their staff's recomendation and instead made a deal to jointly buy the CLC C415s and slug as proposed by Bob Steele. The claimed intent was for POTB to assign one C415 as the Banks switcher, and the other one to be used by Bob Steele for his tour train over the POTB on the coast.
I do not know if POTB did actually pay half towards the C415s as approved by the Board. I am not aware if either C415 ever worked as a POTB engine. Bob Steele later moved both of them to the west side and ran a dinner train out of Roy for a while, before the entire train moved (leased/sold?) to the Mount Hood.
The slug and one of the 80 tonners were scrapped in Tillamook by the fall of 1991. The SD9 at Chrome Crank was the one later sold to Kerr-McGee at Trona.