A few nites ago a friend called to tell me that the long discussed trade between the PLA and the tourist road up on the Oregon Coast near Garibaldi involving 3T Heisler #1 and boiler work for PLA's ex-Sierra Ry. 2-6-2 #30 finally came to fruition.
The #1 is to go to Oregon for eventual work and operation & they, in turn are supposed to do the needed work on the 30's boiler for PLA to finish it. Although the 30 is yet another small Prairie with small drivers for PLA in Niles Canyon, she is historically significant having been built for and worked the Sierra's Angels Branch.
Looks like a good deal for both parties.
There's a story here that's worth telling...
Back in early '56, Pickering was waiting for the arrival of it's first two diesels with the plan that they'd initially work the lower end between Standard and Schoettgen Pass @ Mile 28, effectively putting the four 3T Heislers into retirement.
However, Pickering was busy rebuilding 85-3 class Heisler #1 in their Standard shop. Why? They wanted both a spare engine and a switch engine for town. Word that got passed on through the years is that the #1 got new cylinders and tires as well as side sheets and other heavy work. She should have been good for many years.
After the rebuild, somewhere around March or April, she was ran around the yard for testing and then sent up the Sierra (Pickering had trackage rights) toward Ralph. Trouble was, a retainer had been left off the pin that held the drawbar between the second and third trucks.
When the pin finally dropped out, just above Black Oak, the torque from the shaft yanked the
water tank right over on her side and that was that. The engine was towed back to Standard and the water tank sat for awhile on a flatcar directly behind the #1. MM Sam Matson was so disgusted with the entire event that the engine never was used again by Pickering. The tender was eventually put back and old photos of the right hand side around 1958 will show the damage that it suffered.
So, if the #1 was not too badly damaged by the years of salt air in Monterrey, the new owneres might have themselves a fairly fresh locomotive.
I want to thank my friend Jack Botfield for helping with some of the details here...his dad and grandfather both worked for the Pickering.