The No. 8 was stored servicable. However, the reason for replacing the 0-6-0's with the 90ton mike was that the trains being hauled out of Yreka at the time were getting too big. The 0-6-0's were geing forced to double the grades over Butcher Hill and out of the Shasta River. Train lengths out of Yreka at this time were frequently in range of 20-25 cars, with a majority of the train being logs from Fruit Growers Supply's reload in Yreka and loaded boxes and flats of lumber from the 7 sawmills the YW was serving in Yreka at that time, and there was usually a couple empties tanks as well. So, judging from the traffic load, and the fact that the 0-6-0's couldn't handle it anymore, I'm sort of find it unlikely that the 25 would be brought in as a replacement, since I don't think it could handle all that tonnage. If the 19 was out of service for a couple days, I can see the No.8 being used, even if the hills had to be doubled. I'll have to go through the stats, for the Ex-State Belt 0-6-0's the YW had and compare them with the 25, but I have a feeling that the 0-6-0's are a bit beefier than the 25, especially since 100% of the weight of the 0-6-0's is on the drivers and the 25 was designed for lightly built logging trackage. And typically when the YW leased locomotives, they usually turned to the SP. They last leased an SP engine being during WWII (another 4-8-0 IIRC) to assist ex-McCloud No.9 until ex-Long-Bell shay No.94 was aquired and was used on a limited basis to assist the No.9 until the State Belt 0-6-0's were aquired in 1945. At which point No.9 was sold to the Amador Central, and the shay sat in Yreka until it was scrapped in 1947 or there abouts.

Tim Stricker
Yreka, CA