Historical Note:

A long time employee of Portland Cement in Davenport Ca had a habit of dragging things home from the plant that were no longer wanted or needed and placing them in his barn. The widow of the man called in a local antique dealer to help with the burden soon to be inherited by her children.

Some of the first antiques removed from the rafters were the headlights from the two electric engines purchased from a mining operation in Alaska. Still in their orig. red paint with 80 years of dust, I was lucky enough to purchase two of them along with two massive panorama oak framed photos of the plant circa 1920.

A short time later the antique dealer was looking around the barn and found the headlight from one of the tank engines. It was missing the insides, rusty,and needing a new wood base. I have since purchased an orig, reflector and tank to restore the headlight back to its glory days, oh I am not going to repaint her or clean the soot on the inside. I fear she could never operate on one of one the restored engines, but should work as a pattern for a new one. She can be seen on page 124 of Hamman's California Central Coast Railways. Imagine, after one hundred years in 2012 she is found alive and almost well! P S Iam waiting what else turns up from that old barn.

Chuck B santa cruz calif.