Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Western Steam Fiends Association Steam-Powered Sawmill at Antique Powerland

IMG_8030 Steam-Powered Sawmill at Antique Powerland in Brooks, Oregon on August 4, 2007
Steam-Powered Sawmill at Antique Powerland on August 4, 2007

The steam-powered sawmill building was the first building constructed on the Antique Powerland property. The sawmill was operating at the 1970 Steam-Up.

IMG_8031 Steam-Powered Sawmill at Antique Powerland in Brooks, Oregon on August 4, 2007
Steam-Powered Sawmill Blade on August 4, 2007

The sawmill is typically operated by the Western Steam Fiends Association. Here is a short video of the sawmill in operation.

Steam-Powered Sawmill on August 4, 2007

IMG_8025 Steam-Powered Sawmill Boiler at Antique Powerland in Brooks, Oregon on August 4, 2007
Steam-Powered Sawmill Boiler on August 1, 2007

The boiler for the steam-powered sawmill was originally the boiler from a Shay-type steam locomotive built by the Lima Locomotive & Machine Company of Lima, Ohio in 1906. The locomotive was a Class B 2-Truck Shay, completed on February 1, 1906, with shop number 1627.

IMG_8027 Steam-Powered Sawmill Boiler Builders Plate at Antique Powerland in Brooks, Oregon on August 4, 2007
Steam-Powered Sawmill Boiler Builders Plate on August 1, 2007

The locomotive was originally sold to dealer W. D. Hofius & Company of Seattle, Washington as their #5, but it changed hands many times during its life, being passed to the Eastern & Western Lumber Company of Portland, Oregon and the Eufaula Company of Kelso, Washington before being purchased by the Donovan-Dubois Lumber Company of Cascades, Washington on August of 1921. By November of 1922, the locomotive has been in three wrecks, but was repaired each time. It was involved in another serious wreck in April of 1923 by which time it had passed to the McCall Logging Company of Timber, Oregon. A few days after the wreck, it was transferred to the Sunset Logging Company in Timber, Oregon. It isn't clear when or if it was repaired, but it would remain in this general area, serving the East Side Logging Company and Rock Creek Logging Company in Keasey and Lausmann, but would be back to the Sunset Logging Company in Timber by November of 1927. (I suspect these companies may have all been under the same ownership, as they were all in very close proximity to each other.)

IMG_8026 Steam-Powered Sawmill Boiler at Antique Powerland in Brooks, Oregon on August 4, 2007
Steam-Powered Sawmill Boiler on August 1, 2007

In the end, the locomotive was scrapped, except for the boiler. This may have occurred following the accident in 1923, with the boiler being used as a power supply from that point on, or the locomotive may have been repaired and returned to service.

IMG_8029 Steam-Powered Sawmill Boiler at Antique Powerland in Brooks, Oregon on August 4, 2007
Steam-Powered Sawmill Boiler on August 1, 2007

Continue to Stationary Engines in the Hilands Building

No comments:

Post a Comment