By Railfan & Railroad Staff
The world’s only surviving standard gauge Class A Climax steam locomotive has been donated to the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad, which plans to restore it to operating condition.
On Thursday, OCSR announced that the family of the late Victor C. Monahan had donated Cabin Creek Lumber Co. 1 to the Oregon-based tourist railroad. The locomotive was built in 1907 by the Climax Locomotive Works. Weighing in at only 20 tons, the Class A utilized a wooden frame, two-truck design, and was originally powered by a wood-fired tee-style boiler and a two-cylinder vertical engine set. Class A Climax locomotives also featured a unique two-speed transmission where the engineer could shift between two different gears.
The locomotive was originally built for the Cascade Lumber Company of Easton, Wash., and later sold to the Cabin Creek Lumber Company. In the early 1940s, the boiler and steam engine were removed and a White truck engine was installed in its place, which helped keep the locomotive in service until the early 1970s. After the mill shut down, Monahan stepped in to save the locomotive.
Cabin Creek Lumber Co. 1 being moved to its new home in Oregon earlier this month. Photo Courtesy of OCSR.
OCSR already has a Shay locomotive and multiple Heislers, meaning the addition of the Climax fills a void, giving it examples of all three major geared steam locomotive manufacturers. Officials said they planned to restore the locomotive to operating condition utilizing a boiler and a Class A Climax engine set it acquired from New Zealand (found by Richard Dunn). Due to the locomotive’s small size, it is hoped that the engine will be a traveling exhibit for OCSR, representing it at events across the country.
“Today is a day that has been more than two decades in the making for me,” said OCSR Chief Mechanical Officer and Founder Scott Wickert. “When I acquired the Climax A engine set from Richard Dunn years ago, I knew I had to get this engine to unite the two together. I am very excited about this.”
The locomotive was moved from Washington to OCSR’s home base at Tillamook, Ore., earlier this month. It’s unclear how long the restoration might take. For additional information, visit oregoncoastscenic.org.
