By Railfan & Railroad Staff
Mount Emily Lumber Co. 1, a three-truck Shay locomotive built by Lima Locomotive Works a century ago that spent the last 30 years at the City of Prineville Railroad in Oregon, arrived at its new home in Portland on February 15.
The locomotive had been owned by the Oregon Historical Society since the 1990s. In 2022, the non-profit announced it was looking for a new owner. The locomotive was later transferred to the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation, which operates the Oregon Rail Heritage Center in Portland. ORHC is home to three city-owned steam locomotives, including Southern Pacific “Daylight” 4-8-4 4449; Spokane, Portland & Seattle 4-8-4 700; and Oregon Railroad & Navigation 4-6-2 197.
The Shay locomotive is expected to lead the popular Holiday Express runs on the Oregon Pacific Railroad once in service. For years, the 4-8-4 led those trains, but the heavy Northerns are tough on the tracks.
Mount Emily Logging Co., No. 1 seen on a flatcar in Prineville, Ore., in December 2023. Photo Courtesy of OHRF.
“We are grateful to the Oregon Historical Society and thrilled to be the new operators of the Mount Emily Shay 1,” said Rick Franklin, president of the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation. “We look forward to entertaining and educating Oregonians of all ages on excursions powered by this grand old lady of Oregon railroading history.”
The Shay locomotive worked at the Mount Emily Lumber Company in LaGrande, Ore., until the 1950s, when it was donated to the Oregon Museum of Science & Technology. Later it was transferred to the Oregon Historical Society. In 1970s, the locomotive was leased to the Cass Scenic Railroad in West Virginia, before coming back west in the 1990s. After 30 years in central Oregon, the City of Prineville Railroad said it could no longer host the locomotive.
“The City of Prineville Railway is pleased that the Mount Emily Shay 1 will have the best care and find new fans at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center,” said Matt Wiederholt, Prineville Railway operations manager.
Before entering service in Portland, the locomotive will undergo a boiler inspection. When ready, Mount Emily Shay 1 will pull excursions along the Willamette River. It will also centerpiece a new exhibit focused on railroading and the logging industry in Oregon and the Northwest.
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