History of Climax Locomotive S/N 1692
Photo By David Marquis. Courtesy of Brooks Stover.
The Climax Locomotive
A Climax locomotive is a type of geared logging engine that was produced by the Climax Manufacturing Company of Corry, PA from 1888 until 1928. The Climax was one of the three major types of geared logging locomotives, the other two being the Shay and Heisler geared locomotives. Geared locomotives were used in a variety of applications, but their design was specifically well suited for logging applications that constituted steep grades, tight curvature and rough track work. Each design of geared engine had its merits and shortcomings, but the goal behind all of them was the same; to find the best way to transfer power from the steam cylinders to the wheels using gear reduction and flexible drive lines.
The original was Climax designed by a mechanically skilled logger named Charles Darwin Scott. The original Climax design was known as a Class “A” Climax. This small locomotive was only the beginning of many more engines to come. The design evolved drastically over time with many design improvements and upgrades, the penultimate design being the Class “C” Climax which had twelve wheels as opposed to eight like most other Climax locomotives. The most popular design by far was the Class “B” Climax, of which S/N 1692 is a member. The Class “B” Climax was a two-truck (eight wheel) locomotive that incorporated two steam cylinders, one on either side of the engine, mounted at approximately a 45 degree angle alongside a horizontal boiler (as opposed to the vertical and “T” style boilers of the previous Class “A” locomotives). Climax produced Class “B” locomotives all the way up until the very end of production in 1928. That is where Climax S/N 1692 came into the picture.
Climax S/N 1692 is looking very fresh in this photo! It is believed that this photo was taken shortly after she was delivered to the Elk River Coal & Lumber Co. Photographer unknown. Courtesy of Brooks Stover.
Last Climax Ever Built?
Climax Locomotive S/N 1692 rolled out of Climax Locomotive Works in late 1928. At the time that S/N 1692 rolled out of the shop, the Climax Manufacturing Company had recently been bought out by the General Parts Corporation who continued the line of Climax locomotive replacement parts while at the same time completing the locomotives on the shop floor that were close enough to completion. It is thought that because of this, Climax S/N 1692 was the last Climax locomotive ever constructed. This is not a verifiable piece of information, however. According to Project Historian Tom Shreve, “while we cannot say that S/N 1692 was the last Climax or even the highest numbered, we can say that it is the youngest surviving Climax.” Climax Locomotive Works would cast their builders plates in a batch, so they often got out of order in relation to the outshopping of the engines. This, combined with the fact that the company had poor record keeping practices further exacerbates this confusion. Her standing as the youngest existing Climax locomotive makes her a historically important locomotive and a prime example of Climax Locomotive Works popular Class B design.
Elk River Coal & Lumber Co. #3
Climax S/N 1692 was purchased by the Elk River Coal and Lumber Company of Clay County, West Virginia in 1928. The locomotive was numbered 3 and was one of at least four Climax locomotives that were owned by the ERC&L Co. There may have been more Climax locomotives the company owned, though it is not entirely known. While there, #3 spent most of its life as a woods engine, only coming down to the main shop facilities in Swandale, WV when she needed substantial maintenance. The locomotive spent most of its life on the so-called “Steel Trains” that ran up the Lilly Fork of the Elk River. The steel trains were used to lay down and pull up track all over the ERC&L Co. system in order to reach untapped stands of timber that were to be hauled to the mill. #3 spent her days winding along, and often through the Lilly Fork. The railroad was famous for not building bridges and running their tracks directly on the riverbed and through the water!
ERC&L #3 crossing through the Lilly Fork of the Elk River with the “Steel Train.” Ron Griffin Collection. Courtesy of Brooks Stover.
A different angle of the photo above. Fording the Lilly Fork with the steel train. Photo by John Krause. Courtesy of Brooks Stover.
While at Elk River, the locomotive received the nickname “Lilly Fork Cannonball.” This gives meaning to the pictures in her later years that show the locomotive with red markings on the side of the cab that are meant to resemble a cannon ball. Noted railroad historian and modeler Brooks Stover interviewed Cody Burdette, a hostler at the ERC&L Co. operation who stated that “Raymond Davis, one of the engineers on the Climax nicknamed the engine the "LILLY FORK CANNON BALL"! This despite the fact that the engine's top speed was somewhere around 12 mph! So one day Raymond painted a cannon ball trailing flames on the cab of #3. That's what can be seen in the photos, though faintly.”
The locomotive performed faithfully for the company until her retirement in 1959 when the locomotive’s boiler was deemed unsafe and condemned. #3 sat for three years in the Swandale yard before being sold to a blossoming tourist operation in Bloomsburg, PA named the Carroll Park & Western Railroad.
ERC&L Co. #3 sporting her “Lilly Fork Cannonball” logo. Photo by David Marquis. Courtesy of Brooks Stover.
S/N 1692 being rebuilt in the Buffalo Creek & Gauley’s Dundon, WV shops. Photo by Richard Manning. Courtesy of Brooks Stover.
Carroll Park & Western #3
In 1962, the locomotive was rebuilt by a neighboring short-line railroad, the Buffalo Creek and Gauley Railroad, whom the ERC&L Co. interchanged with. Inside the BC&G’s Dundon, WV engine house, #3’s boiler was repaired and other mechanical work was done. She was given a new paint job and promptly loaded on a flatcar, bound for her new home in Pennsylvania. The locomotive arrived at the Carroll Park & Western in 1963, where the spacing between her wheels was narrowed to 4’ from her as built 4’ 8 ½” standard gauge configuration. This was done so that she could operate on the CP&W’s already existing track that was built for a locomotive that was of a 4’ gauge. The engine served as the CP&W’s #3, hauling tourists around their two-mile route all the way up until the closing of tourist railroad, at which time the engine was once again sold.
Carroll Park & Western #3 preparing to sitting at the Deadwood Flats Depot. Photo Courtesy of the Collection of Andrew Hoke/Berwick RailFan Photo Gallery.
S/N 1692 being loaded on the flatcar at Bloomsburg, PA bound for Roaring Camp in Felton. Photographer unknown.
Roaring Camp & Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad #5
The engine was purchased by F. Norman Clark, founder of the Roaring Camp and Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad, located in Felton, CA. The locomotive found its way out to California in 1977 after the CP&W had ended tourist trains on their railroad. The engine came on a flat car to Felton where she was off loaded and placed behind the Roaring Camp engine house. The plan was to re-gauge the locomotive for 3’ gauge to run on the RC&BT’s track to Bear Mountain where she would be RC&BT’s #5. Further assessment of the locomotive proved that she needed a great deal of work in order to see service again. It was discovered that the locomotive had severe boiler problems along with countless other issues. It was decided to send the boiler off to Dixon Boiler Works in Southern California where the Climax boiler could be rebuilt. A handshake deal was reached between Mr. Clark and Richard Dixon of Dixon Boiler Works. Soon after the boiler arrived in Southern California, tragedy struck when Norman Clark passed away at only fifty-years old. Soon after this, Mr. Dixon passed away as well. In the aftermath of the great loss within both companies, the whereabouts of the boiler became unknown and it is still gone to this day. The most likely explanation was that Dixon Boiler Works changed hands a number of times after Richard Dixon’s death. With no records of the boiler sitting on the shop floor, it was concluded that the original boiler was unfortunately scrapped. Thankfully, a replacement Climax boiler became available from the Sumpter Valley Railroad in Eastern Oregon. The replacement boiler was acquired by Roaring Camp in the early 2000’s, but since that time, Climax S/N 1692 has sat idle.
S/N 1692 just after arriving in at Roaring Camp in Felton, CA. Photographer unknown.
S/N 1692 sits behind the Roaring Camp shops in the late 1970s. Photo by John Hill.
The Future of Climax S/N 1692
Climax S/N 1692 in January 2020 at Roaring Camp Railroads.
The years have not been kind to Climax S/N 1692. The locomotive has sat for over forty-years since her hard life of service on the Lilly Fork of the Elk River and re-birth as a tourist railroad engine in Pennsylvania. S/N 1692 is now a rusty hulk of her former self. Roaring Camp Railroads determined that due to the enormous cost and time that the project would take, it would be nearly impossible for the for-profit tourist railroad company to take on the project. However, this was a new beginning for the locomotive. It was determined that a non-profit entity would be able to restore the locomotive. Roaring Camp generously donated Climax S/N 1692 to the newly formed RWH Foundation. Roaring Camp also donated a piece of property on which the locomotive’s restoration can take place, and they have even offered the Roaring Camp and Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad as a new home for the locomotive to run once she is complete, thus joining two Shay locomotives and a Heisler, all of which are operational. The future is looking very bright for Climax S/N 1692, but now comes the hard part. There is a lot of work ahead of the organization to rebuild the locomotive. Nearly every part of the locomotive will have to be disassembled and rebuilt to return the locomotive to operational condition.
The RWH Foundation is genuinely appreciative of any donation towards the restoration of Climax S/N 1692, both in monetary form and in the form of volunteer labor and services. Only with your help and support will this locomotive run again. Please consider visiting our donation page, or clicking on the tab below!
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