The Museum's Shay

Like many steam locomotives, particularly those in the resource industry, the Museum's Shay locomotive had a varied career. While documentation on the history of the engine is sparse, it is almost certainly made up of two Shay engines, both constructed by the Lima Locomotive Works, Inc. One engine was constructed in December 1923 and the other in 1925; they were numbered engines 3 and 4, respectively. Both engines were built for the Merrill & Ring Lumber Co., Ltd and were used in their forestry operations at Theodosia Arm on the British Columbia mainland. The Theodosia Arm "show," as loggers commonly referred to short-lived forestry operations, was part of the more extensive activities of the company that were based in Squamish. The engines were part of a small fleet of four Shays that remained in Squamish until 1942, when Merrill & Ring closed its Squamish operations and sold its equipment to Comox Logging and Railway.

In May 1942, the Comox Logging and Railway Company moved three of the Shay locomotives to their operations on Vancouver Island. By 1951, the boiler from engine No. 3 was transferred to the frame of No. 4. This was a common practice in industrial and mainline railways, where using older equipment for parts and components was a cost-saving measure.

The controls of the Shay locomotive after restoration. The engineer sits on the right side of the cab and the fireman sits on the left. (CSTM)

In 1951 the refurbished locomotive was transferred to Duncan Bay on the east coast of Vancouver Island. There, the engine was renamed and renumbered Elk Falls locomotive No. 1, and was used to shunt freight cars and load and unload barges at the Elk Falls pulp mill. The engine remained in Elk Falls until 1974 when the mill operator, Crown Zellerbach, took it out of service.

The locomotive was subsequently donated to the Museum in operational, but tired, condition. It was shipped to Ottawa by flat car and arrived at the Museum in November 1974. Museum staff and volunteers operated the engine briefly that year on the Museum site. The experience made it clear that the locomotive was suffering from excessive mechanical wear and was in need of extensive boiler work. It was determined that a complete restoration was required to return the locomotive to operating condition. The restoration began in the fall of 1975 with the complete dismantling of the locomotive down to its frame. Apart from cleaning and repainting, many of the parts required reconstruction or replacement; the boiler was rebuilt and a new smoke box added to the front of the boiler. Because of other Museum priorities, it was not until August 1995, after more than 5000 person hours of labour, that Museum staff and volunteers completed the restoration.

Although the engine is numbered and lettered to represent its original owner, the engine was restored to the state in which it was last used. Consequently, while originally equipped with the distinctive funnel-shaped smoke stack used on wood-burning engines, the locomotive is now oil fired, as it has been since about 1926. The tanks located behind the cab of the engine carry approximately 960 gallons (3636 litres) of oil and 2,100 gallons (7955 litres) of water.

The Shay locomotive, weighing 55 tons (50 tonnes), is a two-truck, four-axle engine with a total length of 40 feet (12.3 metres). It is small compared with mainline steam locomotives from the same period. However, with its three cylinders and four powered axles, it has a tractive force of 22,580 pounds (10 242 kilograms), power enough to haul tonnes of lumber along the steep grades.

The extensive work associated with the restoration and operation of the locomotive provided Museum staff and volunteers with invaluable experience and direct insights into a technology that contributed to the development and transformation of Canada. The locomotive is a fascinating reminder of the mechanization of industry, particularly the reliance on steam locomotives and railways after 1900. Finally, the way in which the Shay locomotive was able to overcome difficult regional terrain is an excellent representation of the role railway technology played in the development of British Columbia's forestry industry.

The Shay Locomotive is also available as a brochure published in the Museum's Curator's Choice series. To obtain a copy, please contact the Collection and Research Branch at the address above.