Meadow River Lumber Company 1

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Meadow River Lumber Company 1

Meadow River Lumber Company #1 on display at Steamtown USA, Bellows Falls, VT, C. 1974

| Type and origin

Power type| Steam
Builder| Lima Locomotive Works
Serial number| 2317
Model| Class B 42-2 Shay locomotive
Build date| May 1910
| Specifications

Configuration:
| ​
• Whyte| 0-4-4-0T
• AAR| B-B
• UIC| B′B′ n3t
Gauge| 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Driver dia.| 29.5 in (749 mm)
Loco weight| 86,000 lb (39.0 tonnes)
Fuel type| Wood or Coal
Boiler pressure| 180 lbf/in2 (1.24 MPa)
Cylinders| Three, outside, vertical
Cylinder size| 10 in × 12 in (254 mm × 305 mm)
| Performance figures

Tractive effort| 16,900 lbf (75.2 kN)
| Career

Operators| Sewell Valley Railroad,
Meadow River Lumber Company
Numbers| 1
Locale| West Virginia
Retired| 1960s
Current owner| Steamtown National Historic Site
Disposition| Displayed in poor condition at the Steamtown Nation Historical site.
External image

nps.gov

Meadow River Lumber Company No. 1 is a Shay locomotive at Steamtown National Historic Site, in Scranton, Pennsylvania. This 2-truck Shay was built by Lima Locomotive Works in May 1910. This type of locomotive was used primarily by lumber and mining companies. Some were used by other industries and on short lines. This is one of 77 Shay locomotives preserved in the United States.

In 1907, John and T.W. Raines began construction on a lumber mill in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, under the name of the Meadow River Lumber Company. The location had no access to a railway so the Sewell Valley Railroad was incorporated. Twenty miles of track was laid between the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad at Meadow Creek to the site of the mill. The mill opened in September 1910 and this locomotive was purchased by the new railroad. It was called Sewell Valley Railroad No. 1.

With a capacity of cutting 110,000 board feet (300 m3) of lumber per day, the Meadow River Lumber Company became the world's largest hardwood manufacturer. At first the railroad was operated separately from its parent company. However, changes in the tax code lead the two to merge therefore, "Meadow River Lumber Company No. 1, spent her entire career as the property of this single lumber enterprise [sic] even though she operated there under two different names."

Meadow River Lumber Co. No. 1 in August 1970

While at Steamtown, U.S.A. in Bellows Falls, Vermont, the locomotive endured extensive damage when the building it was stored in collapsed under heavy snow in February 1982. The Shay's wooden cab was destroyed. By then it was already missing "its sand dome, its headlight, its front number plate, its bell and bell hanger, whistle, and other components". Canadian Pacific Railway No. 1293 was also damaged in the roof collapse.

It was determined that it would remain at the National Historic Site as it was the only Shay and the only geared locomotive in the collection.[1]

## References[edit]

1. ^ Chappell, Gordon. "Meadow River Lumber Company No. 1". Steam Over Scranton: Special History Study, American Steam Locomotives. National Park Service. Retrieved March 13, 2012.

## External links[edit]

* Meadow River Lumber Company No. 1 at the National Park Service