Meadow River Lumber Company 1

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 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.

Meadow River Lumber Company 1
Meadow River Lumber Company #1 on display at Steamtown USA, Bellows Falls, VT, C. 1974
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderLima Locomotive Works
Serial number2317
ModelClass B Shay locomotive
Build dateMay 1910
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • WhyteTwo truck Shay
 • UICB′B′ n3t
Gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Driver dia.29.5 in (749 mm)
Loco weight86,000 lb (39.0 tonnes)
Fuel typeWood
Boiler pressure180 lbf/in2 (1.24 MPa)
CylindersThree, outside, vertical
Cylinder size10 in × 12 in (254 mm × 305 mm)
Performance figures
Tractive effort16,900 lbf (75.2 kN)
Career
OperatorsSewell Valley Railroad,
Meadow River Lumber Company
Numbers1
Current ownerSteamtown National Historic Site
DispositionDisplayed in Bad Condition at Steamtown, USA.
Meadow River Lumber Co. No. 1 in August 1970
External image
nps.gov

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."

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]

Sources
  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.
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