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Clover Valley Lumber Company #4

Here's a view of the 2-6-6-2T Compound Mallet Saddle Tanker that's a little wider than what you typically get out on the line. The locomotive has two complete engines and a chassis that pivots between them. Steam feeds the rear set of cylinders first, and then is exhausted and re-used by the front engine. When the engine goes around curves, the boiler, which is firmly fixed on the rear engine, swings back and forth across the front one. It provides some very interesting photos when it goes around sharp curves. This locomotive is oil-fired and stores its oil supply in a bunker, just behind the cab.

 

The folks at the Pacific Locomotive Association (PLA) indicate that this engine was a standard offering from the Baldwin Locomotive Works, when it was ordered by Clover Valley Lumber back in 1924. The company offered options for various types of tanks, including a full saddle-tank, a split saddle-tank (such as #4) and a pair of side tanks. Interestingly, examples of all three still exist. This particular engine is almost identical to Black Hills Central #110, which has been running up in South Dakota for many years. The 110 also has the split saddle-tank. The Black Hills Central is also in the final stages of restoring another, nearly identical engine, #108, which has the full saddle-tank option. Tractive effort on all three engines is roughly 37,500 lbs.

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Uploaded on April 29, 2020
Taken on February 8, 2020