Southern Pacific 4-2-4T #1 C.P. Huntington

Photo by Cliff West

Southern Pacific 4-2-4T locomotive #1, the C.P. Huntington, is displayed in front of a large window at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, California. It was originally built by Danforth, Cooke & Company of Paterson, New Jersey, in 1863, as the Central Pacific Railroad’s third locomotive, #3, and it arrived in San Francisco on March 19, 1864. It was named for Collis P Huntington, Vice President of the Central Pacific. The locomotive is 29.5 feet long and weighs 21.75 tons. it could pull 4 times its weight. It had a top speed of 35 miles per hour and could maintain a speed of 15 mph on a grade of 26 feet per mile (0.49%). The Central Pacific would have preferred to purchase a larger locomotive, but none were available due to the importance of railroads in the Civil War. The C.P. Huntington was used in the construction of the transcontinental railroad. In 1879 it was transferred to the Southern Pacific Railroad, by then under the same control as the Central Pacific, and became SP #1. It was involved in a head-on collision in 1872 and was rebuilt in 1875 and received a new boiler in 1888. It was renumbered to #1001 in 1891. 

Photo by Cliff West

As Southern Pacific’s oldest locomotive, the C.P. Huntington was displayed at the 1892 California State Fair and the 1894 California Mid-Winter International Exposition before being retired in 1900. It was rebuilt as a weed burner in 1901 but was unsatisfactory. It was rebuilt again in 1910 and used as a shop switcher. It was nearly scrapped in 1914 but was instead restored for display and the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. It continued to make appearances at special events, and was last run in May 1939 at the opening of the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal. In September 1964, the Southern Pacific Railroad donated the locomotive to the state of California and it was placed on display at the old state fairgrounds in Sacramento. It was donated to the Pacific Coast Chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society in June 1969. In 1970 it was refurbished by Southern Pacific’s Sacramento Shops and in 1979 it was placed in the California State Railroad Museum’s reconstructed Central Pacific Railroad Passenger Station. In 1980 it was restored to its appearance at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. It is the only surviving standard-gauge 4-2-4T in the United States.

Steam on the Chelatchie Prairie: Conclusion

Locomotive #10 preparing to leave Moulton Falls.

Heading back to Yacolt, the train passed this small pond, which is the result of a beaver dam on Yacolt Creek.

Here is a glimpse of the crew aboard the locomotive.

Here is the train approaching the Railroad Avenue grade crossing.

In addition to the cow and llamas seen earlier, horses also live along the line.

The train back at the Yacolt depot.

Acknowledgements

I would lake to thank the Battle Ground, Yacolt & Chelatchie Prairie Railroad Association. Also, I would like to acknowledge Brian McCamish's Portland Vancouver Junction Railroad - Chelatchie Prairie Railroad page and Steamlocomotive.info as additional references  I used for this page.

Chelatchie Prairie Railroad Links:
Battle Ground, Yacolt & Chelatchie Prairie Railroad
Clark County's Lewis & Clark Railroad page
Brian McCamish's Portland Vancouver Junction Railroad - Chelatchie Prairie Railroad page

Steam on the Chelatchie Prairie: Moulton Falls Station

Train Greeters near Moulton Falls Station on May 27, 2007

After passing through the tunnel again, the train slows to a stop a Moulton Falls Park, where it is apparently often greeted by "goblins."

BYCX Excursion Train approaching Moulton Falls Station

The train stops here for about 20 minutes, to give the passengers an opportunity to take the short walk into Moulton Falls Park to Yacolt Falls to appreciate the view.

Sign at Moulton Falls Station

A sign here tells a brief history of the railroad, reading as follows:

Chelatchie Prairie RailRoad     BYCX

The line now used by the Chelatchie Prairie Railroad was first under construction in 1888. It was built to access the timber and other natural resources in the area. The railway has changes hands several times since its completion and was in use until 1993 when it was heavily damaged in a flood. The Battle Ground, Yacolt Chelatchie Prairie Railroad Association has been improving the rail back into working condition since 1999. Moulton Falls has for some time been an area of interest and recreation and is part of the Bells Mountain trail system.

BYCX Excursion Train at Moulton Falls Station on May 27, 2007

Crossett Western 2-8-2T #10 at Moulton Falls on May 27, 2007

Crossett Western 2-8-2T #10 at Moulton Falls on May 27, 2007

Crossett Western 2-8-2T #10 at Moulton Falls on May 27, 2007

Crossett Western 2-8-2T #10 at Moulton Falls on May 27, 2007

Crossett Western 2-8-2T #10 at Moulton Falls on May 27, 2007

There is a passing siding at the Moulton Falls station, and some of the equipment the volunteers use to maintain the track is stored here when not in use.

BYCX Speeder #34 at Moulton Falls Station on May 27, 2007

BYCX Speeder #34 at Moulton Falls Station on May 27, 2007

BYCX #34 is a fairly large Fairmont Speeder.

BYCX Ballast Cart at Moulton Falls Station on May 27, 2007

This Ballast Cart may be ancient, but it gets the job done.

BYCX Tie Crane #6162 at Moulton Falls Station on May 27, 2007

Tie Crane #6162 was acquired from BNSF.

Continue to Yacolt Falls…

Steam on the Chelatchie Prairie: The Return Trip

Crossett Western 2-8-2T #10 at Lucia on May 27, 2007

Crossett Western 2-8-2T #10 at Lucia on May 27, 2007

Crossett Western 2-8-2T #10 at Lucia on May 27, 2007

Crossett Western 2-8-2T #10 at Lucia on May 27, 2007

At Lucia, the train stops to reverse direction. From here, the locomotive can face forward as it pulls the train back to Yacolt. For the passengers onboard the train, this is the better part of the trip, as they get a good view of the steam exhaust from the locomotive. During this late spring trip, the force of the exhaust caused dead pine needles to come loose from the branches hanging over the tracks, and rain down on the passengers. The pictures below were taken as the train headed forward from Lucia to Moulton Falls.

This view shows the exhaust from the steam locomotive against the green of the forest canopy.

Approaching Bridge 23.

Looking down at the Lewis River from Bridge 23.

A view of one of the rock outcroppings along the line.

Dense forest on the opposite hillside.

Continue to Moulton Falls Station…

Steam on the Chelatchie Prairie: The Route (Continued)

After passing through the tunnel, the railroad roughly parallels Lucia Falls Road and provides a view of the Lewis River, while on the other side, rock outcroppings occasionally hang over the tracks.

The railroad turns to cross Lucia Falls Road and then the Lewis River on Bridge 23. This is the largest bridge on the entire line between Vancouver and Chelatchie Prairie. The bridge's construction appears to be somewhat unusual, though it is hard to photograph from the road.

In the above pictures, the train is backing through the Lucia Falls Road grade crossing and across Bridge 23. The pictures below show the view of the Lewis River from the train as it crosses the bridge.

After crossing to the south side of the Lewis River, the railroad travels out of sight of both the road and the river, traveling through the dense evergreen forest to emerge at Lucia.

Continue to The Return Trip…

Steam on the Chelatchie Prairie: The Route

This map shows the part of the line used by the excursion train.

Steam on the Chelatchie Prairie

The above video shows highlights of the excursion train's route, both from aboard the train and trackside. They are presented in the order that they would occur if they were made during a single trip, though it is a composite of two trips from the same day. I rode the first trip, and chased the train during the second.

Crossett Western 2-8-2T #10 at the Yacolt Depot on May 27, 2007

Crossett Western 2-8-2T #10 at the Yacolt Depot on May 27, 2007

Here is locomotive #10 at the Yacolt Depot. The train backs out of Yacolt, making the entire trip to Lucia in reverse. As it backs out of town, the train passes a number of local farms.

Large Holstein Cow along the Chelatchie Prairie line

Large Holstein Cow along the Chelatchie Prairie line

This very large Holstein dairy cow lives near the tracks. The farmer standing next to the cow is of average height, making this cow about 6 feet tall.

Llamas along the Chelatchie Prairie line

Llamas along the Chelatchie Prairie line

A number of llamas live near the tracks as well.

Crossett Western 2-8-2T #10 at the Railroad Avenue crossing

The train crosses Railroad Avenue, which basically marks the end of town. From here, the train backs through Moulton Falls Park without stopping. The pictures below were taken in the area of Moulton Falls, just before entering the tunnel.

Tunnel #1 was completed in 1903. It is built on a curve through solid rock and is not lined, though there is a timber portal on the west end. The tunnel is difficult to photograph from the train, and isn't very accessible otherwise, so I don't have photos of it, but it is in the video.

Continue to The Route (Continued)…