The Timber Heritage Association has been collecting timber related artifacts for almost fifty years.
The time period we represent in our collection is the 1870s to the present day. With the predominance coming from the last two decades of the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century.
A significant aspect of the collection is that it is entirely local. Our proposed Timber Heritage Museum benefits from having started its collection many years before it will be displayed. The collection began when valuable artifacts were more readily available. Moreover, because timber was such a major local industry, our artifacts also reflect the broader history of timber in the West.
Below you will find our current collection of locomotives, logging equipment, and other railroad stock.
The Collection
The Motive Power of Timber Heritage
| Name | Builder | Year | Type | Tons | Location | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arcata & Mad River Railroad #7 |
Lima | 1918 | 2-truck Shay | 50 | Samoa, CA | Non-operational |
| Arcata & Mad River Railroad #101 |
GE | 1950 | 44-ton Diesel | 44 | Samoa, CA | Operational |
| Bear Harbor Lumber Company #2 |
Baldwin | 1898 | 2-4-2t | 24 | Samoa, CA | Non-operational |
| Dolbeer & Carson Lumber Company #3 |
Baldwin | 1922 | 2-6-2 | 63 | Samoa, CA | Non-operational |
| Hammond Lumber Company #15 |
Baldwin | 1916 | 2-8-2 | 90 | Samoa, CA | Non-operational |
| Hammond Lumber Company #33 |
Lima | 1922 | 3-truck Shay | 90 | Samoa, CA | Non-operational |
| Mutual Plywood #54 | Heisler | 1927 | B-B Diesel | 24 | Samoa, CA | In restoration |
| Pacific Lumber Company #29 |
Baldwin | 1910 | 2-6-2 | 60 | Samoa, CA | Non-operational |
| The following are maintained and operated by THA, and are owned by the California State park at Fort Humboldt, Eureka. | ||||||
| Falk | Marshutz & Cantrell | 1884 | 0-4-0 | 9 | Fort Humboldt SHP | In maintenance |
| Gypsy | Marshutz & Cantrell | 1892 | 0-4-0 | 12 | Fort Humboldt SHP | In maintenance |
Locomotives
Arcata & Mad River Railroad #7
Builder & Year: Lima 1918
Type: 2-truck Shay
Weight: 50 tons
Construction #: 3014
Location: Samoa Roundhouse
Status: Non-operational
Built in 1918 for the Lamson Logging Company in Euphala, Washington as their No. 1, this locomotive was purchased second-hand by A.& M.R.R. in 1942. It hauled logs and lumber freight the 7.5 miles between Korbel and Korblex and on the 10 mile Northern Redwood Lumber Company logging railroad. In 1956 Simpson Redwood Company purchased the N.L.R. and A.& M.R.R. and abandoned the logging railroad out of Korbel. No. 7 was donated to city of Arcata, California, for display in a city park. From 1970 to 73 it was returned to service on A.& M.R. to pull a tourist train. After again being retired and returned to the city, it was leased to the Association by the City of Arcata to restore in 1986. The City of Arcata sold the locomotive to THA in 2001 for $1.
Built in 1950, the railroad’s first diesel locomotive was purchased used from the Pine Flat Dam Contractors in 1953. The railroad eventually bought three of these 44-ton diesels. Steam locomotives continued to work in the woods above Korbel and the diesels handled lumber shipments from Korbel to Korblex (Arcata) where the railroad interchanged with the Northwestern Pacific Railroad. When the logging railroad shut down in 1956, the diesels still operated on the 7.5 mile line to Arcata. Besides Simpson Timber Co. loads, fifteen other lumber mills were served and the line was quite profitable. The railroad operated with No. 101, 102, and 104 until 1983 when a reduction in the number of shippers and a Southern Pacific per-car-surcharge dried up traffic. No 101 was sold in 1987 to the MeadWestvaco Company in DeRidder, Louisiana. New Caterpillar power replaced the two original engines in 1999. By 2000, MeadWestvaco’s rail operation was closed and the locomotive was donated to THA. In 2005, after an 18 year absence, the No. 101 was moved to Eureka via rail flat car and truck. It has now been fully restored and is operated frequently by volunteers on the in house track at the Timber Heritage complex.
Arcata & Mad River Railroad #101
Builder & Year: General Electric 1950
Type: Diesel Switcher
Weight: 44 tons
Construction #: 30473
Location: Samoa Car Barn
Status: Operational
Bear Harbor Lumber Company #2
Builder & Year: Baldwin 1898
Type: 2-4-2t
Weight: 44 tons
Construction #: 15832
Location: Samoa Roundhouse
Status: Non-operational
This second locomotive was purchased when early plans to extend the railroad to the Eel River were made. Delivered by steamer from San Francisco, it was unloaded at Bear Harbor. It was operated only a short time until the railroad shut down in late 1905. Stored outside for many years, parts were stolen; it was donated to THA in derelict condition in 1979 by heirs of Bear Harbor Lumber Co. owners.
Humboldt Northern Railway / Dolbeer and Carson Lumber Company #3
Builder & Year: Baldwin 1922
Type: 2-6-2
Weight: 63 tons
Construction #: 55248
Location: Samoa Machine Shop
Status: Non-operational, under evaluation for restoration
Humboldt Northern Railway No. 3 was purchased new in 1922. It operated from Samoa to north of Fieldbrook (Lindsey Creek basin). The locomotive was painted Olive Green and Aluminum for the eleven years it operated on the Humboldt Northern. When owner Dolbeer & Carson Lumber Company’s timber was logged out, the line was sold in 1927 to the Little River Redwood Co., though Dolbeer & Carson continued to run trains until 1930. The locomotives, including No. 3, were then sold to the Dolbeer & Carson Lumber Co. and moved to a newly built D & C logging railroad on the north fork of the Elk River (south of Eureka). In 1950, Pacific Lumber Co. purchased Dolbeer & Carson and closed the railroad three years later. No. 3 was sold by the Purdy Co. (scrappers) to the Stockton Terminal & Eastern Railroad. It served as backup to their diesel and was used on excursions until 1955. No. 3 was then stored unserviceable for 32 years in the engine house. In 1987, it was donated to the California State Railroad Museum. While reducing the size of their collection in 2008, it was donated to THA as it originally operated out of Samoa. It was moved to Samoa by truck in 2009. At CSRM it had been evaluated and found to be a good candidate for restoration; it was partially dismantled and ultra-sound tested in preparation for restoration when CSRM had to reduce the size of the collection.
Former Humbird Lumber Co. No.4, Mason County Logging Co. No. 12 at Bordeaux, WA, this locomotive was purchased by Hammond Lumber Co. December 7th 1941 and renumbered No. 15. It worked mostly pulling log trains from Crannell to Samoa. After the first diesel was purchased, No. 15 was used only when the diesel was out of service. Hammond became Georgia Pacific in 1956. About a year before the railroad was shutdown completely, No. 15 was donated to the city of Eureka, California, for display at Sequoia Park (1960). The city donated the locomotive to the Association in 1979. No. 15 is housed at the THA’s Samoa Roundhouse. It was moved back into the roundhouse in 2009, almost 50 years after it left.
Hammond Lumber Company #15
Builder & Year: Baldwin 1916
Type: 2-8-2
Weight: 90 tons
Construction #: 43563
Location: Samoa Roundhouse
Status: Non-operational
Purchased to haul logs over the steeper grades east of Cranell, No. 33 survived various company name changes: Hammond Lumber Co., Hammond & Little River Redwood Co., Ltd., Hammond Redwood Co., and finally back to Hammond Lumber Co. In 1944 it was sold to the Pickering Lumber Corporation where it was operated in the Sierras for 19 years. After logging trains were discontinued, it was sold to the Westside & Cherry Valley Railway tourist line in 1976; unneeded by the line, it was sold to the Association in 1981.
Hammond Lumber Company #33
Builder & Year: Lima 1922
Type: 3-truck Shay
Weight: 90 tons
Construction #: 3180
Location: Samoa Roundhouse
Status: Non-operational
Mutual Plywood Corporation #54
Builder & Year: Heisler 1927
Type: B-B Diesel converted from 2-truck Heisler
Weight: 24 tons
Construction #: 1546
Location: Samoa Roundhouse
Status: In drivetrain restoration, engine runs
Originally built as Elk River Mill & Lumber Co. No. 3, it worked only 10 years until the mill shut down for good. A junk dealer scrapped the boiler and sold the rest to Mutual Plywood Corp. where a Murphy diesel engine was mounted on the frame and it was used as a mill switcher. In the 1960s it became U.S. Plywood Corp. No. M62; U.S. Plywood was subsequently purchased by Simpson Timber Co. Sold to Frank Bayliss for display at a small tourist railroad at Alton, it was purchased from him by the Association in 1991.
Purchased new in 1910, serving 51 years, it was the last remaining steam locomotive at Pacific Lumber Co. Delivered as a wood burner, it was converted to burn oil during its first summer on the property. It probably hauled lumber to the company wharf at Fields Landing before completion of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad in 1914. It later hauled logs near Freshwater and from South Fork and Carlotta. Log trains ran over the N.W.P. to get to Scotia with P.L. equipment, but N.W.P. crews. Toward the end of her service, No. 29 served as backup for larger steam locomotives and later three diesel locomotives. It was retubed in 1960, then retired in 1961. In serviceable condition, it was stored in the engine house until donated to the Association in 1986.
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Pacific Lumber Company #29
Builder & Year: Baldwin 1910
Type: 2-6-2
Weight: 60 tons
Construction #: 34484
Location: Samoa Roundhouse
Status: Non-operational, under evaluation for restoration
Elk River Mill and Lumber Company #1, the “Falk”
Builder & Year: Marshutz & Cantrell 1884
Type: 0-4-0t
Weight: 9 tons
Construction #: 1
Location: Samoa Machine Shop
Status: Temporarily non-operational, in transportation for repairs
This “gypsy” type locomotive was purchased by Noah Falk in San Francisco and brought by ship to Arcata, CA. It was first used to haul logs at the Dolly Varden Mill in north Arcata until moved to Falk, California in 1885. Used on the Elk River Mill & Lumber Co. railroad, it was the only locomotive until 1903. In 1900 the railroad was extended five miles up a canyon to new timber. The grade required a larger locomotive and No. 1 was relegated to switching duties near the mill when No. 2 arrived in 1903. In 1927 a third locomotive was purchased and the Falk was retired (No. 3 is in the THA collection but in the 1950s it was converted to a diesel–Mutual Plywood No. 54).
The Falk was given to the city of Eureka, California, for use in a 1937 Fourth of July parade operating on street car tracks on Second Street in Eureka. It was then displayed at Fort Humboldt and given to the State of California when the military fort became a state park. Restored by Timber Heritage Association volunteer labor and State Parks funding in 1986, it operates monthly during the summer at Fort Humboldt State Historic Park Logging Exhibit. Owned by the City of Eureka, loaned to California State Parks. There are only 12 locomotives anywhere in the U.S. or Canada that are older than the Falk that still operate.
Bear Harbor Lumber Co. #1, the “Gypsy”
Builder & Year: Marshutz & Cantrell 1893
Type: 0-4-0t
Weight: 12 tons
Construction #: 8100
Location: Fort Humboldt State Park
Status: Temporarily non-operational, awaiting maintenance
The Bear Harbor “Gypsy” locomotive was built in 1893 by Marshutz & Cantrell in San Francisco and brought north for use at the Bear Harbor Lumber Company. Designed for the rugged terrain of Northern California’s coastal logging industry, it hauled tanbark and lumber along the Bear Harbor Railroad to the shipping wharf. In the early 1900s, the line was extended to Andersonia, requiring extensive trestles and a tunnel through solid rock. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake and financial struggles led to the railroad’s decline, and operations ceased soon after. The Gypsy was stored for decades until it was donated to the State of California in 1962.
Restored in 1979 through the efforts of volunteers and State Parks staff, the Bear Harbor Gypsy is now part of the Fort Humboldt State Historic Park Logging Exhibit. It remains one of the few surviving examples of a “Gypsy” type locomotive and operates occasionally during summer events. Owned by the State of California, it stands as a testament to the ingenuity and challenges of early logging railroads on the North Coast.
Logging & Other Railroad Rolling Stock
Arcata & Mad River Railroad #60
The Arcata & Mad River Railroad (AMRR) built the number 60, a crew maintenance vehicle, or speeder, in the late 1930s. It was used as an inspection car and occasionally as an ambulance, but mostly to bring railroad work crews to repair tracks, trestles, crossings, and culverts between Arcata and Korbel. Eureka’s Acme foundry did the original castings for the brakes. There were at least six speeders built but #60 is the only one known to still exist. The original engine was from a Hudson automobile, and was replaced with a 1953 Ford industrial engine in the 1960s. After some years of intermittent use, care, and neglect Timber Heritage Association (THA) volunteers began a restoration of the vehicle in 2008. They rebuilt and straightened parts of the roof, rear frame, and deck. They also replaced and rebuilt parts of the engine, brakes, electrical system (front and rear headlights and brake lights), and exhaust system. Work that totaled over 300 hours also included painting the wood and metal parts and window replacement. This was made possible mainly from donations by members and local businesses.
During the winter of 2017-2018 THA replaced the 1953 engine with a rebuilt 1959 Ford six-cylinder engine of similar displacement. This work was completed with nearly 100 hours of volunteer work that also included a transmission upgrade, other adjustments, repainting, and new motor mounts.
A similar Pacific Lumber Company crew car, with the motor removed, is used as a trailer car for extra seating. The two operate in tandem to haul THA visitors on the fourth Saturday of June-September in Samoa and at various other Humboldt locations, including Eureka Old town and Loleta, on selected dates. Please consult the THA calendar for all speeder/crew car run dates and locations.
Northwestern Pacific Business Car #06, Redwood
This car was built by Pullman in 1916 as a coach for the Texas & New Orleans Railroad (No. 823). In 1926 Southern Pacific had several Texas & New Orleans coaches converted to branch line business cars. This car became official car No. 987, the Beaumont; it was renamed the Victoria in 1929. The car was sold to the Southern Pacific in 1941 and then sold/assigned to the Northwestern Pacific Railroad. It served as the NWP business car No. 06, the Redwood, from 1941 to 1954. Subsequently it became NWP maintenance of way car No. 211.
Northwestern Pacific Coach #460
Built by Pullman in 1914, this car was part of a group of thirty new mainline cars–the last new cars purchased for the railroad. In 1957 the passenger car was transferred to maintenance of way, and became MW200. Seats were removed during the maintenance of way service days. Wes and Cindy Vail purchased the car (and No. 211) in 1974 and restored it over a period of time. The missing conventional coach seats were replaced by individual parlor car seats. The three former NWP cars were donated to THA in 2010.
Southern Pacific Dining Car No. 10121
This 1916 dining car was built by Pullman for the El Paso & Southwestern Railroad as No. 873. It was used on the Golden State Limited, a luxurious Chicago to Los Angeles train operated by the Rock Island, El Paso & Southwestern, and the Southern Pacific. This fancy dining car with mahogany paneling, inlaid wood designs, stained glass windows, brass fixtures and the rest of the train were designed to compete with other fancy name trains like the Santa Fe’s California Limited. It was removed from the Golden State in the 1920s when SP took over the EP&S and then used throughout the SP system. It was renumbered No. 10121 (all SP diner numbers started with 10). Its use in passenger service ended in 1939 when it became MW No.903. It was assigned as a kitchen car on a dedicated major wreck clearing train out of Oakland. It was assigned to Northwestern Pacific maintenance of way service in 1955 as NWPMW No. 903. It was last used in the reconstruction of the NWP after the 1964 flood. The NWP never had dining cars (they stopped in Willits for daytime trains). Even though in maintenance of way service, it retained some of its dining car features. It was purchased by Wes and Cindy Vail in 1968 and donated to THA in 2010.
The Inside Track
The pullman car was a gift shop in Old Town Eureka, and the NCRA agreed to help Timber Heritage Association move the car to a private siding at California Redwood Company at Brainard for storage.
The Pacific Lumber Company Caboose No. 5
The caboose was home built in TPL’s Scotia shops. It was purchased from the Town Of Scotia Company in 2010 by Marcus Brown and donated to THA as a memorial to his mother. It is currently coupled to and pulled by the Arcata & Mad River R.R. 101 and stored inside of the Car Barn in Samoa.
Fruit Growers Express Refrigerator Car No. 56316
This wooden refrigerator car was built by the Fruit Growers Express Company in 1928. This car is currently undergoing external restoration and has been repainted in traditional company colors. The main body is a yellow with black lettering being applied by long time THA volunteer Wes Fulton.
Southern Pacific Commute Cars Nos. 2091, 2095, 2106, and 2148
Built in 1924, these coach cars served in suburban commuter service between San Jose and San Francisco until 1985. After retirement they were purchased by the Golden Gate Railroad Museum. They were sold to the Virginia & Truckee Railway Reconstruction Commission and moved by rail to the Western Pacific Railroad Museum at Portola. The state commission decided the cars were too heavy and too long for use on the extended Virginia & Truckee project and so were sold to THA. They were moved by truck to Samoa in 2010.