W.H. Eccles Lumber Company's two-truck "Hustler"Whoops, did I say "Hustler"? I meant Heisler! In a
pan shot captured at a shutter speed of 1/10th, we see the fireman of Sumpter Valley Railway's No. 3 leaning out of the cab for a clear view as he hustles his train west through Sumpter, OR. The Heisler was the fastest of the geared steam locomotive designs, and yet was still claimed by its manufacturer to have the same low-speed hauling ability. What? I wasn't going to pan it?
Sumpter Valley's No. 3 was was built in Erie, PA, by Heisler Locomotive Works in 1915 for W.H. Eccles Lumber Co. located nearby at Austin, OR. The owner of Eccles Lumber Company was none other than William Hutchinson Eccles, an immigrant from Scotland who settled in Ogden Valley, Utah in 1863. William's son, David, well aware of the huge demand for wood for both housing and, of course, railroad ties, also found work in the lumber industry. David was quite successful working in various enterprises in both Utah and Oregon. David was a hard worker - in fact, he reported himself to have traveled over 44,000 miles in 1904.. Perhaps he used the 2-truck Heisler seen above?? With his savings, he and his associates went on to build both the Sumpter Valley and Mount Hood railroads. David Eccles later went on to become Utah's first millionaire.
