Built for power more than speed. Eccles Lumber Company #3 hauls a short work extra eastbound out of Sumpter, toward Baker City on a sparkling winter morning in February.
Although she carries the Eccles Lumber livery, this little 40-ton Heisler is a native to the Sumpter Valley line. Numerous logging operations had connections with the SVRy at various points along the line and Eccles Lumber was one of them. Of the three basic types of geared locomotives, the Heisler had definite advantages for an outfit like Eccles. The V-twin engine had the power and traction needed on the mountain logging lines, but it could also make decent speed on level track, allowing it to work in conjunction with more conventional engines. This particular engine was built in 1915, and like most of the locomotives that ran on the Sumpter Valley, she burned wood, and still does today. In the scene above, she hauls West Side Lumber Company Coffin Tank Car #5, a couple of loaded flats, and Sumper Valley Caboose #3 as part of a 2014 Lerro Productions photo charter.
