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McCloud Rails: McCloud River Lumber Company Railroad Equipment
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The McCloud River Lumber Company did not own much of its own railroad equipment. With the exception
of a couple of small Plymouth switchers and the GE 70-tonner #1, all motive power used in the woods operations
were leased from the McCloud River Railroad. The railroad also provided all log cars and most service cars
used on the lumber company railroad operations. However, there were a few exceptions.
The lumber company did own at least three steam powered cranes. All three were manufactured by Brownhoist and
were self-propelled. #8 was the largest of the three, and it was equipped with side rods to help it to propel itself
along. The #8 was scrapped in the early 1950's. The other two cranes were smaller than the #8, but were also
self propelled. They were numbered 15 and 16. In the late 1950's or early 1960's these two cranes were given
to the McCloud River Railroad. The #15 was re-built as a diesel powered crane and was re-numbered McCloud River
Railroad #72; the #16 remained steam powered, but was stored in derelict shape. The #16 survived well into the
1980s before being scrapped, while the #15/#72 survived on the railroad until 1986, when it was deeded to the
Great Western Railroad Museum as part of a lawsuit settlement. The #72 is still stored in McCloud, albeit in
pieces, and is available for sale as of this writing.
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Crane #8 rests behind the Pondosa shops along with some other equipment. Photo from the Dennis Sullivan collection.
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An shot of locomotive #4 pushing one of the smaller cranes (#15 or #16). Photo from the Marc Reusser collection.
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Another shot of one of the smaller cranes at Pondosa, with a steam shovel in the background. Photo from the Dennis Sullivan collection.
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More pictures of the lumber company cranes can be seen on the Brownhoist Cranes page off of the Surviving Former McCloud Equipment Page.
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