Klamath Northern Railway

Baldwin 2-6-2 #204

Acquired new by Gilchrist-Fordney (Mississippi).
Sold/transferred to Gilchrist Timber Co., Gilchrist, OR in 1938?
Sold/transferred to Klamath Northern Railway in 1940.

Scrapped in 1955 (replaced by GE 70-ton #205).
Tender converted to snowplow , still on property (as of August 27, 2004).

Erin Ortmann collection

Notes on back of photo say this photo was taken 4/24/48. In the wonderful book "Railroad Logging in Klamath County", author Jack Bowden includes of photo of the 204 enroute from Mississippi to Gilchrist at Los Angeles dated April 10, 1938. She is wearing the same lettering and striping, but lacks the front snowplow and spark arrestor on the stack. The author states "Pictures of this engine lettered for Gilchrist Timber Comany are rare. Soon (the emphasis is mine) after her arrival at Gilchrist, the lettering on the tender was changed to read Klamath Northern Rwy.". Another photo in the book dated May 30, 1952, shows her lettered "Klamath Northern Rwy." with bolder striping (with only one rectangle on the tender side), with snowplows front and rear. Nothing proven here, just thought I'd share the limited facts I have available.

GE 70-ton #205

Acquired new by the Klamath Northern.

Replaced in 1982 by GE 125-tonner #207.
Stored at Gilchrist from 1982 to 1990.
Sold Nov. 1990 to the Modesto & Empire Traction, renumbered #609.

The 205 is unusual in having additional air inlets cut into the hood doors. I am not sure if the unit was delivered with the air intakes like this, or if they were added by the KN.

Keith Ardinger photo My collection	Gilchrist, OR July? 1971
Sheldon Perry collection	Gilchrist, OR May 1978
John Bauer photos	Gilchrist, OR July 20, 1982
Greg Brown photo	Gilchrist Jct., OR November 1990 #205 delivered to the SP interchange at Gilchrist Jct. in November 1990, enroute to the Modesto & Empire Traction.
Ernst Worrell photo	Modesto, CA April 13, 2004 Modesto & Empire Traction #608 (ex- Hood doors are from ex-KN #205 When I originally posted this photo, I just assumed that this was M&ET #609, ex-KN #205. Those mis-matched hood doors with Klamath Northern lettering seemed to be a dead giveaway. However, I have received information from Ken Ardinger (via Jeff Moore) that the unit in the photo is actually M&ET #608 (ex-Oregon Pacific & Eastern #12, exx-Port of Tacoma #702, nee-McCloud River Lumber Company #1) with hood doors off of M&ET #609/KN #205. According to Ken, M&ET #609 has been operating in full M&ET paint since 1993. Not sure of the reason for the door-swap, though.

Baldwin 40-ton #206

Acquired in 1970's, ex-International Paper #224 (Veneta, OR), nee-Long-Bell #401.

Considering this locomotive's small size, it must have only been used as a mill switcher.

Donated in 1983 to the California State Railroad Museum, Sacramento, CA. Restored as Klamath Northern #206, on display outdoors as of September, 2000.

The fact that this little locomotive is listed as being bult by Baldwin puzzled me at first, however, the "Second Diesel Spotter's Guide" came to the rescue again, explaining why this little unit that appears to have been bult by Whitcomb is listed as being built by Baldwin.

In 1931 the Baldwin Locomotive Works purchased 92 percent stock control of the George D. Whitcomb Company of Rochelle, IL, manufacture of small industrial locomotives, and operated it as the Whitcomb Locomotive Works. In 1940 Whitcomb was merged into Baldwin and operated as a division. Production of Whitcomb locomotives was shifted from Rochelle, IL, to Baldwin's Eddystone (Pennsylvania) works in February 1952. Whitcomb's name continued to appear on locomotives until December 1952, when the Whitcomb designs were built with Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton identification only (Baldwin merged with Lima-Hamilton in 1950 to form Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton Corp.). Baldwin produced it's last locomotive in 1956, I assume production of the Whitcomb designs also ended at the same time.

John Bauer photo	Gilchrist, OR July 20, 1982
	California State Railroad Museum Sacramento, CA Summer 1986
	California State Railroad Museum Sacramento, CA Summer 1987
	California State Railroad Museum Sacramento, CA May 10, 1991
Sheldon Perry photo	California State Railroad Museum Sacramento, CA May 16, 1995
	California State Railroad Museum Sacramento, CA August 20, 2000

GE 125-ton SL144 #207

Acquired new by the Klamath Northern.
Still in service.

Things must have been prosperous for the Gilchrist Timber Co. in 1982 to justify the purchase of a brand new locomotive. The 207 is a fairly rare GE model SL144, part of GE's 1974 line of center cab switchers.

John Bauer photo

Gilchrist, OR July 21, 2003

Bibliography/Credits:

• Western Shortline Rosters Klamath Northern Railway page for serial numbers, build dates, and unit histories (used here with the author's permission).
• "American Shortline Railway Guide - 3rd Edition", Edward A. Lewis, Kalmbach Books, 1986, for serial numbers and builders dates, also a good side view of #207 confirming it is a GE model SL144.
• "The Contemporary Diesel Spotter's Guide", Louis A. Marre and Jerry A. Pinkepank, Kalmback Books, 1989, for information and specifications on GE's SL-series switchers.
• "Encylopedia of Western Railroad History - Volume III - Oregon/Washington", Donald B. Robertson, Caxton Printers, 1995, roster information and locomotive data.
• John Bauer, Greg Brown, Sheldon Perry, and Ernst Worrell for contributing and/or allowing me to use their photos on this page.