Baker City, OR - by Brian Fitz
In 1970 a group of Baker County residents got together and formed a preservation society to acquire as much of the remaining equipment of the original Sumpter Valley Railway right of way as possible. They hoped to one day restore a portion of the original line to operation. In 1971 the group was able to purchase 2-truck, wood burning Heisler No. 3 from Boise Cascade. The locomotive had survived all these years in a shed in Cascade ID serving as a backup boiler to a lumber mill until 1969. Rails and ties were donated by the Union Pacific, a couple of flat cars were obtained from the D&RGW.
In 1977, two SVRR Baldwin 2-8-2's no.s 19 and 20 were obtained from the White Pass and Yukon. The locomotives were stored in Skagway and operated on WP&Y after their career on the SVRwy ended. In 1992 the 19 was trucked to Portland OR where Doyle McCormack's steam crew spent 4 years restoring the mike to operating condition.
The history of the SVRR is much more interesting and detailed, and you can learn more by visiting the Sumpter Valley Railway home page.
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