Logging Railways in British Columbia

Hillcrest Lumber Co. Ltd. 9 50-ton Climax #1359 6/15 Mesachie Lake, VI. July 18, 1957
Fred Spurrell Jr./Walter C. Casler Collection
Preserved 1965 at British Columbia Forest Museum, Duncan, VI.

Mayo Lumber 3 50-ton Shay Lima #3262 4/24 Displayed by Mayo 1959.
Preserved 1967 at BC Forest Museum, Duncan, VI. 1995 to Kettle Valley Steam (tourist) Ry.

Osborne Bay Wharf 1 (acq. 3/47 ex Mayo Lbr.) Shay
Lima #3147 12/20 Crofton, VI
Originally, Hillcrest Lumber 1, Cowichan Valley;. (2) Export Lumber Co.; (3) Mayo Lumber Co.
Retired 1963. Preserved (conv. narrow gauge) at British Columbia Discovery Center, Duncan, VI.

Elk Falls 1 2-truck 50-ton Shay oil-fired. Lima 3289 10/25 Elk Falls, VI. November 1967.
Howard Serig Jr/W.G.Carruthers Col'n

This was the last steam locomotive in Canada in use for revenue freight. It switched the barge operation at Duncan Bay on Vancouver Island and the Elk Falls paper mill an isolated operation, having been transferred there from Comox Logging & Railway of parent company Crown Zellerbach Canada. It was finally retired in 1973 and in 1974 found its way to the National Museum of Science & Technology (now; Canada Science and Technology Museum) in Ottawa where it was eventually restored to occasional operation on their property. Built for Merrill & Ring Lumber 4, Thedosia Arm, BC, it was sold in May 1942 to Comox Logging and Railway 15 for their extensive logging railway at Ladysmith, VI. In 1951 it went to Elk Falls.

MacMillan & Bloedel 1044 was one of the last operating steam locomotives in BC. Porter #6877 5/24 Chemainus, VI
It still exists in Chemainus. Another former M&B engine 2-6-2 1077 met a better fate, it still operates at Fort Steele BC Provincial Heritage Park along with yet another BC logging engine Canfor 115 a three truck Shay.

Canadian Forest Products (CANFOR) (acq.1948) 112 2-6-2T 90-ton BLW #56323 3/23
August 1965 Nimpkish Lake Camp, VI. John R.Cumming/W.G.Carruthers Col'n
Built Snoqualmie Falls Lumber 6 (WA) it became Weyerhaeuser 6 (WA).
It was retired in 1968 and put on display at CANFOR in Beaver Cove, VI where it remains.