COC No.5 - Lima Shay #2366 Project

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COC No.5 - Lima Shay #2366 Project

HELP us restore a Lima 3 Truck 70 Ton Standard gauge shay to full operating condition. WE NEED YOUR HELP

The ELD & M has spent the last four and a half years searching the United States for a Lima 3 Truck Shay. This unique steam locomotive will become the centre piece of a tribute to the Commonwealth Oil Corporation Limited. This British company was responsible for building the massive oil shale works at Newnes together with the Wolgan Valley railway at the turn of the last century. The Commonwealth

Oil Corporation built the 53 kilometre railway in a record 14 months which included two tunnels in some of the most inaccessible country in the district. It then imported four Lima shay locomotives to operate the line because of its steep grades and tight radius curves. Unfortunately the whole operation only lasted about 30 years
with the plant and equipment being either sold or relocated to other locations by 1934. The shay locomotives were left to the elements and sat in the valley deteriorating for another 20 years before they were finally cut up in 1955. During the 80 or so years that Lima was building shay locomotives for the world market they constructed 2768 locomotives in various gauges and sizes. Today there are only 116 known surviving examples of which approximately 25 are operational. After many months of negotiating the Eskbank Locomotive Depot & Museum were able to finalise a deal and acquire a 70 Ton 3 Truck Shay from California. The recently purchased locomotive was built in 1910 by the Lima Locomotive & Machine Company (Builders No. 2366) for the Raleigh Lumber Company of West Virginia where it was allocated engine number 35. It ended its working life in 1965 hauling coal for the Brimstone & New River RR after which it spent some time in a Museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee and then wound up in private hands in California. Once restored #2366 will be renumbered to follow on in the Commonwealth Oil Corporations roster of locomotives as No.5. The shay will be displayed at Eskbank and operate on
the Lithgow State Mine branch. We are now launching a campaign to raise the necessary funds to provide for a ground up restoration of the locomotive. All donations over $2.00 will be tax deductable even in kind support will be recognised. For details on how you can support the restoration of Australia's only standard gauge shay go to our website.

Address

PO Box 350
Lithgow, NSW
2790

Telephone

+61427455580

Website

http://www.eskbanklocomotivedepotmuseum.com.au/

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Our Story

The Eskbank Locomotive Depot & Museum Limited (ELDM) was registered with ASIC as a not for profit Company Limited by Guarantee in April, 2014, as a result of the Australian Taxation Office introducing a requirement that all organisations holding DGR (Deductible Gift Recipient) status must become a registered charity. On the 14th April, 2014 ELD & M was registered with ACNC with DGR status by the ATO

The Eskbank Locomotive Depot & Museum which is to be developed on the site of the former Eskbank Locomotive Depot in the eastern end of the Eskbank yard will house the company’s collection of locomotives and rollingstock as part of a living Museum concept in conjunction with the tourist railway operating on the State Mine branch.

The quest to find a shay locomotive began in 2010 by COC Limited (a not for profit company, limited by guarantee volunteer operated) who begun the search in the United States for a Lima 3 Truck Shay locomotive which would become the centre piece for a tribute to the Commonwealth Oil Corporation Limited’s (COC) efforts to develop the Shale oil works at Newnes. COC was a British company established in 1905 to invest in rich oil shale deposits found in Australia at the time. They raised 800 pound initially to build the 53 kilometre railway into the Wolgan valley to service the massive oil shale works it had established at the turn of the last century.

The Company imported four Lima 3 truck shay locomotives ( 1 x 65T, 2 x 70T and 1 x 90T) to operate the line because of its steep grades and tight radius curves. Unfortunately the whole operation only lasted about 30 years as it was plagued with industrial disputes an ownership change and lengthy stoppages. In the end the plant closed in 1932 with the equipment being either sold or relocated to other locations by 1934. The shay locomotives were left to the elements and sat in the valley deteriorating for another 20 years before they were finally cut up in 1955.

During the sixty or so years that the Lima Locomotive Works were building shay locomotives for the world market they constructed 2768 locomotives in various gauges and sizes. Australia received 20 shays in that period of which there were only 4 standard gauge which which were purchased by COC. Today world wide there are only 116 known surviving examples of which approximately 20 are operational.

After a few years of searching the Eskbank Locomotive Depot & Museum located a 70 Ton 3 Truck Shay in California almost identical to the two 70 ton locomotives which operated at Newnes. Negotiations for the purchase began in 2012 and were concluded in August 2014 when ELD&M purchased the 70 ton 3 truck shay S/N 2366 from Chris Baldo (Roots of Power Museum California).

The locomotive was built in 1910 by the Lima Locomotive & Machine Company (Builders No. 2366) for the Raleigh Lumber Company of West Virginia and was last operated by the Brimstone Railroad in Tennessee with its sister engine where it ended its working life in 1965 hauling coal for the Brimstone & New River RR as No.35 after which it spent some time in a Museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee and wound up in private hands in California.

The loco was transported back to California with a view to restoring it to operate on a private railway. Unfortunately the loco was stripped down but the restoration plans were put on hold and the loco sat in pieces in a paddock for 10 years until were arrived on the scene.

Once restored #2366 will be renumbered to follow on in the Commonwealth Oil Corporations locomotive roster as COC No.5. The shay will be displayed at Eskbank and operate on the Lithgow State Mine branch. We are currently looking for options and costings to have the locomotive which is broken down into several large items and 14 pallets to be transported from its current storage place to a facility near the port where it can be cleaned and packed into containers for the voyage to Australia.

We will shortly begin a campaign to raise the necessary funds to assit us with the shipping costs and to prepare for the ground up restoration of the locomotive once it has arrived in Australia. Because the ELD&M has the DGR status all donations over $2.00 will be tax deductible even in kind support will be recognised. For details on how you can support the restoration of Australia's only standard gauge shay go to our website.