Columbia Steel Engine No. 300

"The Heber Valley Railroad has acquired a rare 0-6-0 type steam locomotive, former Columbia Steel Corporation No. 300, which has quietly rusted away for the past forty years in a Provo Park. Plans call for the locomotive to be moved by semi truck to the Heber City maintenance shop during the summer of 2003, and after a complete overhaul it should be back in steam by 2005.

The No. 300 spent all of its life working as a switch engine at the Columbia Steel Corporations iron manufacturing plant at Ironton, Utah, moving slag cars between the coking plant and blast furnaces. The last days of steam at Ironton came in the late 1950s. It is unclear when No. 300 was retired, but by 1960 the plant had changed over to diesel locomotives, and the steam
locomotives were taken out of service. The No. 300 was obtained in the early 1960s by the Geneva Recreation Association and placed it on display at their private park in Provo near the Geneva mill.

In early 2003 the GRA offered the engine to the Heber Valley Railroad, the only place in Utah where the engine can be restored and used again. In a few years, when it finally rolls out of the
engine house under its own power, No. 300 will join Union Pacific 2-8-0 #618 and Great Western 2-8-0 #75 as regular power for the Heber Valley Railroad’s scenic run along Deer Creek Reservoir and Down Provo Canyon."

No. 300 Was removed from the GRA park on 07/07/03 and taken to Vivian Park, where #618 pulled it along the 16 miles through Provo Canyon and around Deer Creek Reservoir. It is now in the Heber Yard waiting to start its restoration. I have some pictures of this incredible event and I will post them once I have developed them, and I will keep you all updated on its progress.

Freelancer
 

Clerk

Active Member
Thanks Freelancer for the note on #300. Will be interesting to see it come out of restoration in 2005 if I am still among the living.
 
It has been quite a while, but I have finally got around to getting these pictures up. Here is the first one.
 

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The last one was kind of small, I will see if I can get this one a little bigger.
 

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shaygetz

Active Member
Too, too cool, my C&S 2-6-0 Mogul will have to wait a piece before it has some trackage to run on. This is the perfect way to display it in the meantime. Whodathunkit that a couple o' lowboys pulled pulled by diesel tractors would be up to the tasks, thanks for the pics.
 

Clerk

Active Member
Freelancer.. That looks like a Baldwin. We have one in Woodland Ca. being overhauled. It is covered with a tarp now as the man working on it got injured somehow.

Shaygets... That election year prayer I printed it on the back of our bulletin last Sunday. Several people including the preacher remarked on it.
 
Clerk, it is a Baldwin, the HVRR now owns three Baldwin's. Movie train #75, and UP 618, both of those are 1907. I am not sure about the year on this one.
 
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