Spot news. Western Vancouver Island Industrial Heritage Society. [Inset] Salvaging the CANFOR No. 112 See story inside, Pp. 6-7

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1 July 2015 Steam Up McLean Mill Spot news Western Vancouver Island Industrial Heritage Society Issue 58 February 2015 [Inset] Salvaging the CANFOR No. 112 See story inside, Pp. 6-7 TWO-SPOT RESTORATION begins with a wash 1912 logging Shay outside the Roundhouse, after a power-wash. (More on p. 2) Annual General Meeting: February 18, 2015 at Echo Centre, Port Alberni, at 7 p.m.

2 ALBERNI PACIFIC RAILWAY December saw much more activity on the rails than has been seen since the end of freight service to the Valley in There were eight Santa Trains and five Christmas Specials out to the McLean Mill. There were about 1400 passengers on the former and around 500 persons rode out to the Mill to check out the Christmas lights and the Market. In January, the RS-3 ALCO diesel ran for seven days for the BCIT Conductor Training practica and related work while the small GE diesel the Macmillan-Bloedel paper mill switcher No was operated for three days. The small diesel was also used to move the McLean Buda gas locomotive into position for loading on to a lowbed for transportation to the Industrial Heritage Centre. Winter maintenance on the No. 7 locomotive Photo: T. Mollet was put on hold, due to the visit of BC s Lieutenant-Governor, Judith Guichon, who was offered a steam train ride to the McLean Mill by the City of Port Alberni. Buda on lowbed with No. 11 in background. (l.) Station Platform Repairs Michael Stewart (in photo] and David Hooper replaced rotten planks in the Station platform before the Santa Train runs. Photos: P. Hooper The 1912 Shay locomotive, the iconic TwoSpot - the first logging locomotive to work in the Alberni Valley- was pulled outside for the first time in ten years, in December. Rod Gledhill power-washed the vintage loci in front of the Roundhouse as the first step in restoration work on the old work-horse. The ultimate goal is to have the Shay on public display so that Port Albernians may see this important artifact once again. Donations?? The AV Museum will provide a tax receipt! (l.) Visit of Lt.-Governor Judith Guichon It s a clean machine. (below) Rod Gledhill washing the other side of the Shay The Royal Train (l. to r.) Hugh Grist, Mayor Mike Ruttan, Rod Gledhill, Lieutenant-Governor Guichon, Kevin Hunter, Engineer 2 John Land, Ken Rutherford. Page sponsored by L&B Woodchoppers

3 WORKING ON THE RAILROAD Ted Mollet (l.) and John Land prepare for Santa Train. Santa with a young fan K.G. Campbell delivers Santa & Elves to Station (r.) Flag Lady, Sally Anderson at work. (below) Jan Jansma cleaning coaches for Lt.-Governor Visit. (below) BCIT Student Conductors make a class photo with I.H.S. crew. Caboose Restoration Ex- CN caboose salvaged from Nanaimo had a lot of rot in the walls. D. Gledhill has replaced the bracing with yellow cedar, cut at McLean Mill. 3 (l. to r.) J. Land, T. Mollet, K. Hunter, R. Hurst Page sponsored by Macdermott s Insurance Agency Photos: D. Hooper

4 MEMBERS at WORK Decorating the Santa Train Marilyn, Rod Clark, Sally Anderson, M. Stewart. Santa congratulates Jan Jansma on receiving Heritage Commission Award for outstanding dedication & volunteer contribution to preserving community heritage. Santa Train Crew Photos: D. Hooper (Below) Preparing for arrival of No. 112 Soup Campbell & Bert Simpson drive shovels while Ken Fyfe clears debris with his Bobcat. A lot of work has been done to be ready for the arrival of the 112 clearing brush, moving equipment & the fence. EDITOR S NOTES: A Shout-Out to the local businesses and individuals who support Industrial Heritage by sponsoring a page of this Newsletter. Thank them and support them, too. We have lost two of our old members since the summer. Our sympathies go out to the families of Dave Tranfield and Lorne Bratt, with our thanks to them for lending Dave and Lorne to the I.H.S. over the years. We miss them. Donations may be made in their memory and receipts will be issued by the Museum. The BC Railway Historical Society is generously funding a large share of the project to salvage the 112 locomotive at Beaver Cove, already donating $10,000. Although this move is currently preoccupying the I.H.S., restoration work on the local Two-Spot Shay steam loco is a priority. The Alberni Valley Museum will issue tax receipts for the Charitable donation! Thanks to author Robert Turner for donating books for sale at the AGM to help fund the 112 move. 4 MEMBERSHIP IN THE W.V.I.I.H.S. $15 / year Cash or cheque to: Barry Miller 6601 Golden Eagle Way Nanaimo V9V 1P8 Tel SPOT NEWS SPOT NEWS is published thrice yearly and is a benefit of membership in the I.H.S. and you are supporting the preservation of Industrial heritage on Vancouver Island. Send queries or material for articles to D. Hooper Tel or dshooper@telus.net

5 LORNE BRATT (March 6,1932 January 17, 2015) The entire membership of the I.H.S. is saddened to hear Lorne Bratt passed away a few days ago. I had the privilege of knowing Lorne and his family for the past 45 years, yes 45. I was the Principal of Glenwood\ Beaufort Elementary Schools and all four of Lorne s children attended. From the very beginning, It was obvious that Natalie, Ian, Rochelle, and Art came from a solid loving home. Lorne was a very quiet man, he didn t say much but he didn t have to. The care and hard work he expended for his wife and children spoke for itself. He was always there for them. I remember Lorne telling me a few years ago that he was going to accompany Art to a new Job in the Interior of B.C. and help him get settled. A sign that good parenting never ends and the sign of a great father and friend. Just a few years ago I remember Pamela and all the children agonizing over having to tell Lorne he would not be permitted to drive anymore. A tough message delivered by the people that cared for him dearly. Thank you Lorne for giving your retirement years to the betterment of the Western Vancouver Island Industrial Heritage Society. As a journeyman mechanic, signs of Lorne s work are evident throughout the Heritage Center [old arena], in parades, and in many of the Summer Industrial Artifact Displays at the Train Station and at the Mclean Mill. A privilege to have known you Lorne. On behalf of the I.H.S., but especially the truckers, Rest in Peace, until we all meet again. Gary Murton, President, Photos: D. Hooper Industrial Heritage Society Clearing snow at I.H.C. Lorne & companion, Abby ready for the parade. 5 This page sponsored by American Truck Historical Society (Vancouver Island Chapter)

6 SALVAGING THE CANFOR s 1923 Baldwin Western Forest Products, the forest company that now manages a rail and truck logging operation in the Nimpkish Valley of northern Vancouver Island, contacted the Industrial Heritage Society in the fall to offer the 112 steam locomotive. The 112 is a with a saddle tank and weighs 70 tons. It was built in 1923 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the Snoqualmie Falls Lumber Co. in Washingon State. Built for logging service, it was short, powerful and with the water tank over the drivers for added traction. It came to Vancouver Island in The 112 is quite similar in appearance to the APR s No. 7, which has however an extra set of drive wheels and weighs 90 tons. The offer from WFP was Take it now or it will be scrapped. The I.H.S. had been trying to obtain the 113 locomotive, a 1920 ALCO, which has a history in the Alberni Valley at A.P.L. Camp One but the Directors decided to accept the WFP offer of the 112. On October 25-26, a crew of I.H.S. volunteers went to Beaver Cove to strip some weight and height from the 112 in preparation for the move. The photo (r.) shows the loci with the cab top, smokestack, steam domes and smoke box cover stripped and laying on the ground. The firebricks were removed from the firebox. The air pump was unbolted; external pipes and air tanks were cut off. Les Stevens (left) looked after all of the cutting work. Here, he is about to cut the straps holding the air tank to the engine. At right, he is helping Gordon Blake to cook the burgers that kept the crew working. Nickel Brothers - the wellknown business that specializes in heavy moving was contacted about moving the loci to Port Alberni. On January 19, they sent a crew to Beaver Cove to prepare the lift. The four(below) 112 working in 1956 man crew, plus Alvin Nickel, had the locomotive jacked up, --E. White photo from Logging by Rail (Robert Turner) (left) Loci cab being loaded onto lowbed. 6 This page sponsored by Probyn Log (Larry Spencer)

7 with girders under each end, and blocked up, six inches off the rails, in less than three hours! A real professional crew! View in clockwise order Ready for Nickel Bros. (J. Jansma) (right) Unloading steel girders and plates. Nickel Bros. worker levels the blocking, in which a jack will be nested. Worker setting a jack in the blocking at the other front corner. Setting steel girder under rear of engine, over the hydraulic jack. As well as a flatdeck with the girders and plates, there was a truck loaded with blocking and a hydraulic pump truck. The lift was synchronized by the pumper truck. Six jacks were used to lift the loci off the rails. (right) Levelling the blocking on the rear corner. Note the pile of firebrick, removed from the firebox to lessen the weight to be moved. Souper-vising the operation Jan Jansma, K.G. (Soup) Campbell and Sandy Macham. Alvin Nickel (white hat) levels the girder under the front of loci while worker brings more blocking. Photos: D. Hooper 7 -This page is sponsored by Probyn Log (Larry Spencer)-

8 NEWEST (and youngest) STEAM LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEER in B.C.? Hearty Congratulations! to Rod Gledhill (middle) who, at 25 years of age, has passed his Exam to gain his Operator s Certificate to drive the Alberni Pacific Railway s Number Seven steam locomotive. The Certificate was presented by APR President, Gary Murton, and Senior APR Engineer, Rollie Hurst. (right) Rod has been working on and around the No. 7 over the past ten years and has qualified as Conductor, Fireman and now, as Engineer for the A.P.R. How to change a Tire? The 1918 hard rubber-tired White, which was restored by I.H.S. members from parts donated by the Campbell River vintage truck group, had come to us with new spare tires. The old rubber was very... tired. [See below.] Asking around, we found no one who knew how to change a large, solid tire. Small tires for a fork lift? - No problem., but otherwise, we drew a blank. After 3 years, Les lost patience. Using Ken Fyfe s 40-ton press and some other jacks for extra persuasion, the new rubber popped into place on the old rim. The other two new tires were pressed onto their rims in short order and the old White now sports new rubber on all four corners! A large double-drum winch has now been mounted on the back of the truck. Well done, Les and Mike! 1918 White with old rubber on 3 corners. (Below) New rubber 8 Page sponsored by D. Grisdale Les & the 40-ton press.

9 More News from the Trucking and Logging Departments Mike Hobson, who restored the 1938 Railroad Mack into a showpiece last year, has almost finished the job of repairing and installing a replacement engine into the vehicle. (l..) Mike & Engine Block. (r.) Engine ready to be installed in the Mack (behind). (right below) Mike is now connecting wiring and fittings. Firewood Splitting Bee Les organized a wood-splitting bee at the McLean Mill to make the 2015 supply for the steam donkey (the OldTime Logging demonstration) and the July Steam-Up Show at the Mill. He brought his Stevens Deluxe Splitter/Conveyor Machine to fill the Baby Euclid truck, which then delivered the wood to the Donkey site. (l.) Wood-splitter Les operates the hydraulic splitter while Bert Simpson feeds the rounds to him. (below) Euclid Bob East piles the split wood from the end of the conveyor. into the Euclid Strathcona Parlour Car Tom Maher and Fred Raven have built stairways at either end of the car, to permit safer access for visitors. They are working on a display to highlight the craftsmanship and elegance that went into this coach for First Class passengers on the new Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway, when it opened in They will restore at least a section of the interior, including a plush chair and table, to show its former glory. 9 This page sponsored by Southside Auto Supply (Don Mallon)

10 RESTORATION at the INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE CENTRE 1926 Federal The late Dave Tranfield gave to the I.H.S. the frame, radiator cowling and engine of a 1926 Federal truck that he had found in Ucluelet. At one time, it had been a BC Electric scissor-lift truck for servicing the trolley wires in the Lower Mainland so, it had an extra-long frame. After some thought. and heated discussions, it was decided to make the Federal into a 1920 s-era tow truck. Dave Walmsley had donated a Reliable winch and boom of that vintage so, that sealed the deal. The frame was stripped and primed and about three feet was cut off, to give the truck the proper proportions. Les Stevens looked after restoring the winch, fabricating missing or broken pieces. A bit of paint finished the job. A rear deck had to be built to support the winch and the tool box, which has yet to be designed. (l.) Measuring for the cab and seat Les (r.) and Bob Pfannenschmidt take measurements while Vic Laughlin looks for the right tool. (r.) Les Stevens measures a board for the rear deck. Painting boom (below). It took a little more animated discussion to decide on what kind of cab to put on the truck. There was only a battered firewall and a piece of windshield frame to start from. The cab will be made of wood. A plywood template was cut out to see what the doorway would look like. (See left) 10 Donations in memory of Dave Tranfield can be made towards this project. - This page sponsored by Kingsley Trucking (Scott Robinson) Photos: D. Hooper