Today I found WS&CV Plymouth #1 in the woods at Smith Flat,CA along with some rolling stock. Very cool!!! Was wondering if anybody had any history or builder info on it?? Thanks.
Well, at least I have heard the WS&CV name. But that's where my knowledge comes to a sudden stop. Sounds like a new project for your web site! Boxcab E50
John- I posted your question to the Westside Lumber Company Yahoo! group. I will pass on any answers I get over there. Jeff Moore Elko, NV
Thanks Jeff. I once belonged to that group but kept having trouble getting the emails from any of my Yahoo groups. I've also posted on the Narrow Guage Discussion Forum. Boxcab, the WS&CV was a tourist type train ride based in Camino,CA (aka Apple Hill). Used alot of ex Westside Lumber equip and locos from all over(have heard up to 13 different locos). Ran on the old Michigan California Lumber row. Mr Bell of Taco Bell fame was one of the main owners. I do have an old brochure with schedule and such I got from a fellow named Ken Yeo. Ken was at one involoved with restorations at the CRSM and now spends most of his time at the NCNG and Transportation Museum in Nevada City, and I believe but could be wrong was at one time a partial owner or invester of the WS&CV as well. Much equipment still exists but finding this loco was a complete surprise. I have many other pics of surviving equipent scattered throughout my site. Maybe someday I'll put them all together as a page itself. Of course once I get the film developed, the pics will be posted on my site on the Placerville page and a couple I took of the old CPLT row nearby on the CPLT page. On a side note, the site of the mill at Smith Flat seems to be under redevelopment of some sort. Most of the cement foundations and pavement is being broken up and in huge piles. Everything is fenced off.
John- So far we have the following answers: From John Cummings: "Jeff, The location at Smith's flat is where the old lady who has been supporting WS and D&C "restoration" has stored the equipment that another fan had in the Tuolumne area. The only non WS equi[pment there is a Rio Grande boxcar. Russ Simpson lives about half a mile away in this area. I have visited him many times and usually go by the storage site to see what remains. It is getting worse every year with several woody cars completely falling apart. I hope some steps can be taken to preserve this stuff, as even the steel and iron parts can be used in restorations. At this site is a caboose, the Plymouth, a tank car, a long flat, parts for several skeleton cars and some odd trucks. Tim will probably comment on this on line and will give the names of the owners etc. John Cummings" And this from another group member: "The plymouth in not "in the woods" but on someones property.Ede" That's all for tonight. -Jeff
Ok, I know it is not technically in the woods but you should see it. Close enough! Thanks for the info. I guess the owner is a lady named Bev. I saw no Rio Grande box car there that I've seen mentioned a couple times. Just the caboose, TWO tanks, a flat in terrible shape and the plymouth. Also a bunch of rail and extra wheel sets and trucks. The latter which may be the skeleton cars mentioned. My main interest is the plymouth. Would love to have a history to go with it. Again thanks!!
John- As I told someone else I am just the messenger here... The service outage yesterday prevented me from uploading any more responses, so here is what has accumulated in the past 48 hours: From John Cummings: "Jeff---The WS Plymouth #1 is model DL about 8 tons. A very popular size and bought in all gauges. We have a standard gauge one in Tacoma at Camp 6. They originally came with a Buda engine but many were re-powered. There is another one owned by a fan in the area just north of Tuolumne--I think it is 30 inch gauge and was one of those used by Pickering in their dry yard. WS also had two smaller Plymouths whose remains were in the upper yard in the 1950s--don't know what they were used for or what happened to them. There is a drawing for the DL type in one of the magazines, maybe Gazette--made from the machine that was at Golden, Colo. at the tourist line there. John C." "Jeff: I'm not sure that the plymouth was and original West Side unite, unless the front windows have a diagonal window inset at each of the outer edges of the windshield. All of that Smith Flat equipment is owned by Bev Cola of Placerville. She bought almost the entire collection from Glen Tyra of Tuolumne some years ago. Long caboose 4, a tank car, a couple of flats (one an equipment flat) and a log car or two are in that collection. The WS&CV brought in equipment from other ng railroads, even a D&RGW box car, so one has to be careful about the WS authenticy of equipment lettered for the WS&CV or found on the West Side Tuolumne property after the WS shut down the railroad in 1961. Best regards, Hart Corbett" "Hart--Oops, Bev Cola. JC" "Hart--It is. Nanny owns it and the rest of the junk there. John C." "The D&RG box car was moved to the yard of the El Dorado Lumber Co. early last October. It's currently owned by the El Dorado Western Railway Foundation. All the other cars and the engine are still on Bev's property. You can see it by driving by the Southeast corner of the lumber company's yard." That's all as of right now. Still nothing specific on the heritage of the unit...I will try again... -Jeff
Awesome Jeff!!! John Goldie emailed me with the bit about Bev from Hart. Where is the El Dorado Lumber Co?? I have no idea but would like to get a shot of the boxcar to go on my site too. Thanks for trying. BTW any further info on the US Steel #76???
John- No idea where the El Dorado Lumber Company is. I assume that it is a commercial lumber yard, but where???? I looked around for pictures of that US Steel Baldwin. If it was indeed an ex-Rayonier Baldwin at Pittsburgh then there is no other locomotive that it could be other than the McCloud #30/Rayonier #203/US Steel #16. If you get a chance to get a scan of that photo or anything like that send it along, I'd be interested in taking a look at it. I put in another request for heritage. I will continue to pass along what I get. -Jeff
Right on! Well if my friend wins the slide of the US steel unit, of course I'll be sending it your way!
John- Nothing new tonight. John Cummings thinks he may have some heritage information in his notes, but he has to run that down and get back to me. I will pass any more information along when I get it. Where is this slide up for bid? -Jeff
I screwed the pooch! Nobody caught it though. Not even Mr. Moore. Earlier in my description of the WS & CV, I totally mixed it up with the Camino, Cable & Northern. The CCN did infact run on the old Michigan-California Lumber row out of Camino, not the WSCV. Ken Yeo was associated with the CCN, Mr. Bell the WSCV. The old brochure I have is for the CCN. Boy I really screwed it all up. Got too many things goin at once.
John- We took you at your word...so this Plymouth is actually a Camino, Cable & Northern unit? Jeff Moore Elko, NV
Finally got pics developed!!! Here she is, WSCV #1 Smith Flat,CA. Can't see the lettering due to my poor photography but she is lettered WS & CV #1. Enjoy!
Pics of the rest of the equipment at this site will be posted in my next Foothill Rails update. Should be soon, if not later this evening.
