Last time on A Closer Look, we looked at the company that built Weyerhaeuser Timber #1. Today, the story continues with the locomotive itself…
The story begins with the White River Lumber Company. The company started in the 1890’s, cutting lumber from the foothills of Mt. Rainier and processing it at their sawmill in Enumclaw. A railroad was constructed to haul that timber in from the woods, and the finished lumber to the interchanges, or transfer places, with the Northern Pacific and the Milwaukee Road.
Weyerhaeuser #1 in operation on the White River Branch
In 1929, White River Lumber Co. began merging into Weyerhaeuser Timber Co., and was finalized in 1949. Upon taking control, Weyerhaeuser looked to modernize the aging White River steam locomotive fleet. Following the purchase of four Fairbanks-Morse switchers for other Weyerhaeuser operations, Weyerhaeuser purchased an F-M H-12-44 for the new White River Branch. Delivered as the #1, the “great yellow beast” (as described in the company newsletter) went right to work pulling log trains out of the woods.
However, the introduction of diesels was not the only change coming. Powerful semi-trucks allowed both Weyerhaeuser and independent loggers to quickly create roads to harvest timber, eliminating the tedious work of grading and laying track. Locomotive #1 pulled log trains for only three years, before being assigned to haul freight cars between the interchanges and the Enumclaw sawmill in 1954.
Boy with now Vail #714 in 1975-1976
Following a rebuild by the Milwaukee Road’s Tacoma shops in 1971, Locomotive #1 was transferred in 1975 to Weyerhaeuser’s Vail operation near the south end of Puget Sound. Vail was in desperate need of additional motive power, and Weyerhaeuser determined it easier to lease a Milwaukee Road diesel to handle operations in Enumclaw. Renumbered #714, the locomotive’s career at Vail was short lived, as it was quickly sidelined with mechanical problems.
Ultimately, #714 was sold to Pacific Transport Services in 1980 where it was repainted, renumbered as #121, and placed into lease service, being leased by Continental Grain on Tacoma’s waterfront from 1981-1982. Following the end of the lease, the locomotive was sent to Snoqualmie for storage, facing an uncertain future.
PTS #121 waiting at Kimball Creek Yard for U.S. Plywood #11 to pass by with a passenger train during the 1980’s.
Happily, in 1983 the Northwest Railway Museum began leasing #121 for use during Santa Trains, purchasing the locomotive in 1987 and restoring it back to its appearance as Weyerhaeuser Timber Co. #1. Today, following a major rehabilitation from 2009-2011, the locomotive has been restored to its pre-1955 condition and is displayed next to the entry of the Train Shed.
