The Locomotives Of Grand Coulee

Compiled by John Taubeneck and posted here with his permission.

GRAND COULEE DAM RAILROAD

1934-1950

On June 18, 1934 the contract was let for the foundations of Grand Coulee Dam. The winning bidder was Mason-Walsh-Atkinson-Kier & Co. a consortium of Silas Mason Co., Inc., Walsh Construction Co. and Atkinson-Kier Co. Their work was finished on March 12, 1938. On December 10, 1937 the contract to finish the dam was let to Consolidated Builders, Inc. This was a consortium consisting of MWAK and Six Companies, Inc. (Kaiser Construction Co, Morrison Knudsen Co., Utah Construction Co., J. J. Shea Co., Pacific Bridge Co., McDonald & Kahn Co. and General Construction Co.) Work was finished on the contract January 31, 1943.

In order to facilitate the construction of the dam a railroad had to be built from the Northern Pacific RR at Odair, WA about 28 miles to the dam site. The contract was let to the David H. Ryan Construction Co. on July 18, 1934, construction started in mid-August. Track laying was begun early in October. On November 10, 1934 it was reported that the first locomotive on the road would arrive the next week. Only about 1½ miles of track had been laid by that time. A golden spike was driven to signify the completion of the railroad on December 8, 1934 but much work still needed to be done. The first freight train consisting of six cars of ties passed through the Grand Coulee four days later. Operation of the railroad was handed over to MWAK on July 19, 1935 and the grand opening of the line was held ten days later. A rod engine was used from Odair to Mason City then Shays were used for the five miles to the dam site. This last stretch included two miles of 5% grade. By 1936 the Northern Pacific was running cement trains directly to Mason City.

David H. Ryan Construction Co.

07-18-34 to 07-19-35

Besides the Heisler Ryan also used a steam locomotive crane of unknown ancestry to build the line.

Heisler

1444

09-20 3 truck 75 tons 17x15

Union Lbr. Co. Packwood Spur, WA

Hedlund Lbr. & Mfg. Co. Marcus, WA

David Ryan Construction Co. Coulee Dam, WA

(tender added)

Lettered ”Coulee Dam-Ryan Siding RR”

US War Department Fort Peck, MT

http://donstrack.smugmug.com/UtahRails/Roy-Thompson-Photos/19111117_tCBmzV#1487703413_DLxwQ28

Mason-Walsh-Atkinson-Kier & Co.

07-19-35 to 03-18-38

Consolidated Builders, Inc.

03-18-38 to 11-16-42

Alco

67371

07-27 2-10-2T 22x28 134 tons

Sugar Pine Lbr. Co. #5 Pinedale, CA

Pensacola Co. (D) Pinedale, CA 11-35

Mason-Walsh-Atkinson-Kier & Co. #800 Mason City, WA (Grand Coulee Dam)

(tender added)

Consolidated Builders #800 Mason City, WA 03-18-38

H. J. Kaiser Co. #1119

Scrapped 1947

Baldwin

21732

03-03 2-8-0 22x30 (built as 17&28x30) 90 tons

Southern Pacific RR #2673

M. F. Brady & Son (D) 07-06-35

Mason-Walsh-Atkinson-Kier & Co. #2673 Grand Coulee Dam, WA

here 07-29-35

Derelict by 10-37

http://content.wsulibs.wsu.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/clipping&CISOPTR=22307&CISOBOX=1&REC=17

http://content.wsulibs.wsu.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/clipping&CISOPTR=22305&CISOBOX=1&REC=20

Browning Crane & Shovel

Unknown locomotive crane ordered by MWAK 10-34

Davenport

2203

9/1935 B Std Cat DE10

Mason-Walsh-Atkinson-Kier & Co. Mason City, Wash (Grand Coulee Dam)

Consolidated Builders Mason City, Wash 03-18-38

Becker Sand & Gravel Co. no# Cash, SC

Derelict 1975

2204

9/1935 B Std Cat DE10

Mason-Walsh-Atkinson-Kier & Co., Mason City, Wash (Grand Coulee Dam)

Consolidated Builders, Mason City, Wash 03-18-38

2205

9/1935 B Std Cat DE10

Mason-Walsh-Atkinson-Kier & Co., Mason City, Wash (Grand Coulee Dam)

Consolidated Builders, Mason City, Wash 03-18-38

2206

9/1935 B Std Cat DE10

Mason-Walsh-Atkinson-Kier & Co., Mason City, Wash (Grand Coulee Dam)

Consolidated Builders, Mason City, Wash 03-18-38

2207

9/1935 B Std Cat DE10

Mason-Walsh-Atkinson-Kier & Co. Mason City, Wash (Grand Coulee Dam)

Consolidated Builders, Mason City, Wash 03-18-38

2208

9/1935 B Std Cat DE10

Mason-Walsh-Atkinson-Kier & Co., Mason City, Wash (Grand Coulee Dam)

Consolidated Builders, Mason City, Wash 03-18-38

2209

1/1936 B Std Cat DE10

Mason-Walsh-Atkinson-Kier & Co., Mason City, Wash (Grand Coulee Dam)

Consolidated Builders, Mason City, Wash 03-18-38

2210

12/1935 B Std Cat DE10

Mason-Walsh-Atkinson-Kier & Co., Mason City, Wash (Grand Coulee Dam)

Consolidated Builders, Mason City, Wash 03-18-38

2211

1/1936 B Std Cat DE10

Mason-Walsh-Atkinson-Kier & Co., Mason City, Wash (Grand Coulee Dam)

Consolidated Builders, Mason City, Wash 03-18-38

2212

12/1935 B Std Cat DE10

Mason-Walsh-Atkinson-Kier & Co., Mason City, Wash (Grand Coulee Dam)

Consolidated Builders, Mason City, Wash 03-18-38

2219

2/1936 B Std Cat DE10

Mason-Walsh-Atkinson-Kier & Co., Mason City, Wash (Grand Coulee Dam)

Consolidated Builders, Mason City, Wash 03-18-38

Harian Construction Co. Republic City, NE

2220

2/1936 B Std Cat DE10

Mason-Walsh-Atkinson-Kier & Co., Mason City, Wash (Grand Coulee Dam)

2221

3/1936 B Std Cat DE10

Mason-Walsh-Atkinson-Kier & Co., Mason City, Wash (Grand Coulee Dam)

2222

3/1936 B Std Cat DE10

Mason-Walsh-Atkinson-Kier & Co., Mason City, Wash (Grand Coulee Dam)

2273

2/1939 B Std Cat D17000 DM23

Consolidated Builders #830, Mason City, Wash (Grand Coulee Dam)

Hay & Co. Woodstock, Ontario, Canada

Muskoka Wood Products Huntsville, Ontario, Canada

Weldwood of Canada Huntsville, Ontario, Canada

G. W. Martin Lbr. Co. n# Huntsville, Ontario, Canada (out of service 1985)

(Now G. W. Martin Wood Products, stored here 2008)

2274

3/1939 B Std Cat D8800 DE10

Consolidated Builders #831 Mason City, Wash (Grand Coulee Dam)

Consolidated Builders Mill City, OR (Detroit Dam 1949-1953)

U S Army #7186

Dulian Steel Portland, OR here 01-68 still in Army paint

2275

3/1939 B Std Cat D8800 DE10

Consolidated Builders #832 Mason City, Wash (Grand Coulee Dam)

The 10-ton diesel electrics were used to move concrete from the batch plant to pouring sites. Each pulled a single car with four concrete buckets. They were numbered in the 300s. There are a number of the MWAK & CB Davenport 10-ton diesel electrics (c/n 2203-2212, 2219-2222, 2274 & 2275) still in existence. However, they are not individually identifiable.

U&I Sugar Toppenish, WA

Yakima Valley Rail & Steam Museum Toppenish, WA

two at the World Mining Museum in Butte, MT identified as “homebuilt”

two at Franco Railroad Contractors Spokane, WA 07-27-68

unknown contractor Upper Baker River Dam Concrete, WA

Oeser Cedar Co. Bellingham, WA (late 1950s)

Oregon Electric Ry Museum Brooks, OR 1999? (here 2011)

Gilmore Steel Vancouver, WA (thought scrapped)

Unknown Carson City, NV

(This may be the gas mechanical at the Nevada State RR Museum and not from MWAK.)

Atkinson Construction Co. #28012 (#601)

Photographed at the Scott Paper log dump in Renton, WA 1960s.

Columbia Construction Co. Bonneville Dam

US Government Bonneville Dam

Harvey Aluminum Co. #099 “Old Yellow” The Dalles, OR 1958

Martin Marietta Aluminum #99 The Dalles, OR

Northwest Aluminum Co. #099 “Old Yellow” The Dalles, OR

The Dalles Chamber of Commerce (display) The Dalles, OR 1990

Oregon Coast Historical Railway Coos Bay, OR 2010

This locomotive is mistakenly identified as a Plymouth.

The Purdy Co. Chehalis, WA 04-73

The Purdy Co. Chehalis, WA 05-77 (not same loco as above)

Lima

909

09-21-04 3 truck Shay 75 tons 13½x15

California Northwestern Ry Co. #32 San Francisco, CA; For:

Northwestern Redwood Co. (California & Northwestern Ry) #1, Willits, CA

Northwestern Pacific RR Co. #32>251 Willits, CA

Hutchinson Lumber Co. (leased) Feather Falls, CA 05-01-22)

Portland, Eugene & Eastern RR #251 (leased) Eugene, OR

For sale: Repaired to make more salable at Tiburon, CA 09-26-25

Mason-Walsh-Atkinson-Kier Co. #251>802 Grand Coulee Dam, WA 04-24-35

Consolidated Builders, Inc. #802 Grand Coulee Dam, WA 03-14-38

M. Bloch & Co. Mason City, WA for scrap 01-12-45

Scrapped 01-45

3108

08-18-20 3 truck Shay 70 tons 12x15

Merrill & Ring Lumber Co. #5 Pysht, WA

Columbia Construction Co. #5 Vail, WA 12-10-36

(Used in a rock quarry near Vail, WA. Rock for use on jetty construction at the mouth of the Grays Harbor and the Columbia River.)

Consolidated Builders Inc. Grand Coulee Dam, WA 1938??

Consolidated Builders Inc. Tenino, WA (Vail quarry) 02-17-48

(Logging Railroads of Weyerhaeuser’s Vail-McDonald Operation, pages 114-119

states that Shay C/N 3108 was at the quarry near Vail from January 1936 until late 1948.)

3295

05-27-26 3 truck Shay 70 tons 12x15

Charles R. McCormick Lumber Co. #200 Quilcene, WA

Clyde Equipment Co. (D) Seattle, WA 04-13-35

Mason-Walsh-Atkinson-Kier #200 Grand Coulee Dam, WA 01-28-36

Consolidated Builders Inc. #200 Grand Coulee Dam, WA 03-14-38

Potlatch Forest Inc. #200 Headquarters, ID 06-13-44

Potlatch Forest Inc. (Washington Idaho & Montana Ry #200) Bovill, ID

Scrapped 1949

first Shay used on five miles from Electric City to dam 5% grade

Shay #801 returned to service 12-25-41 after more than year’s shut down, replaces light diesel

US Bureau of Reclamation

11-16-42 to 08-31-50

Baldwin

29450

11-06 0-6-0 20x25

Denver & Rio Grande RR #835 to #54

Interior Department Bureau of Reclamation #23-1 12-42

locomotive bought from D&RG by Bureau of Reclamation to replace Consolidated Builders equipment at Grand Coulee Dam Spokane Review 08-13-42

Plymouth

4485

04-43 4w gas STD 250 35 tons ML8

US Army #7604 Ephrata, WA (here 1945)

Interior Department Bureau of Reclamation #23-6 Odair, WA 1946

(for sale 11-29-51)

Photographed with two cars of tourists going from Vista House to West

Powerhouse 12-46 (fuel tank on cab roof)

White City Terminal & Utility Co. #2 White City, OR 1954-55

Norman Holms (D) 1974

Mount Vernon Terminal RR #4 Mount Vernon, WA 1975

Nathon Harper Gig Harbor, WA (never moved here)

Camp 6 (Western Forest Industries Museum) (leased) Tacoma, WA

Yakima Interurban Lines (leased) Yakima, WA (here 1997)

Modoc Technical School Stockton, CA 2000

Unknown 4w 30 tons?

Bureau of Reclamation lettered “HO 39 3715” Grand Coulee Dam, WA

Shown in Spokane Daily Chronicle 06-27-49 coupled to open passenger car made

from a flat car with a roof.

Number matches sequence used by the Atomic Energy Commission at Hanford, WA. Most likely Plymouth C/N 4562, 4564, 4776 or 4777.

Unknown 4w 30 tons?

Interior Department Bureau of Reclamation #4620.4

Most likely same locomotive as “HO 39 3715”

Undated photo on tourist train.

Ruberneck railroad started in 1946, #23-6 in use

12-49 track near Vista house removed, end of tourist trains

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19470126&id=MF0zAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ReUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6355,3159731

http://grandcouleerailroad.blogspot.com/

unknown (Davenport?)

unknown 4W 25 tons? Side rods (possibly Davenport 2273)

Interior Department Bureau of Reclamation #23-2

Overhauled at powerhouse Spokane Daily Chronicle 04-20-45

http://news.google.com/newspaper?nid=1338&dat=19450420&id=ONlXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cfUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=975,4025525 top of page

Copyright John A. Taubeneck

Seattle, WA

October 8, 2011