Ferries & Cliff House 2-4-2 "Columbian" Locomotives in the USA

Class 3 (Locobase 11659)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University Vol 14, p. 70. Works numbers were 8955, 8961, 8973-8974 in December 1887. See [] (last accessed 25 September 2010) for a good description of this railroad's history.

Ordered by the Park & Cliff House Railroad for the streets of San Francisco, these saddle tanks were delivered to the reorganized Ferries & Cliff House. The principal routes of the F&CH were served by cable railways, but obviously there was a traditional traction service that these engines served for more than a decade. Larger steam locomotives soon followed this set.

The railroad ran along an rugged coastline route to Land's End. It remained in service for about 20 years, but lost out in competition with other lines and closed in 1906 just before the earthquake struck. The steam engines were replaced by a trolley line that was demolished by landslides in 1925.

Each was sold to a different buyer and service. 3 went to California Door, a lumber company in El Dorado County, Calif that ultimately built the 34.7-mile Diamond & Caldor Railroad to serve its facilities. Although the D & C operated primarily Shay engines, it took the auxiliary trucks off ex-#3, converting it to an 0-4-0T, and ran it until 1921-1922. 4 was bought in 1904 by the Butler Ballast Company. 5 and 6 sailed off to Hawaii. Oahu Land & Railway bought #5 in 1903 and operated it until 1923. The OL & R bought #6 as well and assigned it to Hawaiian Dredging Company.

Class 7 (Locobase 15379)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University Volume 14, p. 241. Works numbers were 9756, 9763 in January 1889.

Immediately after the delivery of the four saddle tanks described in Locobase 11659, Baldwin produced two larger engines on the same wheel arrangement. Like the earlier locomotives, these had very narrow fireboxes whose width measured a mere 18 5/8" (473 mm).

The 7 was later sold to Shasta Land & Lumber of Round Mountain, Calif. After its further sale to the Red River Lumber Company, the 7 had its front truck removed.

The 8 was sold in August 1906 to British Columbia's Clayburn Brick & Tile Company. After another fourteen years of service, the 8 moved on in February 1920 to Dolley Varden Mines Company. The long-lived engine operated for the mines until it went to the scrapyard in 1937.