West Side Lumber Shay No. 12 Heads Home

Published: February 16, 2026

A century-old survivor of Sierra Nevada logging railroading is returning west. The Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad (YMSPRR), based at Fish Camp near Yosemite National Park’s South Entrance, has acquired West Side Lumber Company Shay No. 12 from the Colorado Railroad Museum (CRRM) in Golden, Colorado.

The move brings one of the best-known three-truck Shays back to the state where it earned its reputation hauling heavy timber trains over rugged, temporary trackage. YMSPRR already operates two other former West Side Lumber Shays—Nos. 10 and 15—and says the goal is to ultimately return No. 12 to operation as well.

A geared locomotive built for the woods

Unlike conventional rod locomotives, Lima’s Shay design delivered power through a crankshaft and gears to the trucks, allowing excellent traction at low speeds—exactly what logging railroads needed. Shays could creep over rough track, handle steep grades, and negotiate tight curves while lugging heavy loads of logs and supplies.

No. 12 is a classic example of Lima’s later, heavy-duty narrow-gauge Shays: a three-cylinder, three-truck machine built for serious work, not publicity. According to a detailed builder/roster compilation, the locomotive was completed by Lima as shop number 3302 on April 21, 1926.

From Swayne Lumber to West Side Lumber

Shay No. 12 began life not as “12,” but as Swayne Lumber Company No. 6 of Oroville, California. In 1940 it was sold to the famed West Side Lumber Company of Tuolumne, California—one of the last great three-foot-gauge logging systems in the American West—and was renumbered 12.

The locomotive worked at Tuolumne from 1940 into the early 1960s, a period when West Side was still moving immense volumes of timber from the high Sierra to its mills. It was the kind of assignment where the Shay’s slow, steady pull mattered more than speed: long cuts of log cars on stiff grades, frequent switching at landings, and daily exposure to dust, bark, and harsh weather.

One interesting mechanical footnote from the locomotive’s early career: in 1929, it reportedly received “homemade piston valves,” a reminder that logging outfits—and later preservation owners—often modified locomotives pragmatically to keep them productive.

A second life in tourism—and a long stay in Colorado

By the late 1960s, No. 12 entered the preservation era when it became known as West Side & Cherry Valley Railroad No. 12 in 1968. The WS&CV was a Tuolumne-area “railroad park” and tourist venture that reused portions of the old West Side site. In 1986, No. 12 went east to become Georgetown Loop Railroad No. 12. Railfan & Railroad notes the Shay ran here during the 1980s and 1990s before ultimately being stored and later residing at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden. That Colorado chapter is part of what made the locomotive broadly familiar to railfans outside California—No. 12 wasn’t just a static artifact; it had an operational preservation career that introduced geared logging power to new audiences.

The 2026 transfer: “Bound for California”

The recent news is straightforward but significant: YMSPRR has purchased the locomotive from CRRM and is bringing it back to California. The engine was loaded for the trip west in February, with YMSPRR expressing hope it can steam again this year.

Regional coverage adds key context on the restoration roadmap. MyMotherLode.com reported that the locomotive passed a hydrostatic boiler test on January 20, 2026—an important baseline step for any return-to-service plan—clearing the way for the move and next phases of work. KMPH (FOX26) similarly notes the successful hydrostatic test and says YMSPRR intends a full mechanical and cosmetic restoration, supported by a purpose-built locomotive house for long-term care. If all goes to plan, No. 12 will join the railroad’s existing West Side Shays as part of a uniquely Sierra-focused collection of operating logging steam.

Specifications

Below are principal dimensions and ratings compiled from Shay historical records for Lima shop number 3302:

Builder: Lima Locomotive Works
Build date / works number: April 21, 1926 / Lima S/N 3302
Type: Shay, three-cylinder, three-truck geared locomotive
Gauge: 36 in. (3 ft)
Cylinders: 3 × 11 in. × 12 in. (diameter × stroke)
Boiler pressure: 200 psi
Driving wheel diameter: 32 in.
Gear ratio: 2.529
Tractive effort: 25,820 lb
Fuel / capacities: Oil; 1,200 gal fuel and 2,000 gal water
Weight: “Empty weight as built” listed as 113,500 lb (about 56.8 tons), while contemporary reporting commonly describes it as a “60-ton” Shay (a typical class/rounding description for large three-truck Shays).

Acquisition Significance

For YMSPRR, acquiring No. 12 is more than adding another locomotive—it’s a homecoming that strengthens the railroad’s identity as a living interpreter of Sierra logging railroads. With Shays Nos. 10 and 15 already on the roster, the return of No. 12 creates the rare possibility of three closely related West Side-era geared locomotives being preserved and potentially operated in the same region where they once worked.

For fans of geared steam, it’s also a reminder that preservation stories don’t always end where a locomotive is displayed. No. 12 has already lived several lives—industrial workhorse, tourist-era ambassador, operating museum piece—and now it’s embarking on a new chapter back in the Sierra.

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