Oregon Rail Heritage: Mount Emily Shay (photo diary)

One of the locomotives in the Oregon Rail Heritage Center in Portland, Oregon is the Mount Emily Shay #1, which was built as a stock Shay in 1923 by Lima Automotive Works in Lima Ohio. Shay locomotives were primarily built for logging with gears on all wheels which were mounted in pairs that can pivot to follow the curved of the track. Shays had little difficulty following poorly constructed logging railroad tracks. Shay locomotives are powerful but very slow.

The Independence Logging Company in Aberdeen, Washington, initially purchased the Shay and used it for nearly five years. When Independence downsized in 1928, the Shay was purchased by the Mount Emily Lumber Company in La Grande, Oregon.

Note: These photos were taken on September 11, 2025.

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