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Baldwin 2-8-2 - “Moose Gooser”
Alaska Railroad #16 - Anchorage, AK. June 1967.
The locomotive was acquired by the West Coast Railway Association in 1964. In 1967 No. 16 was leased to the Alaska Railroad who were in need of a steam locomotive with which to celebrate Alaska’s centennial. The Alaska Railroad ignominiously named their acquisition the “Moose Gooser”. Returned from Alaska Railroad, it was sent to Vancouver Island in 1970
No.16 was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works for C. R. McCormick , a large Washington state logging company the year the Great Depression began. Typical of thousands of powerful “Rod” engines, No. 16 was the standard Baldwin logging locomotive design. With a 2-8-2 wheel arrangement this “Mikado” type locomotive has relatively small drivers, only 45” in diameter giving power rather than speed. The centre 2 drivers are “blind” which means they do not have flanges. This enables No. 16 to negotiate the very sharp curves which were found on logging railways. No. 16 was built as a Saddle Tank engine. The water tanks were carried over the boiler like a saddle.
Credit: Paul O’Garra
