Tom Baake, OCHR Manager release – Enjoy a free hot dog, chips, soda and cookies as the Oregon Coast Historical Railway celebrates Coos County Train Day on Saturday, July 20 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at their museum and display area in Coos Bay. Free guided tours will be offered throughout the day, and visitors can climb aboard the equipment for a hands-on experience. Visitors can also check out the blacksmith demonstration area and have a look at the “speeder” maintenance car that was completely restored and is now part of the museum collection. Also on display will be newly-acquired historical railroad and logging equipment, including a vintage steam hammer once operated at the Menasha pulp plant on the North Spit. Visitors can also view the progress on restoration of a 1940s-era Southern Pacific caboose. Souvenirs and clothing with the OCHR logo will be available for sale, with selected gift shop items discounted for the occasion. So stop and see what’s old is new at the popular railroad museum in Coos Bay, blow the whistle and ring the bells! Call Tom Baake at (541) 294-1112 for information. Some background: Founded in 1982, the Oregon Coast Historical Railway is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) pubic benefit organization dedicated to the preservation, restoration and display of historical railroad and logging equipment in Oregon’s South Coast region. The group’s signature piece is steam locomotive No. 104, built in 1922 and put to work for more than three decades in the forests around Coos County. When it was retired, it was placed on display outside the Coos-Curry Historical Museum at the north end of North Bend. The historical group was planning a new museum, but hoped to find a new home for the steam locomotive. At the time, members of the railroad group were exploring options to restore the engine to working condition for excursions, and a larger area for the project was sought. The historical group subsequently donated the engine and tender to the railroad group. It was eventually decided to move the locomotive and its tender to a site in Coos Bay that had been acquired by the city’s Urban Renewal Agency. Following the move, exploratory tests revealed the boiler was too badly decomposed to restore, and that a new one would have to fabricated. The project was beyond the group’s financial resources, so the locomotive was reassembled – with some refabricated parts such as the cab – and placed on static display. The engine may be boarded, and most of the controls, gauges and levers in the cab are still intact. It’s also still possible to ring the distinctive bell. The group proceeded to acquire other equipment, including a former Southern Pacific caboose, a Burlington Northern caboose and a Union Pacific caboose. A diesel locomotive from the International Paper Co. sawmill and paper plant in Gardiner was acquired, as was a 1920s-era steam crane and the 1916-era motor that opened and closed the railroad bridge over the Coos Bay channel. We also found and acquired the Snug Harbor railroad, an amusement park steam train that ran in Charleston from the 1950s to the 1980s. Other donated equipment arrives nearly every week. Funding is provided by the City of Coos Bay, and from donations, gifts, membership dues and foundation grants. In addition to seeking and acquiring funds for ongoing restoration and maintenance, we are raising money for construction of shelter/canopies over some of our display area equipment. We also have a mini-museum and gift shop. Come check it all out any Wednesday or Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. year-round at the museum and display area 766 S. First St. (US 101 Northbound), and join us for free food and fun at the Cos County Train Day celebration on Saturday, July 20.
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