With her brakemen winding up the hand brakes, a Mower Lumber Company log train descends off the 8.7% grade below Whittaker Camp. The power for this trip is the 90-ton, former Meadow River Heisler #6, lettered as a Mower engine for today's photo session. Although this Heisler is of similar size to some of the Shays at Cass, she's actually the second most powerful locomotive in the stable, behind WM Shay #6. The Heisler's V-twin cylinder arrangement powers only three of her six wheel sets, minimizing friction losses due to gearing and maximizes the power that actually reaches the wheels. This differs from the Shay, in which ALL wheel sets are geared to the shaft. On the Heisler, the wheels which are not geared to the shaft receive their power from the adjacent wheels through the short connecting rods you see. Heislers also have a bit of a speed advantage on the Shays, which makes the engines a bit more versatile. No design is perfect, however. The Heisler's drive train is centered under the locomotive, making it more difficult to service and some Heislers do have a reputation for providing a rough ride for the crew. One day a few years back, while preparing this engine for an excursion, a crewmember referred to his assignment on #6 as "Shay Appreciation Day." LOL!
For aficianados of geared steam engines, it's "almost heaven." Here are some scenes from the park's annual Railfan Weekends, as well as some private charters.
