W.H. Mason Lumber Company Climax No. 4This 2-truck "Climax" locomotive was built for the Moore, Keppel & Company in Ellamore, WV by the Climax Manufacturing Company in Cory, PA (near Erie, PA) in 1913. It was sold in 1948 tot he W.H. Mason Lumber Company in Elkins, WV in 1948 and later to Edaville, a Tourist Railroad in 1956. The RRMPA acquired it in 1992 completing the museum's long quest for examples of all three geared types with Pennsylvania operating connections.
Ironically, the RRMP is currently in discussions with the Pennsylvania Lumberman's Museum in Ulysses, PA (about 116 miles East of Cory) to transfer the locomotive for display there in 2016 when it is expected a shed will be built to house it. No word on whether the transfer will be a loan or permanent. Apparently, the RRMP is looking to free up space inside it's museum for another engine, possibly PRR 4-4-2 #460, the Lindbergh Engine.
The Climax engine was developed by Charles Darwin Scott and it's claim to fame was that it used a differential arrangement similar to the modern automobile. The idea of the differential gears was to reduce the resistance on sharp curves by allowing one wheel to be idle or revolve at less revolutions than the one on the opposite end of the axle. Several locomotives were built to this design, but it was soon found to be objectionable in that it reduced the pulling power when negotiating sharp curves, especially on steep grades. The Climax Company built it's last steam engines in the late 20's.
