Distinctly Montana Magazine

48 D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • FA L L 2 0 2 5 breathing steam locomotive in Montana has been about as rare as finding a parking spot at Logan Pass in July. Of course, there are many different steam locomotives on dis- play across Montana; from a large 4-8-4 type in Havre that once led trains for the Great Northern Railway to a small two-truck "Shay" type in Columbia Falls that once helped drag logs out of the forests of northwest Montana. In total, there are about two dozen steam locomotives of various sizes throughout Big Sky Country. Among them is Locomotive No. 7 was a 70-ton, three-truck geared locomotive built by the Willamette Iron & Steel Works in Portland, Oregon, in 1923. It was specifically designed to haul heavy loads on poor- ly built tracks, which was common on temporarily constructed logging railroads. Instead of having a long series of rods moving three or four large sets of wheels, these locomotives had complex vertical cylinders that powered smaller wheels through geared connections. The locomotives were known as "Shays" because they were designed by a locomotive builder named Ephraim Shay. For decades, the locomotives were built exclusively by the Lima Locomotive Works in Ohio, but when the patents for the Shay-type locomotive expired in the 1920s, the Willamette Com- pany seized the opportunity to build the engines, even hiring one of Lima's top designers. In the 1920s, the Western Lumber Company was looking to pur- chase a new steam engine to move logs through the woods and, Working on the front buffer beam. 2025 o f BEST M O N TA N A A S V O T E D B Y R E A D E R S O F W I N N E R B E S T F I R E A R M S D E A L E R M O N TA N A' S P R E M I E R G U N S H O P S I N C E 1 9 7 0 AWA R D - W I N N I N G F I R E A R M S E X P E R T I S E YOUR OUTDOOR EXPEREIENCE BEGINS WITH US! • We buy, sell, trade and consign used firearms • Full-service gun repair shop and gunsmith services • We carry all major firearm brands • Most knowledgeable and experienced gun traders in the region • Estate evaluations and on-location services available ( 4 0 6 ) 4 4 3 - 2 9 7 8 • 1 0 9 2 H e l e n a Av e , H e l e n a s h o p c a p i t a l s p o r t s . c o m • g u n s @ c a p i t a l s p o r t s m t . c o m COURTESY OF LARRY INGOLD

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