Hillcrest #1 Shay: 2024-03-13 Trials

Railway movements on Day-2 of the Spring 2024 trials of the rebuilt Hillcrest #1 Shay locomotive.
The locomotive did trials on the narrow-gauge Cowichan Valley Railway, which was closed to visitors at that time.
The Cowichan Valley Railway is completely within the private grounds of the BC Forest Discovery Centre, in North Cowichan on Vancouver Island.
Photo Album is Here:
www.flickr.com...
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The Hillcrest #1 Shay is a narrow-gauge oil burning steam locomotive in the Cowichan Valley of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
This Class-B Shay has a present-era weight of approximately 28 tons. She was construction number 3147 in 1920 at the factory in Lima Ohio, USA.
After a pre-delivery factory conversion from narrow-gauge to standard-gauge, she arrived at Hillcrest Lumber on Vancouver Island in early 1921, and worked for Hillcrest Lumber in Sahtlam, and then for other companies in the Cowichan Valley and Crofton until 1963.
Following conversion back to narrow-gauge and oil burning, she was donated to the newly formed Cowichan Valley Forest Museum which opened in 1965. This museum is now known as the BC Forest Discovery Centre, located on Drinkwater Road in North Cowichan, on Vancouver Island.
The Hillcrest #1 Shay was one of the steam locomotives that pulled the visitor train in the early years of the forest museum, and she did this from the late 1960s until 1998. Following this, she went into storage, and the visitor train was then pulled mainly by the Vulcan #25 "Samson" steam locomotive.
A rebuild project was started in 2016 and was completed in Spring 2024. The Hillcrest #1 Shay is now being tested in-service, pulling the visitor train on various days during weekends in Summer 2024.
bcforestdiscov...

[@G777GUN]

Yep. The shay still looks like it came from a steampunk universe.

[@flippydafox3313]

Fun fact the very first Shay was built on its logging railway and was a flatbed with a boiler mounted on it

[@LowLightMike]

Thanks for mentioning that. I had read about that in Dan Ranger's "Pacific Coast Shay" book.

[@Trip473]

A stunning piece of history. Thanks Mike for documenting all these wonderful moments!

[@LowLightMike]

Thanks very much :)

[@donwright3427]

Seem similar locos in Philippines once used for logging. Most reside in parks looking a little sad and unloved

[@pwblackmore]

Some good shots there, Mike. Good to see the lokie out enjoying herself. As indeed you were! Thankyou

[@LowLightMike]

Thanks Peter. I will have 4 or 5 more of these to upload in the coming days.
...and then hopefully some current videos with the Shay pulling the passenger train (with passengers), sometime in July.

[@VancouverIsland1]

Cool video Mike

[@tomtwiss8506]

What an absolute beautiful locomotive! Such great shots you got, thanks for the video

[@LowLightMike]

Thank you very much! I appreciate you watching. I will have more videos and photos to share in the coming days.

[@capnkwick4286]

Were the Shay locomotives always built with just three cylinders?

[@LowLightMike]

Class A Shays had just 2 cylinders.