Bear Harbor Lumber Co. 1 Gypsy is a 0-4-0 steam locomotive built by Marshutz and Cantrell (National Iron Works) in 1893. It was one of just 20 "Gypsy" locomotives built specifically for California timber operations. The Bear Harbor Lumber Company was incorporated in 1893 with the aim of logging about 12,000 acres of virgin timber in the forests surrounding Bear Harbor. The Gypsy locomotive was delivered to Bear Harbor on the northern Mendocino coast in 1892 and became the first of two locomotives to run on the Bear Harbor Railroad.
The Bear Harbor Lumber Railroad extended its track from Bear Harbor to Andersonia between 1903 and 1905, overcoming significant challenges such as constructing numerous trestles and a tunnel through solid rock. Unfortunately, a series of unfortunate events, including the death of the company's chief partner, Henry Neff Anderson, and the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, led to the eventual abandonment of the operation.
The Bear Harbor Lumber Co. 1 Gypsy played a crucial role in the early logging efforts in the region, but its operational life was cut short by these events.
Trivia[]
In the show Thomas and Friends this locomotive was the basis for Bash and Dash.
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