West Side Flume & Lumber Co. No. 3 is a two-truck Heisler-type locomotive, built in 1899 by the Stearns Manufacturing Company for the Hetch Hetchy and Yosemite Valleys Railroad.
The locomotive was first used by the Hetch Hetchy and Yosemite Valleys Railroad to haul logs from the old growth sugar pine forests of the Tuolumne River watershed to the sawmill of West Side Flume and Lumber Company near the town of Carters, California, later named Tuolumne.
It was originally named "Thomas S. Bullock", after the first general manager of the West Side Flume and Lumber Company.
In 1947, the locomotive was converted to standard gauge for use as the mill switcher at Tuolumne, moving empty and loaded freight cars to and from the reload to the interchange with the Sierra Railroad.
Today, the locomotive remains operational at the Roaring Camp & Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad in Felton, California.
Trivia[]
- When purchased by the Roaring Camp Railroad, it was initially lettered for the "Big Trees Lumber and Fluming Co." and given the No. 1. This was intended to tie in with a log flume ride down Bear Mountain that never materialized. To avoid confusion with No. 1 "Dixiana", it was named "Tuolumne" and renumbered to No. 2.
- At the time it was purchased by the RC&BT, locomotive No. 3 was the West Side Lumber Company's last operating steam locomotive.
- West Side No. 3 was purchased in 1962 by the Roaring Camp and Big Trees for $7,000.
- Shortly after its arrival at Felton, the locomotive was re-gauged back to 3-foot narrow gauge, using a pair of trucks from West Side Heisler No. 4.
- It was the last steam engine used in the commercial lumber business in Tuolumne, California, and is the oldest operating Heisler in the world.
- From 2001 to 2020, the locomotive wore a Crosby 3-chime whistle after its original West Side hooter developed a crack. The 3-chime came off of No. 6 "Daisy", a two-truck Shay that is currently stored awaiting restoration. In 2020, the Rizzoli Locomotive Works in Fremont, CA repaired the hooter.
