The Western Pacific 165 is a 0-6-0 steam locomotive built by ALCO for the Western Pacific Railroad in November 1919.
History[]
WP 165 was built for the United Verde Copper Company as UVCC 87. However, on September 17, 1927, UVCC 87 and three other sister engines were sold to the WP, becoming the WP S-34 class, being renumbered 163-166.
165, along with the other three, worked as switch engines in WP's major yards in Sacramento, Portola and Stockton. They supplemented WP's already existing 12 0-6-0s, as well as the larger 2-8-0s working in the yards. 165 last operated on WP in March 1953, as steam power on WP was beginning to wind down with the advent of diesel locomotives.
After being retired in October 1957, 165 was donated 5 years later to the City of San Leanrdo. 165 sat on display at the San Leandro BART station until it was moved to the Alameda County Fairgrounds. The Pacific Locomotive Association later acquired 165 and was eventually traded to the Feather River Rail Society in a trade with a later owner.
On March 1, 2006, WP 165 returned to home rails in Portola on a flatcar, presumably being moved there on a Union Pacific train, this occasion marked the return of WP steam in Plumas County for the first time in nearly 50 years.
Today. WP 165 is currently being restored to active excursion service by the Western Pacific Railroad Museum's Steam Program. It is estimated that the locomotive will be ready for service within the next few years.
On 5/1/2022, 165 has been test fired and has run under its own power.
Trivia[]
- As of 2/11/2019, WP 165 is the only known WP steam locomotive that is currently being restored to operating condition
- 165's sister engine, 164, is on display in Oroville, CA.
- The S-34 class locomotives aren't the only case of second-hand WP steam power, since the MTP-44 class 4-8-2 locomotives were acquired second-hand from the Florida East Coast railway in 1936. Unfortunately, along with the same case for many of WP's steam locomotives, all 10 of them were scrapped.
- In October 1959, both WP #94 and #165 were leased to a cannery in Escalon, California where they were both fired up and used as stationary boilers for one that had failed at the cannery.