Motive Power and history of Chipman Forestry Limited

Motive power on my Big Blackfoot for the foreseeable future will in no way resemble the actual roster of either the Anaconda Copper Company, Big Blackfoot Milling Company Railway, or the Western Lumber Company. There are several reasons for this. The main one is brass is expensive! And getting the exact model can be tough. I know there are several two truck shays in brass that will make excellent early A.C.M Shays. It's when we get larger we encounter problems. Bachmann makes a wonderful C-80 Shay. To bad that's larger then anything that ever ran on the Big Blackfoot. There is a brass Willamette available but it leaves a bit to be desired when it comes to modeling the one-of that is Western Lumber Company #3/A.C.M #7, Although adding the Radley Hunter Stack and making her a coal burner shouldn't be that hard. Due to my lack of "real" models, I've decided to change the primary operating company for the railroad, and set the time frame to the late 1940's. But they say run with what you got so without further ado here is the current roster of the Big Blackfoot Railway and a short history of the company who runs them.

Chipman Lumber began as Chipman Lumber and Milling based in Bonner, Montana. Never as big as it's chief competitors Chipman has managed to carve a name for itself in the forests of Montana. Founded in 1901 by David Chipman the CLMCo didn't even have a railroad until 1916 when they negotiated to relay and operate all track in the Potomac Valley from the Anaconda Copper Mining Company. The A.C.M had moved it's operations west to Nine Mile and Chipman saw an opportunity to make some money in the void left by the Big Blackfoot Railway. Chipman invested over $10,000 dollars in the purchase and installation of the new railroad, basically bankrupting the company with construction complete by 1917. But the timber was still there, and by 1918 the company broke even..

Chipman Logging and Milling Company Railway 0-6-0T #1 & #2
-Bought new by the C.L.&M.Co.Ry. in 1917 from the American Locomotive Company, #1 and her identical sister #2 ,were the largest investment made by the railroad up to that point. As logging trains grew the little saddle tankers were assigned to heavy switching at McNamara landing and Potomac and hauling empties between the two towns.Well liked by the crews for her easy ride, #1 is usually the first locomotive to be fired in the morning and the first to have it's fire dropped at the end of the day. Both locomotives were converted to tender engines in 1919. #2 was run until 1922 when it was involved in a wreck while unloading logs at McNamara Landing. The locomotive was a total loss.

Chipman Logging and Milling Company 4-6-0 #2
-Bought third hand from the Monida Logging Company of Monida, Idaho this heavy 1912 4-6-0 hauled lumber between Potomac and McNamara until 1935. Although more powerful then the 0-6-0T it replaced, #2 was never well like by her crews as her larger size made switching the landing more difficult and she was very limited in the cars she could haul up grades. She rusted on the dead line until scrapped for the war effort in 1942.

By 1925 the Chipman Mill in Bonner was closed due to increasing competition from The Western Lumber Company and the Anaconda Company. To save the railroad and his company Dave Chipman entered into a contract with both the A.C.M and the W.L.C to provide lumber for their Bonner operations. With America still experiencing a boom after World War 1 the fledgling logging company is in need a new and more powerful locomotive to help drag the spoils of the tall timber to their log dump at McNamara Landing. Although the A.C.M and W.L.C can use the Milwaukee Road branch to get their lumber to market, the Chipman Lumber Company still drives their lumber by river. By 1930 the Chipman Operation has extended tracks to Camp 3, deep in the Potomac Valley. Here stands of old growth timber in record amounts lead to a boom time for Chipman. By now the railroad was on even footing with the mighty Anaconda Company itself having bought out the rival Western Lumber Company. Although Chipman prefers to drive it's logs to the Mill by the Blackfoot River a contracted amount of lumber is transferred to the Milwaukee Road at McNamera Landing destined for Bonner.

Chipman Logging Company 90-ton Heisler #4
-Purchased new in 1930 this modern Heisler is the workhorse of the Big Blackfoot Railway. Fast enough for the McNamera to Potomac run and powerful enough for the run to Camp 3 this piston valved and superheated locomotive was equipped with a distinctive Radley Hunter Stack, common among the big steam in the tall timber. Although finding jobs big enough to trot out this "West Coast Special" there is no job that #2 can't handle. Crew's are found of saying "If she can start it, she can pull it" and there are very few trains on the Big Blackfoot #4 can't start.

Chipman Logging Company 80-Ton Shay #6
- Purchased in 1930, this coal burning class C-80 shay was bought new from Lima Works. Orignaly another Heisler was to have been purchased but another was not available for immediate purchse. Chipman then tendered an order to Willamette Iron and Steel. When the delivery date estimate came back Chipman cancelled that order and sent one to Lima. The locomotive was in McNamara the following week. "Big Six" was the largest Shay ever operated along the Blackfoot, a full ten tons more then the rival Anaconda Companies Willamette #7. Used primarily for the Camp #3 to Potomac turn #6 was more then a match for the 6% grades. She served with distinction until the end of steam on the Big Blackfoot.

Chipman Logging Company 2-6-6-2T #8
-Purchased in 1935 from the Baldwin Locomotive Works this was the largest locomotive ever owned by Chipman. It was used for the McNamara to Bonner turn hauling both Chipman and A.C.M lumber to the Bonner Mill. #8 was sold in 1952 to Hammond Lumber in British Columbia, Canada.

In 1947 Chipman Logging was reorganized into Chipman Forestry Limited and gained a new CEO David's son, Tim. With the timber in the Potomac valley beginning to thin the new method of selective logging begins. Steam is still king on the CFLRy and will continue as such until the late 1950's but by 1949 it will be the only steam run along the Big Blackfoot Railway.

Chipman Forestry Limited Railway GE 70-Tonner #9
-Purchased from General Electric in 1948 #9 is the first diesel used in the Potomac Valley is yet another example of how Chipman has always tried to stay at the forefront of logging technology. With almost zero down time, easy maintenance and low crew costs, #9 becomes the main power for the Chipman operation.

Chipman Forestry Limited Railway GE 45-Tonner #10 & #11
-These two small engines were purchased second hand from the Maxwell Coal Company of Provo, UT. For the final years of Chipman it was these two locomotives often double headed that did the lions share of the work. #10 was donated to the town of Potomac where it can be seen in in the Chipman Forestry History Museum.

For steam the end came in 1957 when #3 was driven onto a flatbed head to a museum in the Portland, Oregon area. As the timber continued to thin, Chipman cut back it's running days per week. All timber was sent by the Milwaukee Road to Bonner. The last train was run on May 13th, 1967. Within 2 months all traces of the Chipman Forestry Limited was gone. Tim Chipman died in 1986.