Boston Consolidated Locomotives

Index For This Page

This page was last updated on May 27, 2011.

Locomotives

Boston Consolidated Mining Company purchased five 0-4-0T, 36-inch gauge locomotives with 10x14 cylinders in May 1906 from H. K. Porter and Company (Porter 3560-3564), plus four more in September 1906 (Porter 3707-3710), plus two more in April 1907 (Porter 3867, 3868). (Locomotive Notes II, Number 125, page 4; Number 127, page 3; Number 130, page 4)

Boston Consolidated's mine was located at the top of Carr Fork, and would have not needed a standard-gauge locomotive until the Copper Belt's spur into Carr Fork was completed in October 1903, since there was no railroad service to Carr Fork until that time. In 1906, they began construction of a two-mile spur to reach the upper levels of Carr Fork to gain access to the open-cut low-grade ore mine, and as a way to get the shovels and small mine locos and cars up to the new open-cut mine.

December 30, 1906
Boston Consolidated had received their Shay by the end of 1906. In a news item about a new Shay for the Copper Belt, "The Rio Grande has ordered another Shay engine for the Copper Belt, which has already been shipped from Dayton, and is expected here within a few days. This with the new No. 10 of the Boston Co., will do much to relieve the freight congestion on the Copper Belt." (Salt Lake Mining Review, December 30, 1906, "Around The State," quoting an item in the Bingham Bulletin)

In a 1907 mortgage to fund its continued expansion, Boston Con listed the following:

Four 90-ton steam shovels
One 90-ton Shay standard gauge steam locomotive
Two 25-ton narrow gauge steam locomotives
Nine 17-ton narrow gauge steam locomotives
Two 40-horsepower electric narrow gauge locomotives used in its underground mine
200 four-yard narrow gauge dump cars
4,000 feet of standard gauge track
5-1/2 miles of narrow gauge track, including underground trackage
One locomotive roundhouse

An article in the September-October 1907 issue of Mines and Minerals magazine showed the following:

Five shovels (four Marions and one Vulcan, all being 90-ton shovels with five-yard dippers)
Ten 18-ton Porter locomotives (each pulling trains of 10 to 12 four-yard capacity cars)
Two 28-ton Porter locomotives (each pulling trains of 15 to 20 four-yard capacity cars)
("Mining at Bingham, Utah," Mines and Minerals, Volume 28, September/October 1907, p. 90; photo of Boston Consolidated on page 92; photo of Utah Copper on page 92; photo of Bingham canyon on page 92)

On March 1, 1910 the Boston Consolidated Mining Company was merged with the Utah Copper Company, with two and a half shares of Boston stock being traded for each share of Utah stock.

1915
Utah Copper sold the Boston Consolidated Shay locomotive after October 1915. After the merger in March 1910 of Utah Copper and Boston Consolidated, and with the 1909 end of open-cut operations in the Boston Consolidated porphyry mine, the Shay was no longer needed.

All 11 narrow gauge Porter locomotives were shown as being on Utah Copper property until at least October 1, 1915, the date of the list of boilers on Utah Copper, which included locomotives, shovels and rotary drills.

Roster Listing

Three-foot narrow gauge

Porter 0-4-0 Tank -- 9 locomotives
10x16 cylinders

Boston Con. Number	Builder	Builder Number	Builder Date	Notes
Boston Con. 1	Porter	3560	May 1906
Boston Con. 2	Porter	3561	May 1906
Boston Con. 3	Porter	3562	May 1906
Boston Con. 4	Porter	3563	May 1906
Boston Con. 5	Porter	3564	May 1906
Boston Con. 6	Porter	3707	Sep 1906
Boston Con. 7	Porter	3708	Sep 1906
Boston Con. 8	Porter	3709	Sep 1906
Boston Con. 9	Porter	3710	Sep 1906

General Notes:

All locomotives had 10x16 cylinders and 36-inch drivers.

Porter 0-4-0 Tank -- 2 locomotives
12x16 cylinders

Boston Con. Number	Builder	Builder Number	Builder Date	Notes
Boston Con. 11	Porter	3867	Apr 1907
Boston Con. 12	Porter	3868	Apr 1907

General Notes:

Both locomotives had 12x16 cylinders and 36-inch drivers.

Standard Gauge

Lima C 80-3 Shay -- 1 locomotive
(3) 15x14 cylinders

Road Number	Builder	Builder Number	Builder Date	Description	Date To Boston Con	Date Retired	Notes
Boston Con. 10	Lima	461	May 1894	Shay, Class C, 80 Tons, Three-trucks	Dec 1906	1913	1

General Notes:

Boston Consolidated no. 10 was built as St. Mary's & Southwestern Railroad no. 10 (same parent company also owned Kaul & Hall Lumber Co., and later Hall & Kaul Lumber Co.) at St. Mary's, Pennsylvania; to Clarion River Railway no. 10 at Hallton, Pennsylvania; to Boston Consolidated Mining Co. no. 10 in December 1906; merged with Utah Copper Co. in March 1910.
Still on Utah Copper property until at least October 1, 1915, the date of the list of steam boilers on Utah Copper, which included locomotives, shovels and rotary drills.
Locomotive had three 15x14 cylinders; 39-inch drivers; 141,000 pounds engine weight.

Notes:

Boston Consolidated no. 10 (Utah Copper after 1910) was sold to Newaukum Valley Railroad no. 2 at Napavine, Washington in 1915; to Carlisle - Pennell Lumber Co. no. 2 at Onalaska, Washington; to Onalaska Lumber Co. no. 2 at Onalaska, Washington; to Carlisle Lumber Co. no. 2 at Onalaska, Washington; listed as for sale in 1926; scrapped in 1931.
(Read more about Lima No. 461 at ShayLocomotives.com, including photos)

Mine Locomotives

Data courtesy of Robert Lehmuth.

GE 0-4-0 Trolley -- 1 locomotive
220 VDC; 18-inch gauge; 20-inch drivers

Builder	Builder Number	Builder Model	Date	GE Class	Notes
GE	2064	LM105-B1	/1906	040-E-1NWP2½

GE 0-4-0 Trolley -- 3 locomotives
500 VDC; 36-inch gauge; 28-inch drivers

Builder	Builder Number	Builder Model	Date	GE Class	Notes
GE	2634	LM106-C2	/1907	040-E-1GE59G
GE	2635	LM106-C2	/1907	040-E-1GE59
GE	3063	LM106-C2	/1909	040-E-1GE59A

###