Shay Locomotive (Cadillac, Michigan)

Historic image of the locomotive in 1904

Shay Locomotive with its historic marker

Ephraim Shay was a logger from Haring, Michigan, near Cadillac.[2] Shay was in the logging industry, and realized that a method of moving logs when the ground was muddy and damp would increase productivity immensely. He experimented with horse-drawn trams with limited success, then hit on the idea of building temporary rail lines. In 1879, Shay invented a type of steam powered locomotive specifically for use in the logging industry. This Shay locomotive was small and powerful, and was geared to operate on tracks with steep grades and articulated to handle sharp curves. Shay patented the locomotive in 1881.[2]

This Shay locomotive was constructed in 1898 by the Lima Locomotive Works[2] for the Boyne City Southeastern Railroad Company.[3] In 1918, it was sold to Michigan Forest Products in Strongs, Michigan, and then, in 1924, to William L. Saunders, President of the Cadillac Lumber & Chemical Company,[4] later called the Cadillac-Soo Lumber Company, for service in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan.[3] It was used there until 1954, when T. Walter Kelly, Mayor of Cadillac and Saunders' son-in-law, obtained it from the Cadillac-Soo Lumber Company and donated the locomotive to the city of Cadillac.[2] It was partially restored in 1964, and further restored in 1985. It now serves as a tourist attraction in Cadillac's City Park.[2]

The Shay Logging Locomotive is a Class B steam-powered Shay locomotive designated number 549.[2] It is powered by three 10 inches (250 mm) bore, 12 inches (300 mm) stroke cylinders.[3] It is 35 feet (11 m) in length and weighs 45 tons

• Earl T. Huckle (1984), Cadillac's Shay Locomotive, Titan of the Timber: Historical Preservation Project, Save our Shay Committee
• Earl T. Huckle, "Cadillac Spawned Wood Chemical Industry", Cadillac Evening News, on the occasion of Cadillac's 105th anniversary celebration

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