ABANDONED steam engine junk yard Oregon 

I love this. Wonderful that these old beauties are still in existence. Many MANY old steam engines and their components were scrapped for metal in WWII and are sadly gone forever. These old trains are a rare link to our past.

Imagine if these old titans of the railways could talk. Amazing stories would be told!!!

That is NO junk yard-- THAT IS A GOLD MINE! SAVE SIERRA #18!

Thank you Fred for saving these Locos.And a new generation may restore them to running condition one day.Rather than dragging them out to sit dead in a museum.They're not going to rot in Oregon nice and dry.

I worked on the vernonia Southpark and sunset r.r. when I was 10 yrs old 55 years ago in Banks Oregon

Like the old guy down the road that refuses to sell his old cars sitting in a field. By the time he dies,they are too far gone to restore. I had to see that happen. His kids were mad also. They got nothing but scrap value because he didn't do anything to preserve them. Same thing going on with those trains. Sad.

My god, I've lived in Oregon my whole life and I've never heard of this. Planning a trip already.

This video never gets old. It would be cool if they could save that tank engine from the thumbnail.

I love the fact that one of them has frickin' *shutters* on the windows of the steam engine. That just makes it seem more dead...

Neat old boneyard. Thanks for taking us along. If only they could talk.

Wow, I feel like a little boy at the candy store, I've love trains and still do, I don't own these real ones, but I've got ho scale trains about 80 different frieght cars and 17 locomotives, mostly all diesels and couple steam that do smoke, I like the self tender, with them white wall rings on its wheels, great job, thanks for sharing 👍

Seeing Lihue #4 (Ex Mcbryde Sugar #1 is what she actually is) still in sort of one piece, gives me some hope and some faith in humanity. She was renumbered to 304 by Gene Autry for use on his film railroad. Hoping one day, she'll find her way back to Kauai.

It saddens my heart to see all those beautiful old steam engine just sitting there rotting away, it is almost a fait worth than being sent to the scrappers torch.

A few months ago all the equipment was sold to different railroad museums

Thank you for showing the current condition of these engines. It's a shame that their owner (Fred Kepner) hasn't thought of selling them off to more deserving homes. He bought them ages ago and hasn't done a thing with them since - his reluctance to sell them is only going to make them more vulnerable to scrap merchants. #SaveTheKepnerSteamers

That dry desert air really does a great job of preserving those machines for future restoration. A large portion of restored steam locos here in the UK sat in a scrap yard on the south cost of Wales so as you can imagine they rusted up pretty bad.

While volunteering for a rail road museum in Minnesota, I once asked a knowledgeable person how many steam engines are left in the US. He said, more than anyone who wants to spend the money on them to bring back to working condition. All of you who are unhappy about these engines "rotting away", lets see the money. LOL

Ever since i was little i told my parents i was saving up for a car, when really i was saving up for a narrow gauge steam engine or standard gauge steam engine to run on some track near my house in nc . i hope i can find an engine for a reasonable price...

I have been involved with restorations in the past. The cost or bring a steamer up to specification and certifying it to operate can be in the millions depending on the condition of the locomotive to start with. Getting a steamer from the scrappers is relatively cheap compared to the cost of an "operating restoration". Many people have embarked on restoring a locomotive to operating condition, only stalling our do to lack of funding. One has to do a in depth inspection of the locomotive to see if it is really restore-able...let me back up, ANYTHING is restore-able if you have the funds...There are projects going on now where 50% of the locomotive has new custom components that has to be specially built because the originals are beyond repair. Most cases boilers are a "do-over", fireboxes are generally need to be rebuilt, drive cylinders are usually seized so that is another do over...the old bearing journals on the tenders are generally not acceptable on most lines so they need to be replaced with roller bearing, asbestos removal everywhere, brake systems have to be updated to be "road legal", and I could go on. If a museum has their own trackage then they can skimp on replacing the tender trucks and even upgrading brakes but my point in everything has to be considered, and it just ain't cheap...even with volunteers doing the heavy lifting. . THEN, you have to maintain it and get it re-certified. Keep in mind, the move from steam to diesel was every bit about the cost of maintaining a steam locomotive. They were expensive to keep on the rails and diesel locomotives were much easier to maintain and parts were interchangeable so repair and maintenance was also less of an issue. So you want to do this anyway you say...funding is the biggest issue. You have to draw in investors. You see all these locomotives and parts everywhere so you have to ask yourself, what locomotive in this yard is going to interest investors to pay to restore it. Is there something special or unique about any one of these. Is there any history beyond "just being old". Someone said on this comment section "I have $120,000 to spend right now"...well that will allow you to buy it, have a rigging company pick it up and truck it to...where?...if you want to transport via rail you still need a rigger to put it on a special flat car and have it secured because no mainline railroad is going to let you put that on their rails...you need to have someone look at it to see what needs to happen and you are likely looking at asbestos abatement. If you are lucky you may have enough money and available parts to do a cosmetic restoration when it is all done....but I dont see any of these locomotives that are in a condition and or have enough parts still remaining to make the candidates for restoration without substantial funds. I can tell you there are plenty of museums that have loco in far better condition that would be candidates if you can talk them out of it.

Santa Maria Valley RR locomotive is far away from her home tracks on the central coast of California.

I am so happy that there is a no.1 tank engine left in Oregon.

I ultimately have the sudden urge to work my butt off and get one of them suckers.

I always heard that Sierra #38 was scrapped but then I heard it was simply dismantled. It would take a lot of work and money to get it to run again but its possible. A classic compound shortline Mallet that was later used for logging. -Stan Fischer

That SP Vanderbilt tender caught my eye. I model the SP in HO Scale and I have a model of one of SP's MT-4 Mountain steam locomotives. It has a Vanderbilt tender, just like the real ones. With that being said, Sierra #18 looks to be in the best condition of them all. All the others would take millions of dollars to restore. Even the GN, though mostly intact, would still cost a small fortune to restore. Sadly, BNSF does not have a steam locomotive preservation program.

Locomotive number 100 and the Sierra engine number 36 were once owned and operated by the White Mountain Scenic Railway in McNary Arizona. Both had been bought and used for short haul excursion service around 1962. They both ran until 1974 when the Railway shut down and everything was sold off. The remaining part of the railroad is now the Apache Railway and only operates a couple times a week at most. I rode the train back in 1971 with my family, I was 6, what a really neat experience, I will never forget.

Chris, thanks for the extinct steam locomotive video. I agree with you on the Lima built AC-9's man ! What perhaps is even more regrettable is that not one video exists of the 80 odd 2-6-6-6 Alleghenies in action from the 40's- 50's built by Lima for the C&O and the Virginian RR's ! I' d give my eye teeth to see one of those monsters, which were even more powerful than the UP Big Boys, in action on a coal drag in the mountains of WVA ! Mike S.

Why doesn't someone purchase some of these engines and try to preserve them? IRM hasn't had a steam locomotive added to their collection in years. Heck, it doesn't have to run, it'd just be a nice display piece! You know, clean it up, put some paint on it, make it look pretty! And if at some point the bill fits, restore it to operating condition!

I hope all of these rusty steam engines are saved, overhauled, and restored. They are never worth being scrapped.

GN 1246 is kind of a rare one, not too much GN stuff still around considering the size of the road.

Wow, if I'm not mistaken some are in good shape. They should be restored and displayed on the museum

I remember having debates about these locomotives 20 years ago. There was a lot of interest in several North West railway museums and quite a few private collectors. I know it was next to impossible to get photographs of these locomotives as people were never allowed on the property. Many people even wondered if they still existed. I think the only people that ever made any headway with Fred is the Mount Rainier railroad. I noticed one of their tenders on the property so I imagine they made a trade along with some cash for something.

Holy smokes! So much history and stories and miles just sitting there. Interesting video. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks

The Shasta Cascade railroad society in Redding would love to have these for their museum lot.

When I was 8 years old I rode on a train in mcnary az the engine pulling us was no36 and 100 was sitting next to it we then they both were on the White Mountain Railroad. It was truly one of the best day of my life. We went on the trip and stopped and had a steak and potatoes lunch then back on the trip through scenery that makes you love the outdoors. Miss it very much

excellent video I like it when there are so many steam locomotives. There's a Shay and articulated locomotive. a lot of consolidation some switcher engines little bit everything. Is that like a scrap yard or some sort of junk yard. I like to know who the owner of that is that is pretty neat. I've said this a lot of steam engines are out there like that the old Woods here in Ohio there's a lot of old locomotives out there in the middle of nowhere. but excellent video well done my friend keep up the good work I like your model trains to your age shows everything you got your american flyer everything

They aren't worth cutting up for steel and they are in a reasonably safe location. Anyone with serious money should hire an investigator to contact the owner, but don't bother if all you have is dreams. Cash talks and the hull cost will be a lot less than replacing boilers and machine shop work to return "locomotive shaped objects" to runners. Anyone with less money should consider donating to existing operations elsewhere. Everyone wants to see live steam in action but far fewer will help make it happen.

Alot of history in one spot. If these old steamers or trucks could talk. Nice video

Satellite shows something else on the rails between the feed store and the highway. It looks like a crane and boom car, and a passenger car. Did you get shots of it,or was it not there when you visited?

All restorable, just need finance and cooperation from the owner. I have seen locos in New Zealand in far worse condition pulled from riverbeds totally restored.

Excellent video... Loved the footage and enjoyed your music selection ;-). This video needs more views... I think you need to include "abandoned" in the title... seems to be popular click-bait word these days, but in your case it's genuine.

It is criminal to allow these artifacts to be in this condition. You cannot buy it but I am not going to do anything with it.

So... not actually abandoned. I met Mr. Fleck and seen him in concert many times. He's a BEAST!

Thank you for the wonderful video ... and I too loved the appropriate soundtrack!

I wonder how many other places around the U.S. have private steam junk yards, like this?

thank you for the video documentation. still its sad to see them being neglected like this.

Very very cool. I used to know a bit about this yard of forgotten iron, but the knowledge seems to have escaped me now. An awesome video indeed. Where did you find the audio for this video? Some pretty good tunes.

Jeez I didn't realize we had all these here

At 3:09, that's a track cart sitting on another one behind the Speeder. My buddy had one he bought from a railroader. I'd love to rebuild that Speeder too! Some priceless pieces here waiting, hopefully, to someday be rebuilt and run.

I had no idea such things still existed! National treasure!

3:45 wait is Oregon Pacific & eastern RR no. 1 is still there in 2023? because I wanted take that from Merrill Oregon to lake Oswego oregon. please reply me..

Awesome vid Jake! the music is gr9 too!

They have served their purpose and are now retired, imagine that

That great northern beauty needs to be steaming again. It is calling my name.

What could actually make sense would be to take the biggest most powerful steam locomotives ever built, the NY Central Niagara's, and build new ones fed with oil, not high polluting coal, and make use of all the modern alloys, and technologies to make them as powerful as any modern diesel electric locomotive. That way they could actually make money for their owners. It'd be a worthy challenge if nothing else with a plausible goal.

This tugs at my heart. . Thank you for sharing.

Just found this video again. Glen Alden #28 once ran at Pine Creek RR when they were located north of Freehold NJ on Route 9. It had some quirks that Pine Creek couldn't afford to repair back then, so they passed on the deal to take it.

Like I was telling ya, there was a day when a dump had quality. And by God, the trash in this country has gone to hell.

It's good to see OP&E 1 still around

From what I've heard in the past, Fred has offered units before; but at an extremely out in space price. Then there's the issue of the passenger cars that went to the YWRR. The railroad claimed they bought them and Kepner said he only loaned the cars to them (that's what I've been told). Our hope is that when he finally passes on, someone will want to sell them at a reasonalbe price; and that they are worth restoring. I've seen a couple of them when they sat at the Cottage Grove Depot along I-5. That was in early 2000's and in bad condition then.

Never knew that these existed in Oregon still I hope that they are never scrapped they are a lost relic of a simpler time they will hopefully be restored and even one day put to use again I won’t be surprised if steam engines make a comeback one day

Located just south of Merrill, Oregon. I checked these out when I lived nearby in 2007.

we need to save these engines there is a lot of locomotives. Pickering lumber #8 should go to the mt rainer scenic if it was opening and could be a running mate to Pickering lumber #11. A good place for 38, 18, 36 would be at rail town 1897.

Amazing yard! These need to be saved.

Saratoga and north creek branch railroad upstate new york could always use a couple steam locomotives and that Teddy Roosevelt receved the letter that he was sworn in as president 1901. true story

The Uk was late in using diesels and the mad rush to convert meant many good steam engines were parked for scrap. The chap who bought a lot of them had plenty of other work and kept them. Most are now either running again or being renovated. The UK is only a small island and steam trains are quite common, even on main lines. There is a brand new one - the A1 class Tornado - and there is going to be more. In April 2017 it was the first steam engine to clock 100 mph in over 50 years. They are all owned by clubs and Trusts. Are we mad ? Of course, what other way to live is there.

Even the best locomotive he has would cost a million dollars to restore. Sad to see them rot.

There's enough parts to build a few running engines or few static engines. A few hybrid classes are in order.

I have a feeling a couple historical societies would want to restore one or two of the locomotives there for static or operational use. Cool video.

I believe Sierra Railway 18 was used in Duel In The Sun.

Where are they now

If these locomotives could tell their stories, I’d listen all day.

Any thing worth saving there that could run again

Awesome video. Saw 2-6-2 105's tender but didn't see it in your video unless I missed it?

I kinda want to see what inside some of cabs. Kinda Carius what they look like. Yes it would be nice to have few millions to fix up at least one or two of them just to bring them back and running again

The last time I saw Sierra #38, May '94, she was at McCloud, CA in about the same condition. The next time I was at McCloud, the area where she had been was no longer accessible. I've wondered what happened to her, now I know.

Does Fred sell parts to rail preservation groups for repairing their display or operating steamers? I imagine handling asbestos used in steamers is a major concern.

I rode inside a steam locomotive once. It was the most thrilling experience of my life, like riding in a bomb.

We never had these trains in the Philippines, but we have only urban trains.

Squirt some oil into the joints once in a while and eventually, someone will realize that these things are no longer being produced, and have value! Help preserve our history!

Great choice of music with your video. Enjoyed it

Would he have any spare parts he is willing to sell? Injectors? Lubricators? Brake parts? etc....

Where in Oregon is this exactly. I don't know of you still answer questions but I'd love to go here.

Where exactly is it?

How did you meet the owner? Does Mr. Kepner allow visitors?

Can/will these be saved?

By chance do you know if these trains still remain there

Does any body know the directions by GPS maps on how to get there soon to possibly buy one of these locomotives and is there a way to get a hold of the owner

These need to be restored and put in museums

the great northern engine was on display in Seattle,Wa woodland park zoo but the city sold it

Is this the collection of locomotives that was sold last year to the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad?

Holy crap that’s a lot of trains

LOVE TO LIVE THERE,SOMETHING TO DO ALL THE TIME

As of 2021, have any of these engines been saved?

How can they let them rot like that???

Where I live there was probably a hundred steam engines parked close together and all of them were cut up for scrap to feed Stelco's furnaces. Some were less than ten years old. I was a boy then and did not know how to save them. Lucky you are far from a steel mill.

Do you have any plans to get any of them running again that is a nice group of steamies

Wow! I thought aircraft boneyards were cool but this is awesome. Thanks for posting this video.

Unbelievable That's Millions Of Dollars of Antique RR Equipment out there just Rusting Away, only good thing is that Part of Oregon is In the High-Desert Which should help Preserve them somewhat. I have a Feeling the Old Coot that Owns these is like the Guy with 25 dang 57 Chevy's sitting in his Back Yard saying ohh yeah I'll get around to fixing that one of these days..

Are the stationary engines for sale need one to run a generater

Love this video and the music ☺