Hillcrest #1 Shay: 2024-04 24 Inspection Runs

The 3rd Party Inspector was on-hand on April 24, 2024 to put the recently rebuilt Hillcrest #1 Shay locomotive through various tests.
These trials were on the narrow-gauge Cowichan Valley Railway, which was closed to visitors at that time. The Cowichan Valley Railway is completely within the private grounds of the BC Forest Discovery Centre, in North Cowichan on Vancouver Island.
Photo Album is Here:
www.flickr.com...
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The Hillcrest #1 Shay is a narrow-gauge oil burning steam locomotive in the Cowichan Valley of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
This Class-B Shay has a present-era weight of approximately 28 tons. She was construction number 3147 in 1920 at the factory in Lima Ohio, USA.
After a pre-delivery factory conversion from narrow-gauge to standard-gauge, she arrived at Hillcrest Lumber on Vancouver Island in early 1921, and worked for Hillcrest Lumber in Sahtlam, and then for other companies in the Cowichan Valley and Crofton until 1963.
Following conversion back to narrow-gauge and oil burning, she was donated to the newly formed Cowichan Valley Forest Museum which opened in 1965. This museum is now known as the BC Forest Discovery Centre, located on Drinkwater Road in North Cowichan, on Vancouver Island.
The Hillcrest #1 Shay was one of the steam locomotives that pulled the visitor train in the early years of the forest museum, and she did this from the late 1960s until 1998. Following this, she went into storage, and the visitor train was then pulled mainly by the Vulcan #25 "Samson" steam locomotive.
A rebuild project was started in 2016 and was completed in Spring 2024. The Hillcrest #1 Shay is now being tested in-service, pulling the visitor train on various days during weekends in Summer 2024.
bcforestdiscov...

[@tomxhd8091]

Wonderful camera work and sound; done by a man who loves his work. Bravo, My wife and I will certainly watch more of your work.

[@LowLightMike]

Many thanks, Tom. I appreciate this.

[@imagreatbigman]

That whistle brings me back to 1996, the last time I rode behind ol' number 1. I'm excited to see her run this summer

[@LowLightMike]

Thanks for this, MT. I appreciate the people who've seen this locomotive in action in the earlier era.

[@david-qm9vn]

when will it be running? as i will come down to ride

[@LowLightMike]

Nothing is announced yet, and I realize that "Soon" is too vague. You will definitely find out when it gets announced, both from the centre's Facebook page, and by seeing videos and photos of the Shay in-service pulling a train of visitors.

[@imagreatbigman]

What was the other whistle they were using?

[@LowLightMike]

The whistle that they used on earlier test runs was one that was previously used on the No.24 "Susie" back in the day. You can see and hear it on my video of March 27th test runs.

[@imagreatbigman]

@@LowLightMike I did. Sounded strange lol I bet that whistle hasn't been heard in years