Locomotives - Harbor Springs Railway Hemlock Central Engine Number 1 Baby Wood Print

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During the early 1870s, logging was the dominant industry in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The conveyance of timber harvested from those northern woods was largely accomplished by horses. However, inventor and lumberman Ephraim Shay, compelled by the high cost of such transportation, set out to develop a tramway to reduce his expenses. After spending six winters refining what his friends referred to as "Shay's Folly," the diligent inventor was ultimately rewarded. His finished creation was a geared-logging locomotive quite unlike the traditional siderod-driven steam engines of the day. Shay's invention operated with gears and universal joints, allowing the engine to climb steeper grades and sharper curves on tracks that had been hastily laid for lumber removal. In 1888, Shay moved to Harbor Springs, Michigan, where he established a logging railroad called the Harbor Springs Railway Company. Locally known as the Hemlock Central, this system served both as a testing ground for Shay's later...