Climax Class A logging locomotive in action

As most fans of steam locomotives will tell you, logging locomotives are….well, strange. Built to run in the woods over temporary track, steep grades and sharp curves, aesthetics didn’t factor in too much during the design process. Odd, yet lovable, these logging locomotives operate across the United States in tourist service. But then, there are the really strange designs. An early design of the Climax Locomotive Company in Corry, Pennsylvania, was the vertical-boiler Class A Climax. Let’s visit one of these strange machines at the family-run Locust Heights & Western Railroad in Clarksburg, West Virginia.