According to this newspaper

https://pamplinmedia.com/ceo/162-news/5 ... emily-shay

the Mount Emily Lumber Shay #1 looking for a new home.
I think this is the most travelled Shay within the US -> OH-WA-OR-WV-OR.
She was also my first Shay ride back in 1990 in Cass, WV.

It look like the process is in its final stages and the new place will be announced soon.
What you thinking where the lokie ends up?
My guesses:
Oregon Rail Heritage Center in Portland, OR.
Oregon Coast Scenic RR in Garibaldi, OR (but they are busy for the next 10+ years with
the Kepner collection?).
Mount Rainier Scenic RR in Mineral/Elbe/Eatonville, WA (but they are in a kind of transition
period?).
..................?

Here is the manufacturers mugshot.

Per the article, the Oregon Historical Society is looking for a permanent title transfer. If the locomotive is legally listed in their financials as part of their collection, there are conditions that need to be met when organizations chose to transfer artifact title, particularly if the future owner is not another nonprofit. Their RFP would have provided the conditions for title transfer. A probability is that the title would be given to a another nonprofit and the locomotive physically moved to a third party...similar to how she ended in her present location.

No idea if they have any interest, but if they do, I'd be surprised. They prefer to run rod engines most of the time, as they're better at keeping schedule. Out of all the 3 styles of geared locos we've run over the years, Shays/Willamettes are the slowest.

They also currently have a 3 truck Shay as well as a 3 truck Willamette which is basically a Shay, but has a slightly faster top speed. Would another Shay be a useful addition? I guess maybe if the cost was right?

I was in the Mt Ranier area last week and stopped by the shuttered museum and adjacent Hobo Inn...

The "museum" showed no signs of life. The ROW was overgrown with weeds and 4-5 quickly deteriorating passenger cars were shoved into the back of a siding. Peering in the "museum depot" revealed a bunch of empty shelves and a handcar. No signage of any sort nor any indication of life at all.

The adjacent restaurant, which was supposed to open at 11am and had 1-2 employees inside never opened by 1pm and they would not answer the door.

The next door "Hobo Inn"- a collection of 7 cabooses made into motel rooms were mostly rented and seemed to be doing a good business.

Was a neat site stumbling upon it going down the road, but a highly disappointing business.

Matt Bumgarner

Mt Rainier Scenic RR is a cautionary tale for going commercial from a non-profit. What used to be one of the more impressive tourist railroads in the US is now a weed-covered old Milwaukee Road line, a now-boarded-up logging museum that was moved from Tacoma and locomotives I assume now have a thick layer of dust over them.
You can talk honestly about how messed up things got at the Chehalis railroad, but what happened to Mt Rainer is orders of magnitude worse (and stranger). I won't go into the details because I was never on crew over there. I've talked with those who were and everything I heard made me cringe.
So now, you could ride two steam railroads on the same day if you timed it right in that area. Now, there's nothing.
Each could come back, and maybe they both will, but I'm not putting down bets on timeframes for either.
The museum is actually over at Mineral; you're describing their depot at Elbe. That was just ticket sales and a gift shop, which sure sounded empty from your description.

My first guess was the right one,
Oregon Rail Heritage Center in Portland, OR.

Here the actual news release:

Oregon Rail Heritage Center is pleased to announce that we have been chosen as the new home and permanent owner for the Mount Emily Shay #1. We are more than honored to have been chosen amongst the other applicants. We are thankful to the Oregon Historical Society for their work to care and keep this important piece of our NW logging history and to the City of Prineville for their long stewardship and care of the Mount Emily Shay.

Stay tuned as details are finalized and this beauty makes her way to the ORHC Enginehouse. Our plan is to display, maintain and operate the Shay out of ORHC and for her to be the motive power for the Holiday Express 2023 and for years to come.

This is only fitting for the Mount Emily Shay was first donated to OMSI and then shipped to Portland. When she could not fit through the tunnel up to OMSI she was transferred to OHS and she kicked around the yards in Portland until 1971 when she was leased to Cass Scenic. In 1992 OHS began efforts to return her to Oregon and in 1994 she arrived on the City Of Prineville Ry where she has operated ever since.

You didn't stop by the museum, it's in Mineral, not Elbe. You stopped by an empty station, which is no surprise for an operation that shut down two years ago. It may reopen sometime soon (or not, who knows?) but it is currently not in operation.

The Hobo Inn, Pizza Place, Restaurant and passenger cars nearby are not, in any way affiliated with the Mt Rainier Scenic / Mt Rainier Railroad (whatever the new name may be). They're also not a museum of any sort.

In fact, should you have a large amount of cash laying around, you can buy that dinner train for a price that is much higher than it's worth. It belongs to the restaurant, not the railroad, and has been for sale for many years. At one time Mt Rainier Scenic provided crews and motive power for their dinner train. Not sure when it last ran but it's a long time ago.