ANOTHER YPRHS RESTORATION! - Continuing the mission of preserving the railroad and logging history of Lincoln County, we are pleased to have the opportunity of restoring to operation this R.M.Wade Co. drag saw. It was donated to YPRHS by Terry Woolfolk and until recently was stored in our railway post office (RPO) car. R.M. Wade Co. started in Portland in 1856 and is still in business, one of the oldest businesses in Oregon. Robert Marshall Wade’s son-in-law, Edward Newbegin, introduced the company’s first original product, the Wade Drag Saw around 1915 and built hundred’s of these that were shipped nationally and around the world. This is a gasoline-driven one-cylinder saw that could be used to cut rounds off big logs which were then split to be used for fuel in the steam-driven donkey engines to pull logs from the woods.

A couple of months ago, Lane Plotner (who had a mill with his father on Pioneer Mountain until in burned in 1949), was walking through the display and remarked that he and his dad had one of them in his mill. He made a further comment regarding his having spent 17 years repairing magnetos. Ours being in poor repair, suddenly had a new home for some tender loving care. The next major job was to get the water tank repaired. After several false starts, member Marlyn Kaps indicated that he thought he knew somebody at the Georgia-Pacific plant in Toledo that could possibly repair or rebuild it. Our thanks go to Terry Smith’s department encouraged by Robin Rose (former YPRHS Program Coordinator), especially to Damon McGill and his apprentice for building the tank. Thanks also to plant manager Ed Bortz who is supportive of all manners of community efforts.

So on Tuesday, July 27, 2004, after some 80 years after it was built and for an undetermined amount of time sitting idle, the YPRHS Drag Saw was coaxed back to life. She is a monster in repose, dangerous to the untrained and powerful enough to force a 5 foot blade through big timber. She’s noisy, heavy, smoke belching, and certainly would not pass OSHA inspection in today’s world.

The Yaquina Pacific Railroad Historical Society is constantly looking for railroad and logging equipment. Even more important YPRHS always welcomes folks who have skills and knowledge about these industries to come and lend a hand, uncover a resource, or provide information.

Call, write, send checks, (YPRHS is a 501c(3) not-for-profit organization), or check out our website:

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Yaquina Pacific Railroad Historical Society

100 N.W. “A” Street - PO Box 119

Toledo, Oregon 97391

(541) 336-5256