Locomotive No.2 Nadene B.
Built in Leeds, United Kingdom by the late Doug Blackhurst in 1979, the queen of our fleet, engine #2 is a 10 1/4-inch gauge 2-6-4T coal fired live steam locomotive and is a scale replica of the Leek & Manifold Valley Railway's #2 the J.B. Earle. Before being purchased by the ranch and shipped from England to the United States, our locomotive had a rich and fascinating history, having been used at Kessingland (Suffolk Wildlife Park) during the early to mid 1980s and later used to help fundraise money to save the original Leek & Manifold's Hume End station building by operating over temporarily laid track on the old L&MV right-of-way which had been converted to biking/hiking trail. She was then acquired as a static display at the world famous Statfold Barn Railway. Locomotive #2 has since been renamed to Nadene Beth in honor of our founder's grandmother Nadene Beth Shaffer who was the driving force behind the creation of the ranch to carry on our family's rich farming and railroading heritage.
Locomotive No.1 Holly M.
Keeping in tradition of naming our locomotives after prominent family members, engine #1, named for the matriarch of the family Holly Marie Ferguson, daughter of Nadene Beth Shaffer, was built by the Ottaway Amusement Company of Wichita, Kansas in 1947 and is a 12-inch gauge 4-4-0 coal fired steam locomotive. She is a loosely based scale replica of the Alco Richmond Works 4-4-0 steam locomotives built around 1907 and in particular the Huntingdon & Broad Top Mountain Railroad #30.
Locomotive No.399 James C.
Named for James Cylde Ferguson, Co-owner of Little Wills Creek Ranch, LLC, engine #399 was built in 1991 by the late Gerry Bowden of Grants Pass, Oregon and is a 12-inch gauge gas-hydraulic locomotive. The locomotive was built to resemble the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) Century Series 415 (C415) diesel electric road-switcher locomotives built between 1966-1968 and in particular the high cab variants of the Southern Pacific Railroad. Our locomotive was built for Ian MacGregor of Lake Forest, Illinois and ran on his private estate railroad, the Ahwahnee Central, with a freelance Chicago & Northwestern Railroad inspired paint scheme. We purchased the locomotive and its matching set of two streamlined coaches in the summer of 2019. Engine #399 is the backup for our live steam locomotive fleet.
Locomotive No.3000 Karen M.
Built by the late Robert Butler of Santa Rosa, California in 1953, #3000 is the most historic engine in our fleet. She is a 12-inch gauge 4-4-2 Atlantic type coal fired steam locomotive and is based on the Southern Pacific Railroad's A-6 class 4-4-2 steam locomotive #3000 which once hauled their famous San Joaquin Daylight passenger trains along the central valley of California between Los Angeles and Oakland. Our engine #3000 is named for Karen Marie Shaffer, younger sister of Nadene Beth Shaffer. Locomotive #3000 is currently on static display in our Ranch Shop awaiting her turn for a complete restoration to operational condition.
Locomotive No.480 Harold S.
Built in December 1989 and named for her builder Harold Sinclair of New Zealand, #480 is a 7 1/2-inch gauge 2-8-2 Mikado type coal fired steam locomotive and is based on the famous 3-foot narrow gauge K-36 Class locomotives of the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad in Colorado & New Mexico. The full-size prototype for our engine (K-36 #480) is currently owned by the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in Southwestern Colorado. Our #480 is currently undergoing a complete ground up overhaul at BMG Railroad Contractors/Plumcover Studios in Gloucester, Virginia and should return to the ranch in late 2027/early 2028.
For more information on the full-size prototype of our engine #480, check out the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad by clicking the link below!
Locomotive No.7 Huancayo
Built new for Little Wills Creek Ranch, LLC in May of 2022 by Ridge Locomotive Works of Freeland, Michigan, #7 is a 7 1/2-inch gauge 3 3/4-inch scale 2-6-0 Mogul/Sweet Creek type coal fired steam locomotive. As nod to the camelid (llama & alpaca) side of our business, she is named in honor of the 3-foot narrow gauge Huancayo & Hauncavelica Railway in Peru. The main motive power for this rail line was a small fleet of 2-6-0 Mogul type steam locomotives built in 1920 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia, PA and serves as the inspiration for the engines our engine #7 is based on. She is currently out of service as she is awaiting some minor cosmetic changes including a new cab and paint scheme that will take place during our winter off-season. She will be placed on static display for guests to enjoy during public open house days for the remainder of our 2026 season.