With your support, our goal is to provide regular, permanent steam operation to Ardenwood Historic Farm by 2029, the 100th birthday of the Kiso No. 9 locomotive. We hope you will consider contributing to our campaign to bring steam to SPCRR.

If you wish to donate by cash or check, or have an employee match program, please reach out to us at [email protected]

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The Kiso Forest Railway No. 9 is a Baldwin 0-4-2RT 6-10 1/3 C91 steam locomotive built in June 1929 in Pennsylvania. It is one of ten locomotives in the last of three total orders built for the Imperial Forestry Bureau of Japan, for use on the Kiso Forest Railway, a 30-inch gauge logging railroad in the Nagano Prefecture in the center of Japan.

The locomotive was originally delivered as Kiso Forest No. 17, with simple utility features common on logging railway locomotives of the time, including a bulbous Rushton “cabbage” smokestack, no bell, and a bare-bones control setup.

During WWII, the railroad was forced to make many changes to operations. This included a conversion to wood chips as fuel, which necessitated a larger, custom-designed spark arresting stack, a larger fuel bunker, and all-black paint scheme. Most of the other Baldwin locomotives were scrapped for steel, leaving Kiso No. 9 and two others to survive the post-war transition to diesel. This would be short-lived, however, as the railroad would eliminate steam operations entirely in the 1950s.

In 1959, Kiso No. 9 was sold and exported back to the United States to a private collector, Henry L. Sorensen. Sorensen had built a personal use "backyard" railroad at his property in McKinleyville, CA. He had a strong interest in Northern California logging railroad operations, and had begun purchasing equipment to replicate and preserve the memory of the once expansive network of smaller railroads in the area he grew up with.

Sorensen renumbered and rebranded the locomotive to Humboldt Northern No. 11, the railway name being a homage to the small and defunct logging railway in McKinleyville. During his restoration efforts, he widened the gauge to 36 inch, and added a large amount of accessories to reconfigure the locomotive as an American-style log hauler. The inaugural American run took place in October 1971, and the locomotive proceeded to run on Sorensen’s property for the next several decades. It was at some point renumbered to No. 6 to match a recovered Baldwin smokebox number plate.


In 1999, the locomotive was exhibited at Railfair '99 in Sacramento, CA. Sorensen reimagined the locomotive's Kiso branding and number, and it was exhibited outdoors at the event. This would be the last public steam-up of the Kiso.

After Railfair, the locomotive and other parts of Sorensen's collection were donated to the California State Railroad Museum (CSRRM). The locomotive was placed on static display, until it was eventually put into long-term storage.

In 2024, CSRRM transferred ownership to us, the Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources, a.k.a. SPCRR. We immediately transported the locomotive to our museum, where it awaits restoration today.

Since 1985, volunteers at SPCRR have provided Victorian period- and locale-accurate narrow gauge train rides for guests at the Ardenwood Historic Farm interpretive history park in Fremont, CA. Our museum focuses on the preservation and demonstration of turn of the 20th century railroad operations and equipment in the Bay Area. For many years, this centered around the operation of a horse-drawn flatcar ride for guests of the park. This unique operation mimicked a real branchline of the South Pacific Coast Railroad in Centerville, 2 miles south of the current park, where horses pulled 2-3 cars to the mainline interchange.

As the region has grown and park attendance increased, we have had to transition to longer trains and more "horsepower" to comfortably accommodate daily ridership. Today, we run regular diesel operations with 4 or 5 picnic and excursion style cars. While this is allows us to satisfy our ridership needs, we have distanced from our historical roots. Returning to horse operations is unfeasible with the train weight- steam power is the way to go. While the Kiso No. 9 is not a South Pacific Coast locomotive, it is a now-rare operable narrow gauge steam locomotive, and a golden opportunity for SPCRR to bring narrow gauge steam back to the Bay Area.

Museum volunteers have begun inspections to evaluate the locomotive's current state and the scope of work required. Initial impressions are that the locomotive has been expertly preserved and is in excellent condition. Work by Sorenson and the California State Railroad Museum has kept the mechanical system in ready hibernation. 

There is still a laundry list of tasks to accomplish before the locomotive can be safely operated on our railroad:

  • Full teardown and nondestructive evaluation of safety critical components
  • Cataloging of all parts and mechanical definitions
  • Manufacture and replacement of missing or worn parts
  • Complete boiler inspection, consultation, and specialized mechanical labor for boiler repair
  • Reinstallation of air brake system
  • Updated mechanical components for state compliance
  • Facility upgrades (Water, Fuel, Fire mitigation)
  • Supplemental maintenance and safety equipment
  • Cosmetic restoration to No. 9

日本の皆様へ、心より歓迎申し上げます 

私たちは、鉄道の歴史保存に取り組むカリフォルニア州の小さな博物館です。現在、「木曽9号」蒸気機関車の動態復元に向けて、真摯に作業を進めております。復元が完了すれば、本機は過去25年間で唯一、一般向けに運行されるボールドウィンB1形機関車となります。
この機関車は、株式会社アスターホビーより製作された「木曽森林鉄道ボールドウィン Bl 」模型を通じて、ご存じの方もいらっしゃるかもしれません。
機関車の修復事業へのご支援を賜りますよう、心よりお願い申し上げます。あわせて、カリフォルニア州フリーモントの当館へぜひご来館いただき、この貴重な歴史遺産にご乗車いただければ幸いです。

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References

  • D. Fletcher, Kiso Forest Rail No. 9 Erecting Drawing, 2024.
  • Agematsu Town Tourism Association. " Guide to Akasawa Forest Railway." Accessed April 2025. https://kiso-hinoki.jp/en/01akasawa2.html.
  • "Kiso No. 7 in Japan." Photograph. Courtesy of D. Marenzi.
  • California State Railroad Museum. Master Railroad Equipment Roster. June 12, 2015.
  • Imperial Chamber of Forestry Bureau. Imperial Forest Service Fifty Years' History. 2014. https://doi.org/10.11501/1686768.
  • R. Farnsworth. “Japanese Narrow Gauge — 762mm Lines – Part 2 – The Kiso Railway – Part A. " Accessed March 2025. https://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/02/11/japanese-narrow-gauge-762mm-lines-part-2-the-kiso-railway-part-a/.
  • B. MacGregor (Photographer), "Henry Sorenson with his Kiso No. 6," April 1987. Slide. Courtesy of J. Burgess. 
  • F. Foley. "Ardenwoon Horse Drawn Train," 2006. Courtesy of F. Foley.
  • D. Marenzi, "Kiso No. 6 in Sacramento," 2024. Courtesy of D. Marenzi.
  • D. Marenzi (Photographer), "Kiso at Railfair ’99," 1999. Print. Courtesy of D. Marenzi.

The Railroad Museum at Ardenwood is operated by the Society for the Preservation for Carter Railroad Resources, Inc. (SPCRR), a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation.

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