Museum receives donation for Shay locomotive

Faye Schoknecht of the Schoknecht Family Fund donated $10,000 to the Heritage Museum in Libby Wednesday. The donation was to help the museum restore the old Shay locomotive and the barn in which it is currently stored.

J. Neils Lumber Company bought four of the powerful engines during the early days of logging in Libby. Unlike traditional steam engines, the Shay locomotives were designed to operate in the mountains and to pull heavy loads up steep inclines.

Schoknecht’s husband retired from the lumber company in 1974. At the time, approximately 1,200 people were employed by J. Neils. The locomotive represents a small piece of the rich history of the area, and holds special meaning for Schoknecht, as well as members of the museum’s board of directors.

“This is Libby,” said board member August Hardgrove. “This thing right here is Libby.”

“This is about all that’s left of that history,” board member Brent Teske said.

Hardgrove said the museum’s goal is to get the Shay running and then hopefully build a track around the museum property on which to run it, along with an old 1870s-era passenger car the museum recently acquired.

“If we can get this rolling, you’d be amazed at how many people come to see it,” Hardgrove said.