"Detroit Yukon Mining Company Locomotive No. 4
Built in 1904 by H.K. Porter Company, Pittsburgh. H.K. Porter Saddle Tank, 7-ton Porter, c/n 3025, (No. 4) , 0-4-0. There are nameplates on both the right and left sides reading: "H.K. Porter Company / Pittsburgh / U.S.A. / No. 3025 / 1904" Also painted on the side of the locomotive are the initials "D.Y.M. Co.", and on the front "H.K. Porter & Co. / Pittsburgh Pa.". Includes small flatcar.
The Detroit Yukon Mining Company operated a railway six miles up the Klondike River from Dawson on Bear Creek. The mining company's railway consisted of four industrial locomotives, and twenty-four mine cars. DYMC No. 4 hauled dump cars full of pay dirt to a sluicing plant on the Klondike River.
The 7-ton Porter, C/n 3025, (No. 4), 0-4-0, saddle tank locomotive was built for DYMCo in April 1904. The Porter had 24-inch wheels, 6x10 inch cylinders, and a 48-inch wheelbase. The Detroit Yukon Mining Company incorporated in the state of Michigan, United States of America, on August 27, 1902. On November 27, 1902 DYMCo was granted a license to operate in the Yukon Territory.
In 1905, DYMCo acquired the Boyle Concession, a huge 40 square mile area in the Klondike River valley, stretching from Bonanza Creek to Hunter Creek. Upon acquiring the concession, DYMCo went through reorganization and was absorbed into the CKMco Canadian Klondike Mining Company. The company built several huge dredges. The powerful dredging machines scooped earth from the riverbed at a considerable rate, unmatchable by smaller operations. The first dredge was operational by mid-1905 which simultaneously put DYMCo's Bear Creek railway out of work. From June 1905 to 1921 DYMCo Porter No. 4 went to work for the Canadian Klondyke Mining Company.
She was shuffled to Burrall and Braid Company in Dawson from 1921 to 1925. Then, in 1925 the Yukon Consolidated Gold Company acquired the Porter and it was in their possession until 1961. In May 1961, YCGC donated DYMCo No.4 C/n 3025 to the Dawson City Museum along with three locomotives from the Klondike Mining Railway.
The Porter DYMCo No. 4 has remained in Dawson since the donation except for a brief departure for display in an exhibit during Expo'86 in Vancouver, Canada. The Porter was shipped to Vancouver in early 1986, and it was then restored to original appearances by Ken Hynek. During the dismantle of the locomotive it was noted that many parts were missing, including a piston. Therefore it has been speculated that No. 4 was probably used by CKMCo for machine parts to keep the other porters running. DYMCo No. 4 was returned to Dawson after the fair and by 1987 it was well protected in the newly built locomotive shed in at the Dawson City Museum site."
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