engine 35

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My great grandfather was the engineer for this locamotive. We have a picture of him in front of it. Unfortunately one can ony see a small part of the locamotive. The cab with the number and part of two drivers. I would like to be able to idenify the locamotive. I believe he traveled from Winston.

-- John Yingling (Johnk75@paulbunyan.net), August 31, 2001

Answers

The most likely locomotive #35 was a 2-8-0 built by Baldwin for the Richmond & Danville railroad in 1885. When the Southern Railway was formed by merger and many locomotives were re-numbered (around 1903,) this locomotive kept the number 35. No. 35 remained in service with the Southern until it was scrapped at Lawrenceville on May 23, 1924.

This information comes from an old copy of Southern Railway Locomotives & Boats by Richard Prince. It is one of the best sources of information about early locomotives of this railroad.

The Southern Railway was formed by incorporation of a great many different, smaller, railroads in the last years of the 19th century and the first years of the 20th. Many locomotives were acquired with these railroads. Most had to be re-numbered to eliminate duplication and it fit the locomotives into coherent series. It is possible that the locomotive pictured might not be the one above, but a different loco. Prince's book lists a Georgia Pacific locomotive #35 which later was successively numbered Southern 779, 835, 3027.

-- Tom Warne (twar@chevron.com), September 14, 2001.


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