Wilmington And Western 58

Wilmington and Western 58 is an 0-6-0 "Switcher" type steam locomotive, originally built by Baldwin in 1907 for the Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic Railway. It subsequently went through several ownership changes in both the steam era and the preservation era before it eventually found its way to the Wilmington and Western Railroad in 1973. Presently, No. 58 is used to operate tourist trains between Wilmington and Hockessin, Delaware.

History

Revenue service

No. 58 was built in October 1907 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works. It was the sixth out of seven engines constructed by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia for delivery to the Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic Railway, with the others numbered 53-57 and 59. Compared to the AB&A's 2-6-0 and 4-6-0 engines, which were similar in size in spite of their longer wheel configurations, Nos. 53-59 held a higher adhesion rate and a greater tractive effort. In 1926, the bankrupt AB&A was acquired by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, who reorganized the railway as the Atlanta, Birmingham and Coast Railroad the next year. Following this, Nos. 53-59 were renumbered 22–28, with No. 58 being renumbered to No. 27.

Before the AB&C completely merged with Atlantic Coast Line, Nos. 22, 24, 26 and 27 were sold during World War II to Georgia Car and Locomotive Company, a rebuilder and re-seller of railroad rolling stock. Nos. 26 and 27 were subsequently sold again to the United States Army Transportation Corp, who renumbered them to 6962 and 6961, respectively. Later, No. 6962 was scrapped, while No. 6961 was sold in 1947 to the Virginia Blue Ridge Railway, where it was renumbered to 4 and used to pull train loads of titanium dioxide and aplite out of the mines the Railway served. In May 1951, No. 4 was acquired by the Mead Corporation of Lynchburg, Virginia, where it was renumbered to 300.

In 1963, Malcolm Ottinger purchased No. 300 for use to pull tourist trains on his Valley Forge Scenic Railroad alongside 4-6-2 No. 425. However, it was reported that No. 300 never ran on the Valley Forge trackage. In 1973, No. 300 was purchased by Brian Woodcock, who was the president of the Wilmington and Western Railroad in Delaware. The engine's road number was reverted to its original, No. 58, and it was subsequently put into public storage. In 1976, No. 58 participated alongside 4-4-0 No. 98 in the United States Bicentennial Celebrations of Hockessin, Delaware.

Excursion service

In December 1988, No. 58 was moved to the Avondale Railroad Center for display alongside some Ex-Pennsylvania Railroad MP54's. In 1997, Brian Woodcock outright donated No. 58 to the W&W, with the wish that the engine be restored to operating condition. The W&W returned No. 58 to service by the fall of 1998, and the engine began to pull trains on the Ez- Baltimore and Ohio line between Wilmington and Hockessin. On May 23, 1999, No. 58 became dedicated as "The Veteran's Locomotive".

In 2013, the engine was removed from service to undergo an FRA-required overhaul. The overhaul took four years to complete before No. 58 re-entered service in 2017. Simultaneously, No. 98 was taken out of service to undergo a similar overhaul, leaving No. 58 as the sole-operating steam engine on the W&W in the present time.

See also

* Baldwin Locomotive Works 26
* Canadian National 7312
* Central Railroad of New Jersey 113
* Union Pacific 4466
* United States Army 4039

References

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0-6-0 locomotives
Baldwin locomotives
Individual locomotives of the United States
Standard gauge locomotives of the United States
Buildings and structures in Wilmington, Delaware