In 1951, the DM&IR purchased 19 2-10-4 locomotives from the Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad. Only 18 were delivered. The DM&IR either never noticed the omission of the 19th Texas type locomotive, or chose to ignore it at the time. A few years ago, an accountant noticed ther error and brought it up to management. At first, the Missabe tried to collect the money paid for the engine, but not received. Unfortunately, considering the current status of the B&LE, that did not work out. It turns out that the 19th engine that was to be deliverd in 1951 was actually number 643, which, of course, still exists. Contact was made with the current owner, to no avail. A lawsuit was then instituted, but the preliminary ruling was that possession is 9 tenths of the law. Still, the Missabe has a lot of lawyers, and a lot of time. So serious negotiations were started. Eventually the current owner agreed to give up the locomotive, under certain conditions. Namely:

1. That the locomotive would be preserved, and not scrapped, for at least a period of 15 years.

2. That the locomotive would receive DM&IR number 718, the next number in the DM&IR numbering sequence for the ex-B&LE 2-10-4's

3. That the Missabe would restore the locomotive to running condition and operate at least 2 trips per year for the benefit of various local charities, including railroad museums.

4. That the current owner would receive 10% of the gross receipts for these runs.

The engine is scheduled to leave its current home in Pennsylvania sometime this summer.

Les