I am tracking a rumored "Glover locomotive in the weeds/woods" in Northern/Central North Carolina. Anyone ever heard of said locomotive ? Information I have is not from a reputable source<br>and before I waste much more time chasing this one I thought I'd<br>poll the group.<br>Also, any other rumored lost locomotives in that general area of the country appreciated.<p>Bill <br>



heisler1607@earhtlink.net

"Lost" Locomotives - locomotives that have been sunk, abandoned, or buried - is a favorite topic of mine. Stories abound of locomotives being discovered in the middle of a forest by hunters, who can never find them again. My "Surviving World Steam Locomotives" database has 35 sunk locomotives, 8 abandoned, and 4 buried. The last update I sent out even included a picture of a steam locomotive lying on it's side in 90 feet of water at the bottom of a lead mine.<p>Dave has mentioned on another forum that there are two Shays abandoned in South Carolina. One is in Rimini, SC; the other in Sumter.<p>(Of course, there are lots more abandoned locomotives worldwide, mostly listed as "derelict", "dumped", or "stored".)<p>-James Hefner



Surviving World Steam Locomotives
james1@pernet.net

I was watching an adventure show when they showed an old mine that was turned into a scubadive safari. When scubadiving, it showed an old 4-4-0 locomotive on the bottom. Anybody know anything else? It was somewhere out west.<p>Gerry K.<br>



HRRHS@AOL.COM

That's the one lying at the bottom of Bonne Terre Lead Mine in Bonne Terre, MO. It is also the one I have a picture of in this month's Surviving World Steam Locomotives update; thanks to an underwater photographer.<p>It is a 4-4-0? Needless to say, there is not enough light underwater to photograph an entire locomotive, so only the front two-thirds is clearly visible. I wasn't sure if it was a 4-4-0 or a 4-6-0. It also looks like it is a narrow-gauge engine.<p>James Hefner



Surviving World Steam Locomotives
james1@pernet.net

OK, indulge me a bit, a pipe dream.<br>If the divers can reach it that easily, how difficult would it be to attach air bags and raise it??<br>There is a small industrial locomotive on display in Chester, CA that was left behind when a dam was built in the teens, and was discovered a few years ago when the dam was emptied for earthquake retrofits. Amazingly, it is in pretty good condition! The wood was all rotten, and parts were missing (one reason it was left behind, it was a parts donor for the dam construction railroad), but IF the money was available, it probably could be restored!<br>S'<br>David D.<br>



djdewey@cncnet.com

I have not been to Bonne Terre Mine myself. I am am not a diver, although there is a boat tour for non-divers during the summer that might provide a view of the locomotive. (There is even a railroad-theme hotel in Bonne Terre itself.) So it is hard for me to comment on the prospects of extracting the locomotive.<p>I *think* you would have two problems. According to the accounts I have read on the net; there is only a single entrance that is used to enter the mine now. That entrance sounds too narrow and twisting to drag the locomotive through once it is raised.<p>But your most difficult problem would be the mine owner himself. The mine is billed as an "underwater museum", and the artifacts it contains are part of what makes the mine an attraction. My guess is that he would not allow you to remove that locomotive at any cost.<p>-James Hefner



Surviving World Steam Locomotives
james1@pernet.net

Dave, your comment on the locomotive in Chester reminds me of a 4-4-0 in Florida that was also raised from a river; Wes Barris has a picture of it on his "Virtual Tour" of Florida. A report I read from New Zealand mentioned several steam locomotives in musuems that had been removed from bodies of water.<p>The Shay that Scott Wickert is restoring in Washington State had fallen through a pier into a body of water. The remains where then removed and dismantled with the intention to scrap during the WWII metal drive. Scott is now restoring it; proving that "lost locomotives" are not only found, but can be removed and have been restored. As you mentioned, it "only" takes time and money.<p>Others, such as the Bonne Terre locomotive, are accessible if you are a diver or willing to tramp through the woods for a few hours. It is for this reason that I include "lost locomotives" in "Surviving World Steam Locomotives." After all, a steam locomotive is a steam locomotive, even if it is under 90 feet of water, or sitting in the middle of a jungle. And sadly, some are in only slightly worst condition than some "preserved" locomotives.<p>-James Hefner



Surviving World Steam Locomotives
james1@pernet.net

In a recent article of Trains Magazine about the Wjite Pass & Yukon there was mention of WP&Y locomotive used as fill outside of Skagway<br>