Before going any further:

No, it is NOT a NYC Niagara in a warehouse
No, it is NOT a PRR T-1 locomotive in a forgotton roundhouse
No, it is NOT a PRR switcher in a quarry

But, it does show that there are locomotives out there that we may not know about!

It is H.K. Porter construction number 7032. The engine was built in 1926, and owned by a shipping company in Philadelphia Pa by the name of Levinos Shipping. They owned piers in south and northeast philly. the engine is a 0-4-0 saddle tank locomotive with a shotgun stack. the overall condition is said to be excellent with only minor items missing- bell, whistle, headlight. the firebox inside is said to be in excellent condition with no flame erosion present, and has fixed bar grates. It is three foot guage; I assume it was used in an insular operation to move material around the docks.

It has been acquired by the Independence Seaport Museum, 211 South Columbus Boulevard & Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, USA. There are pictures of it in a folder for the Steam Lizards Group on Yahoo; you will have to join the group to see them:

http://ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/steam_ ... rowse/d98d

(They are very dark because they were taken in a warehouse.) I have compared the photos to pictures I have of other narrow guage Porter engines; and I do believe it is a new find. I could not find it listed in Conrad's directory, nor in Doug's database and of course not in my own either.

It has a wooden cab that is cut off at the window sill level, and a tall tank. It reminds me of the little Porter saddle tankers up in Alaska:

http://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomo ... ?Display=2

http://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomo ... splay=5460

On a different note, the Steam Lizards Group on Yahoo has been given an opportunity to provide details on the Worthington steam pumps that were raised from the U.S.S Monitor, and are being conserved at the Mariners Museum in Newport News, Virginia. In return, they sent me pictures of the steam pumps when they were first raised from the wreck site, and later after the tank they were being conserved in was drained. These are the oldest known examples of direct acting steam pumps; and it was neat to be included in the documentation process; work of cleaning the steam pumps will begin next year.

-James Hefner
Hebrews 10:20a

Surviving World Steam Project