The October issue of CINDERS FROM THE SMOKESTACK bulletin of the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum has a very nice article on the Alabama Mineral Railroad which was operated as a Division of the Louisville & Nashville. The museum currently operates the portion of that line between Calera (museum site) and Shelby. The first portion of that line was built as the Anniston & Atlanta Railroad in 1883 as a 3 footer. It's first passenger locomotive was narrow gauge 4-4-0 number 1 which was described as being built in Mt. Savage, Maryland. Can anyone advise what locomotive builder was located in Mt. Savage? Since the L&N took over the line in 1890 and soon standard gauged it, I assume the little American was sold.

Les

The internet is amazing!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Sava ... tive_Works

http://home.comcast.net/~VagelKeller/mtsvg_2a.htm

http://books.google.com/books/about/Mt_ ... JUtwAACAAJ

http://www.wmwestsub.com/georgescreeksu ... savage.htm

In addition to this, there is a photo of one of the Mount Savage 4-4-0s that was built for a narrow gauge Nickel Plate predecessor in John Rehor's classic, "The Nickel Plate Story," originally published by Kalmbach in the 1960s.

It's also notable that the shortline railroad in that area, the Cumberland & Pennsylvania, was notable as one of the very few shortline railroads to build its own locomotives in their shops.

The C&P disappeared into the Western Maryland in 1944, and the shortline's engines were largely replaced by WM's Russian Decapods. Most of the surviving locomotives of that time were scrapped, but one wound up on the Winchester & Western, at that time a little stub of a railroad running from Winchester, Va. to a sand mine at Gore. That part of the road is still around, along with additional mileage it has purchased from Winchester to Williamsport, Md. (former Cumberland Valley, later Pennsylvania Railroad, Penn Central, and Conrail--and as W&W, it runs down the street from my house), and a division up in New Jersey that I believe was formerly Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumberland ... a_Railroad

http://www.mountsavagehistoricalsociety ... 20shop.htm

http://www.mountsavagehistoricalsociety ... OTIVES.htm

http://korns.org/misc/CPRR-map-38/CPRR-map.html

Additional C&P photos courtesy of Don's Depot:

Would you believe this pretty 4-6-0 was among the engines built by shortline C&P?

http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/dr0103/dl716.jpg

http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/dr0103/dl720.jpg

http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/dr0103/dl717.jpg

No. 27 would be the last steam locomotive to run on the Winchester & Western, being replaced by a GE 70-tonner around 1952 or 1953; note that it is equipped with Southern valve gear:

http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/dr0103/cpa27.jpg

http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/dr0103/dl719.jpg

http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/dr0103/dl722.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~phstakem/rr/winans/WINANS3.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~phstakem/rr/winans/WINANS.htm

About the W&W:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester ... n_Railroad

http://www.varail.com/wwhome.htm

http://www.american-rails.com/wincheste ... lroad.html

Diesel fans are probably jealous of me, having GP-9s running right down the street from my house. Other diesel fans can recall when this road was an Alco stronghold:

http://www.yesteryeardepot.com/WW459X2.JPG

Have fun, and Happy New Year!

The NRHS Bulletin had an article about Mt. Savage, oh, maybe 15 years ago? They did not have a curve planer, so they finished cylinder saddles with air chisels and scrapers.

They were unable to compete as the size of locomotives grew. Their largest engine capability was a consolidation.