Jeff -

Interesting locomotive. With the long combination car type cab, it's a bit surprising that the 2 drivered creature had enough "oompfhh" to move itself around, let alone a trailing passenger car. Speaking of the trailing car, what are those devices on its roof anyway?

Les

She does look like she'd be a slippery thing, doesn't she? The boiler looks small as well.

Something looks familiar about it though. Reminds me of a very early locomotive. Could this be some kind of a conversion for what used to be a regular locomotive, but soon ended up being too underpowered to be of much real use? Rather than scrap it, they built this? (Purely speculation.)

They must be loudspeakers. "You! In the buggy! Next time take the train!"

They do look like loudspeakers, but it would appear the photo is too early for that. Then again, we don't have any real info on when it was taken, so who knows.

I'm wondering if they're ventilation ducts of some sort. Sort of an air scoop to direct nice clean cool air down into th... why's it smell like coal smoke in here? Where's that black soot coming from? Yeah, I can see some problems with that idea as well, but it's still my best guess.

That is not a inspection locomotive, that is the original passenger power of the Minnesota Valley which later became Chicago Minneapolis & Omaha, later CNW and now UP.

The original line ran from St. Paul, MN to Shakopee, MN.

-Hudson

Some information via Google Books:

https://books.google.com/books?id=1EtBAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA146&lpg=PA146&dq=Minnesota+Valley+RR++Locomotive+%22Shakopee%22&source=bl&ots=Ceq7oZdlWv&sig=kim9qUtP57dPJoBiNTPaZy36Or0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=1qbKVKL8OsymgwT8mYOwBQ&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=Minnesota%20Valley%20RR%20%20Locomotive%20%22Shakopee%22&f=false

I recall the early Cumberland Valley RR locomotive 2-2-2T "Jenny Lind", sister engine to "The Pioneer" both built by Seth Wilmar of Boston. In later years the locomotive was rebuilt into a Combination Inspection Car. Those two engines were very similar o the "Shakopee".

The above reference is from the April 1911 issue of Railway & Locomotive Engineering. I happened to run across another letter on page 102 of the March 1911 issue on this locomotive/passenger train from a Mr. Charles C. Rowell. Mr. Rowell states that he joined the Minnesota Valley in 1866 and ran this engine 25 miles in 29 minutes. That must have been an interesting ride! He also states that the engine had 9" or 10" x 18" cylinders and 4' 9" drivers (the other report says 50" drivers) and operated at 160# pressure. The car carried 30 passsengers and the ride was smooth! Between the two letters in the R&LE journal, there seems to be some question about the builder (Mr. Romans or Romaine) and what railroad shop she was built in. Apparently the built date was 1865 and she was scrapped in the 1870's. Interesting info. I wonder if there are any other letters in this journal about the engine/car. I'll have to do some more checking.

Les

This is the Minnesota Valley’s 4-2-0T engine and coach combination named "Shakopee." It was built in 1865 by the Columbus shops of the Columbus & Indianapolis Central; later part of the Pennsylvania controlled Pittsburgh Cincinnati Chicago & St. Louis (known as the Panhandle). Its designer was William Romans, the line’s Master Mechanic, who had built two earlier examples as 2-2-0T engines for local passenger service by his own company. He patented his design and expected orders for more but this was the only order that came his way. It was shipped to Lacrosse, WI, by rail, then by barge up the Mississippi River to Mendota, MN, slightly downstream from St. Paul, the northern end of the line at the time, arriving on October 31st. The "Shakopee" had 9 x 18 inch cylinders, 50 inch drivers, a wagon top boiler operating at 160 pounds pressure, and seated about 30. It made four round trips a day on the 47 mile-long line when it first opened. Its crew really appreciated the enclosed body in the harsh Minnesota winters. But the line grew to be too long and there was more demand for travel than it could handle. The "Shakopee" became an inspection engine, paymaster’s car, then was leased to the Northern Pacific for similar use by construction officials, and retired in late 1870s. The body of the car became a peanut stand in Minneapolis. The Minnesota Valley became part of the Chicago St. Paul Minneapolis & Omaha, later a subsidiary of the Chicago & Northwestern. The photo has "Shakopee" in its original use in passenger service and pulling a second car behind it. It is unlikely it could have handled more. The top of the steam dome can be just seen above the roof at the front of the body. Its water tank was under the boiler in front of the driving wheel.

Since the discussion has gone silent, here's another strange one that showed up on Ebay.
Steam motor car?? Is that like an interurban or an inspection car?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rock-Island-RR- ... 3cf132f4bc

Baldwin built Rock Island coal burning steam car #2551 in 1907 using European Ganz technology. A fully enclosed compound engine, valve gear, and gear box were mounted on the front truck and drove its rear axle. It was 55’ long, weighed 36 tons, operated at 270 lbs. pressure, and produced 120 hp, with its coal bunker over the front end sill, 52 seat capacity and vertical boiler. Water capacity in tanks under body was 600 gallons. The power plant was removed in 1917 and it then served as a regular car. Jackson & Sharp built the body for the car and photos of it are available at the Delaware Public Archives web site.

I forgot to say that this was not used for inspections but was a steam car for regular passenger service. The Rock Island also had ALCO build them a oil-burning one of a different design at the same time. Neither one worked out well.

something very similar, still in steam
http://www.pichirichirailway.org.au/gal ... CoffeePot/
http://youtu.be/SdtLy8CaEew

I also saw on youtube a steam motor coach video

Wasn't quite sure what the arrangement of the "Coffee Pot" was, but finally found out on their website. She's a 2-2-0, or really a 2-2-0WT.

Thanks meuritt for posting this. Quite an interesting little piece of machinery to say the least!

Les

The Coffee Pot returns to service
https://au.news.yahoo.com/video/watch/3 ... ice/#page1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFQoqgPYVH0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qopI1jMlWmo

and, if you use facebook, a news story. I tried to find the original link but failed.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/399471963535816/

Here is a great site on the Reading inspection loco "Black Diamond"

http://www.gcarter.us/blkdiamond.htm

It is supposed to be the last surviving steam inspection locomotive. She has been at the National Transportation museum since 1948.