I've been in touch with the Black Inventors Hall of Fame Museum, a museum being developed in New Jersey. One of the galleries in the new museum will be the Elijah McCoy Transportation hall and they wish to obtain a small steam locomotive for display. I'm trying to help locate a locomotive for them. I've gotten some leads but thought it would be a good time to ask publicly.

A donation is preferred but purchasing on is not out of the question. I do not know what they have in mind for a budget.

For those you you that don't know the connection, Elijah McCoy invented an automatic lubricator used for steam locomotives.

Please let me know if you know of or have a small locomotive that would be a good candidate for display. I was thinking the little 0-4-0 parked for years at Oaks, PA would be a good one but I do not know of the owner.

Many thanks,

Would something narrow gauge work?

Perhaps you can find a small industrial steam "critter" that'd be easier to fit into a hall.

When it's time to get a hydrostatic lubricator they'll have to make sure they get the REAL McCOY!

Attached is a little piece I did for another website years ago. It has not been fact-checked, so you will all have to take it as it is. I will try to add a couple of pics also.

Elijah McCoy was born on May 2, 1843 (or possibly 1844?) in Colchester, Ontario. His parents were escaped slaves from Kentucky and had made it to Canada on what was called the Underground Railway. The father, George, enlisted in the army after coming to Canada. This must have brought some benefits to the family as they were able to send Elijah, at age 15, to Edinburgh, Scotland to an apprenticeship as a mechanical engineer. On returning from Scotland, he ended up getting a job as a locomotive fireman on the Michigan Central out of Ypsilanti, Michigan around 1870.
From day-to-day observation, he could see that locomotives were lacking a good means of lubrication, much of which had to be done when the train was stopped. Others had been working on effective means of on-the-go lubrication, but it was McCoy who invented and patented the automatic, displacement lubricator, U.S. Patent #129843, on July 23, 1872. A Canadian patent, #3499, was issued in 1874.

McCoy went on to a long life of inventing, amassing some 57 patents. Many of these were for improved lubricating systems for steam power of all kinds. He sometimes assigned his patent rights to other companies for manufacture but later formed his own company, Elijah McCoy Manufacturing. The McCoy oiler was thought of as one of the best of the oilers available in the early days. At any rate, his lubricators are said to have brought about the saying, "The Real McCoy." There is some dispute about this, though in early railway and steam circles, this term was used to guarantee that you had a genuine McCoy oiler. However, this phrase may have come from advertising of a brand of Scotch whiskey called, "The Real McCay". People knew this slogan and substituted McCoy! (Actually, there is no real substitute for good Scotch whiskey, or so I'm told!) McCoy evidently regarded that one of his best inventions was a graphite lubricator that used powdered graphite suspended in oil. This was patented in 1916 and was meant for superheated locomotives.

As for who was first, it would appear Mr. McCoy got to the U.S. Patent Office first, so too bad on the other guys. Perhaps though, his years in Edinburgh gave him access to developments in the UK as they were, in some ways, ahead of North America in locomotive development by a few years. There was some mention that after he got his patent, he worked as an industrial consultant for the Detroit Lubricator Co. Did Detroit make the Real McCoy?

There is Canadian patent #109055, issued in 1907, that lists McCoy as the inventor, but the patent owner was listed as the Ypsilanti Lubricator Co. Sadly, there are no photos or descriptions available under a search of that patent number.
Elijah McCoy died on October 10, 1929.
A couple of images are included, if they will upload, are, of the original McCoy oiler and of Elijah himself; the original patent description; and a later patent #130305. (First picture)

I always thought that gear was abandoned. A recent youtube video shows the tracks have caved in under them, and they are rusting out.

This includes some drawings.
https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/ ... q=ca109055

little bit of research regarding the Oaks locomotive,hope this helps to find it a home

Ownership link??????
https://ottingermachine.com/ note same address as in some of the posts

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=40582&p=260646&hilit=steam+locomotive+in+oaks+pa#p260646
not the locomotive in question, but the Wanamie loco’s were at the site at one time

“These are former Lehigh Coal & Navigation Coal Company mine lokies. I believe there were two 0-6-0t's and possibly one or two 0-4-0t's. One had its saddle tank removed. The former were quite large. One had to be closely connected to visit them. "


Bernie

https://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocom ... splay=1049
Posted: Aug 24, 2004 @ 13:08:31 by james
Orig from Steamtown (look at cab!) orig was Massauchsetts Electric company #1. It was test fired in Vermont and needed a new dry pipe to be made operational. Sold at auction of October 29, 1988."

search.php?st=0&sk=t&sd=d&sr=posts&keywords=steam+locomotive+in+oaks+pa&start=30

info from 2015
The late Bob Ottinger started his metal working/welding shop and collected 3 narrow gauge steamers which he kept at his property on Spring City Rd in Phoenixville. IIRC his son still has them up there. I last saw them 20 years ago and they were pretty rough then.
Steamtown info
Engine # Wheel Type
Builder, Date Mfg. # Cylinders Drivers Former Owner
Date Acq’d by Blount or STWN Notes Modern
Disposition
1 0-4-0T Porter, 1902 2601 15×24 45 Massachusetts Electric Co. Unknown Oaks, PA

The University of Akron now owns the former Quaker Square facility that includes two small steam locomotives. Both locomotives could use some TLC or a new home.

Currently for sale on DLS, 22 1/2" gauge.
https://discoverlivesteam.com/discoverforsale/forsale/1_Halverson/index.htm


There are also two similar sized engines, abandoned as far as I know, near the town of Merrimac, WI.
https://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=27441
https://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=27378

DLS also currently has available a Detroit #22 lubricator.
O.
https://groups.io/g/18inch

Hi All
Here is a photo of Massachusetts Electric # 1 in better days at Steamtown in Vermont,,, Pat

Latrobe Steel 0-4-0 #2 was just listed on Ritchie Bros. It is currently in Bolton, Ontario after years of being neglected in private ownership. The saddle tank still exists and is included.

H.K. Porter #3197, 05/1905. 30" gauge.

https://www.rbauction.com/idp/portor-04 ... PxjcdP7rRo



I believe it originally looked like this.

Photo from Latrobe Area Historical Society

The one engine, the 0-6-0, is the last existing CB&Q 0-6-0, or possibly last switcher, period. I think it would be a good candidate to join the Burlington collection at IRM. It will never run, at least not with it's current boiler. The story goes that it was left out with water in it over a winter after it was retired and the boiler cracked.