At Superior, Wisconsin in 1947:

http://abpr2.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi? ... 1947-2.jpg

http://abpr2.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi? ... 3-1947.jpg

As someone pointed out in the info under one view, this is a 2-10-0, a one of a kind on the Soo, originally the world's largest locomotive (but only briefly) when turned out by Baldwin for the Buffalo & Sesquehanna in 1900 as their number 113, but never delivered. Originally a compound with 45,220 TF, 47,090 after conversion to simple and superheating. I have no idea what the Soo was thinking when they bought this, but it must have left a very bad taste, because they never bought another steamer from Baldwin.

There is at least one early photo of it out on the road, later it was used on transfers around the Twin Cities, the on the ore dock at Superior, and finally as the dock switcher at Ashland. It too was given power reverse gear, but never a stoker. The tender in the photo looks to be the same tender it is now displayed with, tender #125, which was originally delivered with a class D-2 2-6-0. I guess they fed it with a teaspoon!

The photo is interesting to me because it shows a very late use of the “NP” style headlight; I thought all these gave way to Pyle National products during WWII. This headlight would look better on 346 than the Pyle switcher light it carries in the other photo posted recently.

This engine is now under a shelter across the street from the Soo Line brick depot in downtown Ashland, and looks pretty spiffy, the local fans keeping it painted.

Dennis -

It may have still had the "NP" style headlight in the 1947 photo but there is a photo of it in my Leslie V. Suprey book "Steam Trains of the Soo" which shows it with a standard Soo Line Pyle-National headlight.

Les

950 wouldn't happen to be related to the Baldwin stock model decapods such as Strasburg's 90 would it?

Not at all. Great aunt, maybe, since they were both built by Baldwin. Strasburg Railroad 90 is a relatively modern engine, 1924, with a wide firebox over the drivers. Soo 950 is a much older engine, 1900, with a narrow firebox between the wheels.

I believe that Baldwin, seeing the good reception that the regauged Russian Decapods received from a number of railroads, designed the light Decapods in the 1920's with the idea of selling them to railroads that needed a locomotive light on its axles and still a good puller. At the same time, Baldwin also designed a MEDIUM Decapod, also for stock. A number of both designs were sold but, unlike the light models, none of the medium 2-10-0's has survived.

Les