A Missing Locomotive

steaminfo · **Posted:** Thu Feb 16, 2017 3:13 pm

Back in the dark ages, say around the year 2002 when I first put steamlocomotive.info together, one of the source lists from which I worked (I think it was the TRAIN list) listed five 20" gauge Porter 0-4-0Ts belonging to the Arizona Copper Co. for its "Coronado RR" as being more or less abandoned in the area of Clifton, AZ.

Now...Wes Barris, on steamlocomotive.info lists four of the five that were originally on most lists of the time, and I list all five. I'm pretty sure Wes is right. The one that I list and he doesn't definitely is NOT where I list it. So here's the deal:

These are the five locomotives. The one in red is the missing one:

ACC (Coronado RR) 0-4-0T No. 3 - Above Clifton, AZ
ACC (Coronado RR) 0-4-0T No. 4 - Maricopa Live Steamers in Phoenix, AZ
ACC (Coronado RR) 0-4-0T No. 5 - Town Plaza, Maricopa, AZ
ACC (Coronado RR) 0-4-0T No. 7 - Community Center, Safford, AZ
ACC (Coronado RR) 0-4-0T No. 8 - Clifton Plaza, Clifton, AZ

The last four are where both sites say they are. The one in red, I cannot find. Anybody got any ideas?

I'm going to post this on the forum on my website as well.

Dougvv · **Joined:** Sat Aug 21, 2004 10:52 pm **Posts:** 914

Hi,

When I moved to a smaller place, I lost many of my NG&SLG magazines so I can not check this out myself.

I seem to recall a 1998 article and plans for the Coronado RR locos. Maybe that is where you can find info on #3's disposition .

Doug vV

1702 · **Posted:** Thu Feb 16, 2017 8:49 pm

The Jan/Feb 1986, Jan/Feb 1998 & Jul/Aug 1998 issues of Narrow Gauge & Shortline Gazette have articles/photos of the ACC locomotives.

Perhaps of interest are "No 5 Baby Gauge Locomotive" and "Copperhead Train" at http://tinyurl.com/h7jgeht

Jim Tatum

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Thu Feb 16, 2017 10:22 pm

The mysterious locos were long an obsession of mine, as they literally were about the only totally abandoned and relatively unknown steamers left in the United States by the 1970s, left unclaimed only by their absurdly remote location in what was then a true "ghost town."

The topic has been discussed here before, brought up by yours truly:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=25262

At the end of that thread is perhaps the best list you're likely to find, and even it has problems.

Quote:

Longfellow Copper Mining Co. #2 (Arizona Copper Co. #2) 0-4-2T Porter #507 7/1882 8x14 Converted to 0-4-0T and eventually moved to top of Coronado Incline. Abandoned until March 1990. Cosmetically restored and now on display at the AZ Mineral & Mining Museum in downtown Phoenix near the state capitol.

Detroit Copper Co. #2 0-4-0T Porter #814 3/1887 7x12 Now displayed at Adobe Mountain RR Museum and Desert RR Park NW of Phoenix by the Sahuaro Central RR Heritage Preservation Society. (Maricopa Live Steamers are not involved, although they have their track in the park.)

Arizona Copper Co. #5 0-4-4T Porter #920 8/1888 9 1/2 x 14. Converted to 0-4-0T and moved to top of Coronado Incline. Abandoned until March 1990. Cosmetically restored and now on display in Morenci.

Arizona Copper Co. #7 0-4-4T Porter #1651 2/1896 10x14. Converted to 0-4-0T and moved to top of Coronado Incline. Abandoned until March 1990. Donated to museum in Safford, AZ with plans to restore to operating condition. Engine was completely taken apart and determined not restorable. Now stored in disassembled condition. Not on public view.

Arizona Copper Co. #8 0-4-4T Porter #1735 3/1897 10x14. On display across from depot in Clifton, AZ.

To the best information I have thus far from bits and pieces found here and there, it's most likely that enough "kitbashing" occurred with the originals that it could be anyone's guess what's really where. I've been told from several sources that the "Copperhead" in Clifton is made from parts from both #8 and #9, and that another loco (I think the one now in Morenci) was put on display with no number, a missing trailing truck, and an adjacent car bearing the number "16".......

Loco112 · **Posted:** Fri Feb 17, 2017 2:55 am

There was a compressed air loco at Th Pare museum just south west of Ft. worth Texas. It was sold at auction about 8 years ago. Check it out, maybe its the one you are searching for.

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Fri Feb 17, 2017 8:03 am

Loco112 wrote:

There was a compressed air loco at Th Pare museum just south west of Ft. worth Texas. It was sold at auction about 8 years ago. Check it out, maybe its the one you are searching for.

Nope, definitely not. The locos in question are/were all conventional steam.

J.David · **Posted:** Sat Feb 18, 2017 1:15 am

Greetings:
Sandy is (was) correct, all 5 locomotives are identified and accounted for as per his information as published on rypn.
Unfortunately, the Arizona Mineral & Mining Museum in Phoenix closed sometime prior to my visit to where it used to be (February 2015).
I would also note that there is no "Community Center" or museum in Stafford, AZ.
Although I was unable to see the locomotive (on a Sunday), a lady at the local Café told me that she had seen it before and after being taken apart at the town's garage and was fairly certain that nothing had been done with it in quite some time.
Be well,
J.David