Mississippian #76. Tucked away on a small stub of track in the SRI Yard in Owosso, a little Consolidation waits patiently for a chance to return to the rails. Built in 1920 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, this 68 tonner has really been around. She was built for the Jonesboro, Lake City and Eastern Railway Company as their #40, but was leased for many years to the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Company as their #76. In 1947, she was sold to the Mississippian Railway, where she worked in local freight service for nearly 3 more decades. In 1967, she was sold to Sloan Cornell for service on his tourist lines in Blairsville, Pennsylvania, and later in Gettysburg. When that operation shut down, she was acquired by Ohio Central's steam program, but was only one of several engines in line for restoration there. In 1995, the SRI bought her with the intention of restoring her for excursion service. SRI hoped she could be operated more cost-effectively than their flagship engine, the Pere Marquette 1225, and allow them to operate more frequently. Alas, the big Berk tended to use up the organizations resources and they never were able to mount an effort on old #76. With the 1225 now sidelined for a 1,472 day inspection, it looks like this little gal will have to wait a while longer. To look at SRI's rolling stock, which includes a B&W photo and specs on this locomotive click here.
