| Posted by Kibu on August 26, 2021 | |
Low profile locomotives were typically built to handle going through close clearances like mines or areas where you were severely limited in space. However, the short stature of this locomotive doesn't really ring true with the description, as by 1923, coal companies would have standardized with the two bay open hopper, which would be a good bit taller than this locomotive. So there's no reason they would build it to work in and around the mine facilities itself. However some digging does tell that the engine was used on a very short length of track to go into the mine (hence the short stature) to pick up coal cars from within the mine, and draw them out to dump for sorting and grading. It never had a tender, as the crew would simply pick up lumps of coal from alongside the track to refuel it. The locomotive was severely rebuilt sometime in 1968, or 1969 just prior to display, with her original 'open' cab being replaced with a more modern enclosed one. The tender's origins are not known, but even up to 1969 when the last in service photos were taken, show the locomotive operating without the tender. They also show that in practice, the locomotive was run cab end front, though this was likely to ease movement around the coal plant.
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