 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(February 2022) |
| Arcade and Attica 18 | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 No. 18 at Curriers, New York in 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| References: [1] [2] [3] | |||||||||||||||||||||
Arcade and Attica 18 is a 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type steam locomotive, built in November 1920 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) at its Cooke Works in Paterson, New Jersey. [4] [5] It is preserved and operated by the Arcade and Attica Railroad (ARA). [1]
No. 18 was built in November 1920 by the American Locomotive Company's (ALCO) Cooke Works in Paterson, New Jersey with hopes a Cuban sugar mill would order it, it was instead sold to Charcoal Iron Company (CIC) in upper Michigan. [1] [2] The locomotive later changed hands and went to the Newberry Lumber and Chemical Company (NLC). The locomotive was sold again sometime after 1929 to the Boyne City Railroad (BCRR) of Boyne City, Michigan. [2] It was used in freight service on its line between Boyne City (where it interchanged with the Pennsylvania Railroad) to Boyne Falls. [2] The Boyne City Railroad had purchased a 44 ton GE in 1950 for primary use and No. 18 was regulated to back up use and was stored serviceable. [6]
In 1962, the Arcade and Attica Railroad (ARA), seeking additional revenue to supplement the freight income, purchased No. 18 and two Boonton-style commuter coaches from Erie Lackawanna Railway, No. 18 was restored and hauled the railroad's first official steam passenger run on July 27, 1962. [1] [3] No. 18 would also be given the nickname, Stanley. [7] Since then, No. 18 has hauled passenger excursion trains between Arcade and Curriers, with occasional ventures to Java, New York on either passenger or freight trains. [1] [8]
At the close of the 2001 passenger excursion season, No. 18 went into the A&A's workshops for a complete teardown and overhaul to bring it into compliance with the new 49 C.F.R. Part 230, the Federal Railroad Administration's new regulations on steam locomotive inspection and maintenance. [9] Originally expected to last until halfway through the 2002 passenger season, the teardown revealed much work that needed to be completed to bring the locomotive into compliance with the new safety regulations, it would also be equipped with No. 14's tender due to No. 18's original tender being in poor operating condition. [4] [5] In 2008, No. 18 finally emerged from the shops after a 6-year-long rebuilding program. [9] [3]
On May 27, 2017, when the railroad celebrated its 100th anniversary. [10] No. 18 was turned on the wye to face the railroad south for the first time in history. [10]
By August 2018, the locomotive was again in need of repair and was taken out of service to undergo its Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) 1,472-day inspection and overhaul. [11] In March 2019, it was announced that its condition was worse than anticipated, and it would be out of service through the 2019 season. [12] Repairs include partial replacement of the firebox, and once completed will allow continued operation. [6] Reassembly was scheduled to begin in Spring of 2021. [13] [2] Additionally, its tender that was previously borrowed from No. 14 would later be replaced with Mississippian 2-8-0 No. 76's tender, No 18's old tender was cosmeticlly restored and is now on display along with No. 76 at the B&O Railroad Museum. [4] [5]
No. 18's overhaul was completed on August 15, 2024, with the locomotive returning to service on August 24, 2024. [9] However, a few additional stay bolt leaks occurred during test and shake down runs, resulting in the return to full service being postponed. After several weeks of repair and further testing, a new return date of September 28th was announced and the locomotive officially returned to excursion service on September 28 2024, running two trains and then a third on September 29, 2024. [14] [15] [16] [17] It ran a fourth excursion run the following month in October 2024. [7]
