History
Revenue service (1925-1965)
The locomotive was constructed in September 1925 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) as Savannah and Atlanta #504 and was delivered to the Savannah and Atlanta Railway (S&A) that same year in 1925. [1] [2] [3] No. 504 was the last of the S&A's 500 class 2-8-2 Mikado type steam locomotives built between September 1919, October 1923 and September 1925 that were numbered 500 through 504, No. 504 was delivered as a coal burner and a tender holding the same amount of water but 16 t (16,000,000 g; 16,000 kg; 35,000 lb) of coal. [4] [5]
After the S&A retired No. 504 in the 1950s, [6] No. 504 was sold to the Elk River Coal and Lumber Railroad (ERC&L) along with two of its sister locomotives being renumbered 15, 16 and 17. ERC&L No. 17 was given a cosmetic paint work for the May 31, 1958 railfan weekend and displayed there along with no. 16. [3] In 1963, All three locomotives were passed onto the Buffalo Creek and Gauley Railroad (BC&G) pulling occasional coal and lumber throughout the year. [7]
Excursion service and scrapping (1965-1970)
Seven years of service, No. 15 was scrapped in June 1962, [3] No. 16 was scrapped in 1974, meanwhile No. 17 continued through its revenue service. In May 1965, No. 17 was sold to the Livonia, Avon and Lakeville Railroad (LAL) in New York where it served on excursion trains on the railroad. [1] [8] until No. 17 started developing mechanical issues, mainly problems with its firebox.
After No. 17 was taken out of excursion service, the Livonia, Avon and Lakeville Railroad had purchased another locomotive, former Huntington and Broad Top Mountain 38, which had a former PRR class E7 tender. When Huntington and Broad Top Mountain 38 arrived on the LA&L, No. 17 was sold to a Rochester businessman who sold the locomotive for scrap on March 23, 1970. [2] [7]
