Bonhomie & Hattiesburg Southern No. 250 is a preserved 2-6-2 "Prairie" steam locomotive. It was built in June 1926 and was based on the Baldwin Class 10-34¼ D design. In the same year it was one of three locomotives that was purchased new from the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1925 for the newly incorporated Bonhomie & Hattiesburg Southern Railroad in Mississippi.
No. 250 ran on the Bonhomie & Hattiesburg Southern Railroad for over 30 years until 1963 when it was acquired by the Wanamaker, Kempton & Southern Railroad (WK&S) a privately owned heritage railroad company in Kempton, Pennsylvania. The locomotive was transported by ship and arrived in time to pull some trains before the end of the 1963 operating season.
Even though No. 250 was considered to be a small engine, it proved to be too big, expensive, and complex for the diminutive WK&S in its early days. Even with these concerns No. 250 was still considered to be a popular attraction for the railway. In the early 1970s it was sold off when a cash strapped WK&S was facing financial reorganization.
After leaving the WK&S, No. 250 went to the Strasburg Rail Road in Pennsylvania for re-tubing before going to the Wolfeboro Railroad in New Hampshire until that operation was shut down in the mid 1980s.
It then was displayed at the Hobo Railroad in New Hampshire until it was sold to the the Edaville Railroad in Carver, Massachusetts where it has been on static display near the railroad yard ever since.
Trivia:[]
- No. 250 is one of two preserved steam locomotives from the Bonhomie & Hattiesburg Southern Railroad. The other is No. 300 which is currently on static display in Hattiesburg, Mississippi right next to the Hattiesburg train station.
- The tender has been lettered one the fireman's side for the Boston & Maine and for Edaville USA on the engineer's side.