Not to be confused with Buffalo Creek and Gauley No. 4.
Buffalo Creek and Gauley No. 17 was a 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Savannah and Atlanta Railway in September 1925.
History[]
Buffalo Creek and Gauley No. 17 was constructed in September 1925 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works as Savannah and Atlanta No. 504 and was delivered to the Savannah and Atlanta Railway that same year in 1925.
After the Savannah and Atlanta Railway retired No. 504 in the 1950s, No. 504 was sold to the Elk River Coal and Lumber Railroad along with two of its sister locomotives being renumbered 15-17. All three would eventually end up under the hands of the Buffalo Creek and Gauley Railroad pulling occasional coal and lumber throughout the year.
Seven years of service, No. 15 was scrapped in June 1962 and No. 16 was retired in 1959 and scrapped in 1974, meanwhile No. 17 pressed on in active service. In 1963, No. 17 was sold to the Lavona Avon and Lakeville Tourist Road in New York where it served on excursion trains.
Tragically, No. 17 began to develop mechanical issues as it began to show its age, mainly problems with its firebox.
According to a railroad.net form email from E.H. Blably on May 25, 2004:
"In retrospect, this locomotive was an unfortunate purchase. It has seen hard service in West Virginia, moving slack coal from the mine tipple to a gob pile. We doubt it received much attention and in particular, it didn't appear to have received regular boiler washes." - E.H. Blably 2004
After No. 17 was pulled from service, the Lavona Avon and Lakeville Tourist Road had purchased another locomotive, former Huntington and Broad Top Mountain No. 38 which had a former PRR E7 tender.
When Huntington and Broad Top Mountain No. 38 arrived on the Lavona Avon and Lakeville Tourist Road, No. 17 was sold to a Rochester businessman who sold it for scrap.
Gallery[]
