Rock of Ages Co. No. 6, “Hercules,” is the only surviving Standard Gauge 0-6-2 locomotive in the United States. It was built in February of 1912 by Baldwin Locomotive Works as locomotive number 37527, and was designated as 8-32-⅓-D-2, because 8-32-⅓-D was the Barre Railroad's No. 5, “Monarch.” Despite being nearly identical, Hercules was an improvement upon Monarch's design. Hercules’s cylinders were cast at 20 inches with a 20 inch head, but were bored out at 19 inches. Hercules also received a boiler pressure of 200 psi compared to Monarch’s 180 psi, resulting in Hercules having nearly 3,000 lbf of tractive effort over Monarch. Interestingly, Hercules's construction document states that it's "Service: Passenger," in spite of it being built with granite hauling in mind. To assist with hauling granite, Hercules was equipped with M. L. Le Chatelier's water brake (compression brake) system, which is something incredibly rare in the United States of America. "This brake consisted of a globe regulating valve in a pipe line that admitted hot water from the boiler to the exhaust passages of the cylinders. There it immediately formed a heavy vapor which was drawn into the cylinders by the suction of the pistons. The reverse lever, which had been set in mid-position, was now gradually moved into back gear until the desired braking power was obtained." (The Steam Locomotive in America, Alfred Bruce, page 268.) The only other railroad in the U.S.A. that used that system was the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad.
It only served on the Barre Railroad for a year, as in September of 1913, the Barre Railroad merged with the East Barre and Chelsea Railroad, to form the Barre & Chelsea Railroad. This, however, changed virtually nothing, as all it did was extend the line, making Hercules run farther from the quarries it took the granite from, all while handling the occasional passenger trains. Until 1927, that is, as in 1927 the Barre & Chelsea ended passenger services in favor of continuing to haul freight.
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