Massachusetts
Steam Locomotives by City

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Updated 11/23/00

Click here to see the complete list of surviving steam locomotives in Massachusetts by Wes Barris


All photos taken in 1997 by Richard Jenkins unless otherwise noted

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Boston
25   (railroad unknown)
Boston's only surviving steam locomotive is this narrow gauge 0-4-0 no. 25,  on display outside of Anthony's Pier 4 restaurant.   The position and height of her steam dome suggests that she was originally a tank engine.   She is shown here in July,  1998.


Chester
74   (railroad unknown)
This little 0-4-0T no. 74 is parked next to the former Boston & Albany depot in Chester,  MA.   The depot also houses a museum with a small collection of freight cars and a caboose.   Notice anything strange about 74's boiler?   Under the saddle tank is just a welded steel tube,  there isn't even a firebox!


Hubbardston
102   (railroad unknown)
When some folks think of steam engines,  they picture the stereotypical "Wild West" train with a huge diamond stack and cowcatcher.   Unfortunately,  some of those people own steam engines,  and here's a prime example.   This otherwise nicely-proportioned 0-6-0 no. 102 was built by Porter in 1915,  but her current owner has given her some rather goofy-looking embellishments in an attempt to backdate her.   The engine is on display on the grounds of a flea market just outside of Hubbardston,  MA,  along with some old freight and passenger cars and a caboose or two.


Lowell
Boston & Maine 410
Boston & Maine 0-6-0 no. 410 was cosmetically restored after many years in storage,  and placed on display in the historic mill district of Lowell,  MA.   This little switcher holds the unlikely distinction of being the largest steam locomotive in the state of Massachusetts.


Newbury
Simons Wrecking Company 2
This Porter 0-6-0T was once part of F. Nelson Blount's Steamtown collection.   Stripped down for a restoration to steam that never came,  she is now rusting away in an auto salvage yard in Newbury,  MA.   Although the engine looks a mess,  her boiler is reputedly in good shape,  and the junkyard owner claims to have all the parts.   Unfortunately,  her condition can only get worse where she is now.   The cab and saddle tank lie on the ground next to the engine.   Hopefully a good home can be found for her before it's too late.   She is shown here in May, 1998.


Shelburne Falls
CF&I 10
The Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum plans to restore this 0-4-0T to steam.   (Her saddle tanks - one for water and a smaller one for oil fuel - are stored near the engine.)   Built by Baldwin in 1934,  this engine was one of only two ever built with automated oil firing,  eliminating the need for a fireman.   Of these two,  she is the only survivor.   She was originally built for owners in Pennsylvania,  then sold several years later to CF&I in Palmer, Massachusetts.   After retirement,  she was stored for many years at the Valley Railroad in Essex, Connecticut,  before her move to Shelburne Falls in 1998.   She is shown here in June, 1999.


South Carver
Edaville Railroad 21  "Anne Elizabeth"
Eight years after the Edaville Railroad closed,  the popular two-foot gauge tourist line re-opened on Labor Day weekend,  1999.   However,  when I visited on opening day,   the train was diesel-hauled,  and resident Maine two-footer Bridgeton & Harrison 2-4-4T no. 7 was locked away in the shed,  out of public view.   There were a couple of steam locomotives on display outdoors,  including this 1936-vintage 0-6-0 built in England by Hudswell Clarke.   This engine was originally used on a sugar cane plantation in Fiji,  and although she has been rebuilt to burn oil,  the spark arresting stack is a throwback to the days when she used to burn cane husks as fuel.   She returned to service at Edaville in October 2000,  ending an all-too-long steam drought in the state of Massachusetts.

Edaville Railroad 6
The other steam locomotive on display on opening weekend was also an import.   This 0-4-0T was built in Germany by Henschel.   Many of these diminutive tank engines survived in regular service in Europe long after the demise of steam on American railroads,  and after they were retired,  a number of them were imported and sold to American tourist lines and theme parks.   When I returned to Edaville in September 2000,  this engine had been moved indoors,  and is displayed inside their museum.

Edaville Railroad 10   (Anaconda Copper 6)
I returned to Edaville in September 2000,  just over a year after my opening day visit.   Several more locomotives have been added to the outdoor displays,  including a pair of 3-foot gauge Porter 0-4-0's on short sections of panel track.  

Edaville Railroad 11   (Anaconda Copper 8)
This Porter 0-4-0,  like her sister no. 10,  was originally built as a saddle tank,  but she lost her tank at some point.

Plymouth Cordage 1
Plymouth Cordage Company 0-4-0 no. 1 was built by Baldwin in 1877.   This unusual three-foot gauge fireless locomotive was designed to work in the network of tunnels below the Plymouth Cordage rope factory in Plymouth, Massachusetts.   She is now on display inside the museum at Edaville.

Plymouth Cordage 5
Plymouth Cordage Company 0-4-0 no. 5 was built in the 1920's,  but is very similar in design to her older sister no. 1.   She is also displayed inside the museum at Edaville.