I am trying to find any information that I can get regarding a small baldwin stean locomotive. The builders plate indicates: Baldwin Locomotive Works Philadelphia USA 1906 & #28398 Burnham Williams & Co. It has engine number 3 on the front of it. (See www.afn.org/~archer under archer/businesses/maddox foundry for picture.) Can you or any of your associates provide any information on the history of this engine? Does anyone happen to have blueprints or any detailed drawings of it? Does anyone have any records of the SAL engine rosters? What is the classification, 2-4-0?

It is in the possesion of the Maddox Foundry and Machine works in Archer Florida. It was apparently obtained from the Seaboard Airline Railroad about 1960. The Foundry does not have any detailed information on it and would like to know also. The foundry restored it and converted it to oil fired also about 1960. It is currently on display only and not running.

If anyone can provide any information for me, please e-mail me at:

jaleynes@bellsouth.net

Thank you in advance for anything you may be able to provide!

Sincerely, John A. Leynes Jr.

-- John Leynes (jaleynes@bellsouth.net), October 26, 2000

Answers

John, BLW c/n 28398 was originally built for the Charleston Lumber Co. as their number 3 engine at Wiggins, SC. Built in June of 1906 she had 9x14" cylinders and 33" drivers and was standard gauge. She was then sold to Westmoreland Lbr. Co. #3 in March of 1909 (don't know the location). Then she was sold to the Baskett Lbr. & Manufacturing Co. #3 of Buhl, Ala in 1914. She was then sold to Southern Iron & Equipment Co. in January of 1918 as their sale number 1260. Resold in June of 1918 to Colleton Mercantile Co. #3 of Ritter, NC. Not sure who else may have owned her before Maddox or when Maddox bought her. Seaboard Air Line never owned her but they surely delivered her to Archer. From what I can understand from an old "Frog" Smith letter in my possession, Frog Smith's father and old Hitup Maddox were firm friends. From a 1962 letter he states that Maddox started the machine shop more then a half century ago (which puts it at about 1910) and that his widow assisted by his son in law still run it. Maddox intended to start a steam museum and that's why he acquired the steam locos. Frog also states he had some steam automobiles too. In 1960 he had in his yard a small 3 foot gauge steamer in good condition, a rusted down Porter(0-4-0), a Forney(0-4-4), a Baldwin ten-wheeler(4-6-0) being cannibalized and a Rogers ten wheeler(4-6-0). They also have a steam crane and the shop is steam powered. And he also says they have a shop whistle that was handmade by Hittup Maddox and it has one of the most haunting sounds you will ever hear in this world or the next. Looks like the 2-4-0 was not on the property as of 1960. (or he was mistaken about the small "3" foot steamer, though Frog was an experienced steam man, Or maybe he missed the Baldwin 2-4-0, funny that they were cannibalizing the Baldwin, that would mean they were using the Baldwin parts on an other Baldwin loco?) I have a few of Frog's photos he took of the Maddox yard at that time and includes views of the Porter and the Rogers and a couple of stationary steam engines. Don

-- Donald R Hensley, Jr. (taplines@greenepa.net), October 27, 2000.