Steam Train History

Originally built in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania by the Vulcan Iron Works, the Georgia Museum of Agriculture steam locomotive took a circuitous journey throughout the Southeastern United States before arriving in Tifton in 1976.

The train began its working life in 1917 with the Hardaway Contracting Company of Columbus, Georgia, which purchased the train to use at a work camp near Bridgewater, North Carolina, where the Southern Power Company was building a chain of dams and hydroelectric stations.

Trains such as this small, narrow gauge engine were built specifically to be workhorses at sites where heavy materials needed to be transported during the days before large trucks were available for heavy hauling.

Running on a smaller 36" wide track, narrow gauge was preferred by many industrial concerns because the smaller engines were lighter, cheaper, and could negotiate tighter curves than then larger main line locomotives.

After working for several years in North Carolina, the train moved on to Charlottesville, Virginia, where it was used for a short time by another contracting company, the Rinehart & Dennis Corporation, which also built dams and dug tunnels through the mountains.

In 1923, the Winding Gulf Company purchased the Vulcan and began running it in the West Virginia Winding Gulf Coal Fields where it would have transported coal a short distance from the mine to the tipples, where the coal was loaded on heavier and larger trains.

Forty years later, the long out of service locomotive moved down to South Carolina after being purchased by the Little Palmetto Railroad. Following its many years of hard work, the engine began a period of leisure on static display in 1963 at South Carolina's Kings Mountain State Park.

Ten more years would pass before it arrived in Georgia after it was purchased by Hall Carmichael of Turin, who finally sold it to the Museum of Agriculture in 1976. By then, the train had long since run out of steam and needed extensive restoration work to run again.

Fortunately, the Georgia legislature provided funds to restore the engine to operational condition in 1981. After a year in the shops undergoing a complete rebuild, the boiler roared to life and once again began steaming at the Georgia Agrirama. The Vulcan engine temporarily grew cold from 1992-1995 when its 75 year old original boiler developed some leaks, making it unsafe to operate. Funds were raised and a new boiler (built to the original specifications) was built by Hurst Boilers of Coolidge, Georgia.

The hard-working steam train has traveled many miles since 1917. While its history is dotted with periods of idleness, this little engine is nowhere near ready for retirement!

Technical Data

Wheels: 0-4-0T

Builder: Vulcan Iron Works

Build Date: Feb. 1917

Construction No.: 2609

Empty Weight: 30,840 lbs.

Working Weight: 40,000 lbs.

Driver Diameter: 30-inch

Tractive Effort: 9,050 lbs.

Boiler Pressure: 170 psi

Cylinders: 11 x 16 in

Fuel: Originally Coal, Converted to Oil

Gauge: Narrow (36-inch)

Narrow Gauge
Vulcan locomotive 2609 runs on a 36" wide track as compared to standard gauge of 561/2". Narrow gauge was preferred by logging and industrial concerns because the smaller engines and cars cost less to purchase, operate and maintain. They were also favored for the fact that they could negotiate tighter curves and could run on lighter rails and smaller ties. Many sawmills in South Georgia used narrow gauge to transport logs from the forest to the centrally located mills. When loggers began cutting lumber in new areas, the tracks were often picked up and moved as well.

Fire & Water
A steam locomotive is like a huge tea kettle on wheels. Fire heats water in the boiler, producing steam which drives the wheels. Only a limited amount of fuel and water can be carried on the train, requiring periodic stops by the train to replenish supplies from stations along side the track.

Vulcan locomotive 2609 originally burned coal, but due to the fire hazards associated with dropping cinders to the rail bed and catching fire, the boiler has been converted to burn oil. Water is carried in the saddle tank over the boiler rather than in a tender like larger locomotives, classifying the locomotive as a "tank engine".

Driving A Steam Locomotive
On the left side of the cab are the controls that allow the fireman to lubricate the valves and cylinders and regulate the fuel, the fire and the amount of water in the boiler. On the right side are the controls that allow the engineer to run the locomotive: the throttle, Johnson bar (reverse lever), brake, and lever to dump sand on slippery track.

When starting, the bell is first rung to signal that the locomotive is about to move. The engineer then sets the Johnson bar in forward, whistles for brake release, releases his brake and opens the throttle. He controls the locomotive's speed with the throttle and its pulling power with the Johnson bar. Both the engineer and fireman must keep a sharp lookout to make sure the track ahead is clear and safe. Extreme caution must be taken at highway crossings, and both the bell and the whistle are used to warn motorists of the train's approach.