(The following story by John H. Walker appeared on The Daily News website on February 14.)
FRANKLINTON, La. — For some reason, railroad locomotives are referred to in the feminine sense and, for a number of years, a 107-year-old lady has been rusting away at the Washington Parish Fairgrounds.
But that’s about to change. While what was last known as Washington & Western Railroad No. 72 will never again roll down a set of tracks, she is in for a facelift.
Funded by a $50,000 grant from the State of Louisiana and aided by what Mayor Earle Brown called a surprising number of volunteers, the Town of Franklinton is in the process of sprucing up the locomotive and tender. The locomotive was donated to the town back in 1981 and sits in a static display with its coal tender.
While a restoration to operational status could cost upwards of $1 million, the less expensive facelift will at least serve to stop the decay that has eaten away at the locomotive over the years.
“This is one of only two locomotives of its type in existence in the country today,” Brown said. “The other is in California.”
Already, about 80 to 90 feet of additional track has been laid and the locomotive moved away from the street.
“We did that because the drivers (wheels) were beginning to decay,” Brown said. “The next thing we’ll do is the metal work … there are a number of patches on the tender and cab. When they moved it here, they took the driver rods off and for 25 years, they’ve just been lying there – we’ve put those back on.”
Brown said after the metal work is completed, the engine and tender will be sandblasted and painted.
“We’re going to letter it as No. 72 and the Washington and Western Railroad, since it was donated to us by Standard Gravel.”
After that, to help prevent additional decay, a shed will be built over No. 72, a chain link fence erected around it and the entire display will be lighted.
“This will help us preserve a bit of our history,” Brown said.
Originally built by American Locomotive Co. (ALCO) in Schenectady, N.Y. in 1901 for the New Orleans Great Northern Railroad, the locomotive is a 4-6-0 in railroad terms, meaning it has a two-axle lead truck followed by three driving axles.
Coal-fired No. 72 rode on 60-inch diameter drivers, weighed 169,000 pounds empty and had a tractive effort of 34,000 pounds. It’s cylinders are 21×26 and it ran under a pressure of 210 pounds per square inch.
Over the years, No. 72 saw a wide variety of service, including pulling passenger trains for the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio. But by 1948, its glory days were over, having been sold to Gaylord Container in Bogalusa and later becoming the property of Crown Zellerbach as the result of a November 1955 merger.
By the 1960s, No. 72 had been sold again, this time to Standard Gravel Co.’s Washington and Western Railroad and was lugging gondolas of gravel – working in pits in the Washington and St. Tammany Parish areas. In August 1967, it was moved to Clifton – although whether it was still being used on a daily basis in gravel pit service cannot be documented. In 1981, what was last known as Washington and Western No. 72 was donated to the Town of Franklinton.
And while No. 72 will never be fired again, it will continue to be part of the history of Washington Parish – thanks to that grant and a few folks who didn’t want to see it turn into a pile of rust dust.