07/10/2026
Howdy, y'all! Gideon Menken here. Today, we'll be taking a deep dive into one of the several storied locomotives of the Big Country. Before we get into it, be advised that due to the nature of in-depth research, being concise is nearly impossible, as specific details are of utmost importance, as you'll soon see. So strap in, it's going to be quite the ride!
To begin with, I began this research in preparation for a presentation I will be giving at the Abilene Railroad Festival over the Wichita Valley Railway's locomotives. While researching their engines No. 6 and 7, I ran into a large snag.
The roster of locomotives I was going by, put together by a Mr. Wagner, turned up lacking when I double-checked his information. You see, he describes these engines as being former Manitoba & Northwestern No. 5 and 6, respectively, passing into Wichita Valley ownership in 1907. However, when I checked rosters prepared by Mr. Connelly over the Manitoba & Northwestern, as well as *R&LHS Bulletin #83, they have these same locomotives staying in Canadian territory for their entire working lives, eventually being scrapped around 1922.
I believed I hit a brick wall at this point; feeling rather discouraged. However, I soon remembered I had access to a complete builder's record of the Rhode Island Locomotive Works prepared by the late Robert Lehmuth. It was there I conducted an intensive search of all 1886 standard gauge 2-6-0s made by that company of the general specifications. Initially, I hadn't any luck in conjuring up an alternative match, as when I looked into the closest locomotives, Canada Atlantic No. 9 - 11, they too had a similar fates, never leaving Canadin territory.
It was then, at the last plausible match in the record, that I came across the following. Vicksburg & Meridian #159 - #161, Rhode Island 2-6-0s, construction numbers #1701- #1703, respectively. They were produced in November of 1886, the same year, with 19x24 inch cylinders and 56 ½" drivers. I dug deeper. After less than 3 years in service on the V&M, however, these locomotives passed into Alabama & Vicksburg ownership in March of 1889. And it appears that the A&V got good use out of them, too, as they were retired and sold in and around 1907.
At this point, I was ecstatic and still so remain. These locomotives had the same specifications, same wheel arrangement, same characteristics, and they all had a solid storyline. As I've mentioned, the Wichita Valley purchased these locomotives in 1907, the same time Alabama & Vicksburg were selling these off.
So, now I pose the question to you all. Is it reasonable that the Wichita Valley Railway could have purchased two of the three 1886 Rhode Island 2-6-0s from the Alabama & Vicksburg, either directly or through a dealer? I bring up the dealer at this point because Mr. Wagner has in his roster that these locomotives were purchased by the Wichita Valley from the St. Louis Rail & Equipment Co. What do y'all think? Feel free to share your positions in the comments.
Y'all, thank you for your time and attention to reading this far down in the post. It is rare that I get this close to revealing the mystery of a lost or mistaken identity of a steam locomotive, let alone 2 of them, and very rarely one closely connected to the history of my area.
I have attempted to link and/or include sources and screenshots in the following, and in the included media.
I hope that you have a great rest of your day.
Sources
*Lavallee, O. S. A., & Brown, R. R. (1951). Locomotives of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company. The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin, (83), 7–93. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43517622
Edson, W. D., & Corley, R. F. (1982). Locomotives of the Grand Trunk Railway. Railroad History, (147), 42–183. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43520915
The Rail Data Exchange by Allen Stanley for the diagrams, shown here.
