ET&WNC #17 ( A Brief History)

 

Photo owned and sourced from Doerivergorge.com

The Current Big Project in the ET&WNC "Poteat Shops" is the rebuild and re-assembly of their newest steam locomotive ET&WNC #17. Originally built in March of 1942 by the H.K. Porter Locomotive Company in Pittsburgh, PA. Her original identity being that of Carbon Limestone Company #33. She was one of several locomotives built almost identical by H.K. Porter for the Carbon Limestone Company and has surviving sister engines located at all over the country. Notably The "George R" at Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky Ohio. As well as both the "Anaka" and "Myrtle" at the now defunct Lahaina Kaanapali and Pacific Narrow Gauge Railroad. 

This locomotive is the largest of the three steam locomotives to be currently undergoing restoration by Doe River Gorge Ministries. The now renumbered #17 Previously worked as the "Huff and Puff" Locomotive from a short lived amusement park in Memphis Tennessee called "Lakeland". 

#17 running on the short lived "Huff and Puff Railroad" at the Lakeland Amusement Park in Memphis, TN.

Later going on to be one of two main locomotives to pull the Dry Gulch Christmas Train at Camp Dry Gulch in Oklahoma. Upon the sale of the Camp Dry Gulch property. "Dry Gulch and Silver City #43" as she was then known. Came to the mountains of East Tennessee in 2019 when she officially became ET&WNC #17. 

Dry Gulch and Silver City Railroad #43 on the left and #7 on the right 

Today ET&WNC #17 and #18

The locomotive was given the number #17 as to keep with the historic numbering scheme of locomotives on the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad. Which is the original railroad to run through the Doe River Gorge between 1882, and 1950. The ET&WNC Railroad originally had 15 Narrow Gauge Steam Locomotives numbered 1-14 (There were two #8's, no #13) As well as an odd outlier locomotive that was Number 28. So when choosing a number to keep in the historic numbering scheme any number between 14 and 28 would be acceptable. The number 15 was slated to be given to the next official "ET&WNC" steam locomotive which in the early 2000's would have been the Opryland #2 "Rachel". However when Rachel was returned to her owners. The number 15 remained unused. The number #16 was given to the newly restored Plymouth Diesel Locomotive. In 2015 with arrival of the newest locomotive to the property. A 1967 built Crown Locomotive the #15 had been officially taken. So the next locomotive to be restored on property was to be given the number #17.

ET&WNC #17 arrived to Doe River Gorge in less than operable condition. The locomotive would require many modifications to operate on the her new home rails. The greatest of these modifications included the construction of a brand new all welded boiler to meet the State of Tennessee's standards. As well as the conversion from propane firing to oil. It was decided to go ahead and make the change to burning oil in the new boiler as oil is easier to control than propane, and safer to the local forest environment in which the ET&WNC Railroad currently operates being surrounded on all sides by The Cherokee National Forest. Additionally with the decline of the coal industry the conversion to oil burning is almost an inevitability for railroads operating steam locomotives.

Other practical and cosmetic modifications will be made as the locomotive prepares to enter service on the ET&WNC Railroad. Volunteers from all over the United States have been carefully selected to perform the restoration work on this locomotive bringing with them skills learned from other well known and respected railroads in the preservation community. 

One of the Volunteers on the restoration team is Mr Matthew LaCons. When he is not at Doe River Gorge helping breathe life into this worn out little engine. Mr LaCons is serving the State of South Carolina in the South Carolina National Guard.

More publicly accessible information regarding #17 can be found here: https://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=752