The Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott, Arizona is an extensive historical museum that includes several historic buildings including the oldest surviving log cabin and the original Governor's Mansion (so-called because it was the first building in Arizona with two rooms.) The museum itself is well worth a visit, with a lot of interesting items on display. There were several docents in the various buildings, most of whom I believe are volunteers, and they were all very helpful and well informed.
Anyway, at the entrance to the museum grounds is this tiny Porter 0-4-0T, which was recently cosmetically restored. It belonged to the Congress Gold Company, a local mining firm.
As you can see from the pictures, it was even used in passenger service, carrying workers to the mine on a single-truck open car. This seems about one step above transporting people on speeders.
It sits under the canopy of this Disneyesque station building.
In the visitor's center is an operating HO diorama of Prescott in the early years.
5 comments:
I believe the Sharlot Hall locomotive was built as a street railway locomotive (i.e. steam dummy). The trolley car hauled as a trailer may have been actually built as a streetcar trailer. These engines in survival are probably rarer than horsecars. Only the one at Mammoth Caves retains all the orginal woodwork. Looks like it has bee nicely restored, thanks for the photos.
That's an interesting idea; I hadn't thought of that. Maybe I should have taken more pictures. Anyway, I've added one more that had problems with sun glare, but it's better than nothing.
Randall,
That little 8 ton locomotive is C/N 873 of H.K. Porter in 8-1887. The locomotive was
built for the Lincoln Transit Company at Lincoln, Nebraska, according to J. David Conrad.
After three years, it was sold to become the Congress Gold Company #2 And that's where the story picks up at the Sharlot hall Museum.
If there is a book that covers early street car operations in Lincoln; than that is the place to look for additional information.
Ted Miles, IRM Member
I accidentally came across this post, so I thought I'd add this.
The restoration of this little engine began in 1977. I worked there that summer when I was 15, and my supervisor was just starting the restoration on it.
He had me helping out, removing the rusted metal, and scraping the asbestos from under the boiler. (That was before anyone knew anything about asbestos problems.)
We had even discussed making it capable of taking people for rides around the museum property, but there was no budget for anything like that. In fact, the restoration was even put on hold, and we didn't get to finish it while I worked there.
I even presented the idea of making the museum a living history museum, but I was just a kid, and they laughed it off. Now, they wear period costumes!
I was ahead of my time! LOL!
Thanks, Cowboy, that's quite an interesting insight into the locomotive's history. I should add that the Prescott area in general, and the Sharlot Hall Museum in particular, are excellent places to visit, and we go there pretty often when we're in Arizona.
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