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Columbus & Greenville Railway
Between 1924 and 1945 -- the first two decades of the original, independent Columbus & Greenville -- the Delta Route powered all of its trains with second-hand steam locomotives.
Indeed, it would not be until the historic Baldwin road-switcher order of 1945 that the C&G could afford new equipment delivered to Columbus from the factory.
As for steam, the principal year of acquisition was 1923, shortly after forming the company, when the road secured from several sources a large batch of Consolidations, Moguls, and Ten-Wheelers to move both its freight and passenger movements.
Seven locomotives were purchased from former parent Southern Railway, and an impressive 23 steamers were secured from mainline neighbor and interchange partner Mobile & Ohio.
The early 1930s saw another batch of ex-Mobile & Ohio Ten-Wheelers, and in 1938 Columbus forces purchased six more 4-6-0s -- ex Atlanta, Birmingham & Coast locomotives secured through an Atlanta equipment dealer, these Ten-wheelers heavier than all previous.
One year later, the C&G made what would be its final steam purchase, securing six handsome Mikados through a dealer from the bankrupt Ft. Smith & Western in Arkansas.
More powerful and reliable than any previous power, the Mikes served the road well right up into the Baldwin diesel era.
Six-coupled
Columbus & Greenville #50
Columbus, Ms / Jul 1937 / collection
Columbus & Greenville #50
- builder:Baldwin Locomotive Works
- arrangement:0-6-0 Six-coupled
- built:Jun 1906, Baldwin #28444
- fuel:coal/water
- notes:
- 51" drivers
ex Southern Rwy # 1578
to Columbus & Greenville #50, 1923
scrapped 1938
Mogul
Columbus & Greenville #55
Columbus, Ms / 1940 / collection
Columbus & Greenville #55
- builder:Baldwin Locomotive Works
- arrangement:2-6-0 Mogul
- built:Jan 1905, Baldwin #24945
- fuel:coal/water
- notes:
- 56" drivers
ex New Orleans Terminal #109
to Southern Rwy # 7081
to Columbus & Greenville #55, 1937
retired 1945
Ten-wheelers
Columbus & Greenville #165
Columbus, Ms / unknown / collection
Columbus & Greenville #165
- builder:Rogers Locomotive Works
- arrangement:4-6-0 Ten-wheeler
- built:Jan 1897, Rogers #5162
- fuel:coal/water
- notes:
- 57" drivers
ex Mobile & Ohio #58, later #131
to Columbus & Greenville #165, 1923
retired 1940
Columbus & Greenville #166
Columbus, Ms / unknown / collection
Columbus & Greenville #166
- builder:Rogers Locomotive Works
- arrangement:4-6-0 Ten-wheeler
- built:Jun 1897, Rogers #5195
- fuel:coal/water
- notes:
- 57" drivers
ex Mobile & Ohio #117, later #134
to Columbus & Greenville #166, 1923
scrapped 1947
Columbus & Greenville #171
Columbus, Ms / unknown / collection
Columbus & Greenville #171
- builder:Rogers Locomotive Works
- arrangement:4-6-0 Ten-wheeler
- built:Nov 1899, Rogers #5460
- fuel:coal/water
- notes:
- 57" drivers
ex Mobile & Ohio #171
to Columbus & Greenville #171, 1923
scrapped 1946
Columbus & Greenville #175
Columbus, Ms / unknown / collection
Columbus & Greenville #175
- builder:Rogers Locomotive Works
- arrangement:4-6-0 Ten-wheeler
- built:Nov 1899, Rogers #5469
- fuel:coal/water
- notes:
- 57" drivers
ex Mobile & Ohio #175
to Columbus & Greenville #175, 1923
scrapped 1946
Columbus & Greenville #177
Durant, Ms / 1940 / collection
Columbus & Greenville #177
- builder:Rogers Locomotive Works
- arrangement:4-6-0 Ten-wheeler
- built:Nov 1899, Rogers #5471
- fuel:coal/water
- notes:
- 57" drivers
ex Mobile & Ohio #177
to Columbus & Greenville #177, 1923
sold to Columbus Gravel Co, 1948
Columbus, Ms / 1937 / collection
Columbus & Greenville #178
Winona, Ms / 1940 / collection
Columbus & Greenville #178
- builder:Rogers Locomotive Works
- arrangement:4-6-0 Ten-wheeler
- built:Aug 1900, Rogers #5609
- fuel:coal/water
- notes:
- 57" drivers, later 63"
ex Mobile & Ohio #187, later #178
to Columbus & Greenville #178, 1923
rebuilt by C&G shops, 1948
retired 1951
on display, Columbus MS
Columbus, Ms / 1957 / JCH
Columbus, Ms / 1967 / JCH
My first visit to the Columbus & Greenville was in 1957. I took a few pictures of 4-6-0 #178 as it looked pretty good, even though the main rods were off. The thing that always struck me about the C&G was that they never got rid of anything! In 1957 there were five or six passenger cars in the Columbus yard, even though passenger service had been dropped in 1946.
Columbus, Ms / May 1960 / JCH
Columbus, Ms / Dec 1970 / JCH
Columbus, Ms / Jun 1957 / JCH
Columbus, Ms / Jun 1957 / JCH
Columbus & Greenville #216
Columbus, Ms / Mar 1944 / collection
Columbus & Greenville #216
- builder:Rogers Locomotive Works
- arrangement:4-6-0 Ten-wheeler
- built:Dec 1899, Rogers #5475
- fuel:coal/water
- notes:
- 63" drivers
ex Mobile & Ohio #179, later #216
to Columbus & Greenville #216, 1923
rebuilt by C&G shops, 1939
scrapped 1946
Columbus, Ms / unknown / collection
Columbus & Greenville #301
Columbus, Ms / Mar 1944 / collection
Columbus & Greenville #301
- builder:Baldwin Locomotive Works
- arrangement:4-6-0 Ten-wheeler
- built:Mar 1904, Baldwin #23857
- fuel:coal/water
- notes:
- 57" drivers
ex Mobile & Ohio #205, later #315
to Columbus & Greenville #301, 1930
scrapped 1939
Columbus & Greenville #303
Columbus, Ms / 1944 / collection
Columbus & Greenville #303
- builder:Baldwin Locomotive Works
- arrangement:4-6-0 Ten-wheeler
- built:Mar 1904, Baldwin #23938
- fuel:coal/water
- notes:
- 57" drivers
ex Mobile & Ohio #209, later #319
to Columbus & Greenville #303, 1930
scrapped 1948
Columbus & Greenville #305
unknown / collection
Columbus & Greenville #305
- builder:Baldwin Locomotive Works
- arrangement:4-6-0 Ten-wheeler
- built:Mar 1904, Baldwin #23854
- fuel:coal/water
- notes:
- 57" drivers
ex Mobile & Ohio #202, later #312
to Columbus & Greenville #305, 1934
scrapped 1947
Columbus & Greenville #401
Columbus, Ms / unknown / collection
Columbus & Greenville #401
- builder:Baldwin Locomotive Works
- arrangement:4-6-0 Ten-wheeler
- built:Sep 1906, Baldwin #29088
- fuel:coal/water
- notes:
- 63" drivers
ex Atlanta, Birmingham & Atlantic #1609
to Atlanta, Birmingham & Coast #109
to Columbus & Greenville #401, 1938
scrapped 1947
Atlanta, Birmingham & Atlantic #1609
Builder's photo / 1906 / collection
Mikados
Columbus & Greenville #502
Columbus, Ms / unknown / collection
Columbus & Greenville #502
- builder:Baldwin Locomotive Works
- arrangement:2-8-2 Mikado
- built:Aug 1916, Baldwin #43784
- fuel:coal/water
- notes:
- 57" drivers, 22x28" cylinders
ex Ft Smith & Western #23
to Columbus & Greenville #502, 1939
scrapped 1947
Columbus & Greenville #503
Columbus, Ms / 1940 / collection
Columbus & Greenville #503
- builder:Baldwin Locomotive Works
- arrangement:2-8-2 Mikado
- built:Aug 1917, Baldwin #46158
- fuel:coal/water
- notes:
- 57" drivers, 22x28" cylinders
ex Ft Smith & Western #27
to Columbus & Greenville #503, 1939
scrapped 1950
Columbus & Greenville #504
Stewart, Ms / 1940 / collection
Columbus & Greenville #504
- builder:Baldwin Locomotive Works
- arrangement:2-8-2 Mikado
- built:Aug 1917, Baldwin #46113
- fuel:coal/water
- notes:
- 57" drivers, 22x28" cylinders
ex Ft Smith & Western #26
to Columbus & Greenville #504, 1939
scrapped 1947
Ft Smith & Western #28
Builder's photo / 1920 / collection
Links / Sources
- Louis R. Saillard, Delta Route: A History of the C&G Railway (1981) 96-8