Red Bay Railroad Park

1923 Steam Locomotive to Be Unloaded at Red Bay Railroad Park

August 17, 2024

After a few delays, the 1923 steam locomotive engine #3 will finally be unloaded in Alabama.

The Red Bay Museum said on Monday, August 19, the tender for the locomotive will be unloaded at the Red Bay Railroad Park across from the Museum. A tender is the car behind the locomotive that carries the water and coal.

On Tuesday, August 20, the locomotive itself will be unloaded to the railroad park. Today, you can see the large crane that will be used to move the locomotive and another large crane is expected.

Main Street in Red Bay is expected to be closed off both days while the large pieces are unloaded. The railroad park already has a caboose and wooden water tower used by steam locomotives.

Once the 1923 steam locomotive is in place at the park, landscaping is set to begin. The locomotive was purchased by Bob Tiffin, founder of Tiffin Motorhomes.

Third #3 was the last steam locomotive bought by the East Broad Top (EBT) Railroad. #3 was also the most powerful.

The locomotive was in storage for about 67 years, since 1956. It was built in March 1923 and was built by Baldwin and is a coal-fired steam engine.

#3 acted as the primary switcher in Mount Union, Pennsylvania. #3 was the last locomotive to run in common carrier operations. It moved the last of the PRR cars to their change point. #3 has been at the Mount Union Engine house since 1956 but has suffered some damage from a roof leak. The roof was repaired in the early 1990s and the building was resealed. Despite the damage, #3 could be restored.

During the relocation, the museum is said to be open to the town to allow citizens to watch the process. The museum said there will be no admission charge during this time.

Rebecca Teutsch / North Alabama News 19