Power type steam Build date 1920 | Builder Alco-Cooke Configuration 2-8-0 | |
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Gauge 4 ft 8 ⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Operators Boyne City Railroad
Arcade and Attica Railroad | ||
Arcade & Attica #18 is a 2-8-0 steam locomotive that was built in 1920 by the American Locomotive Company (Alco) at its Cooke Works in Paterson, New Jersey.
It was originally built for a sugar mill in Cuba, which canceled its order. Alco then sold the locomotive to a quarry in New Jersey. The locomotive was sold again in 1929 to the Boyne City Railroad of Boyne City, Michigan. It was used in freight service on its line between Boyne City (where it interchanged with the Pennsylvania Railroad) to Boyne Falls.
In 1962, the Arcade and Attica Railroad (A&A), seeking additional revenue to supplement the freight income, purchased #18 and two Boonton-style commuter coaches from Erie Lackawanna Railway. Since then #18 has hauled passenger excursion trains between Arcade and Curriers, with occasional ventures to North Java on either passenger or freight trains.
At the close of the 2001 passenger excursion season, #18 went into the A&A's workshops for a complete teardown and overhaul to bring it into compliance with the new 49 C.F.R. Part 230, the Federal Railroad Administration's new regulations on steam locomotive inspection and maintenance. Originally expected to last until halfway through the 2002 passenger season, the teardown revealed much work that needed to be completed to bring the locomotive into compliance with the new safety regulations. In 2008 #18 finally emerged from the shops after a 6-year-long rebuilding program.