With cab windows boarded up, No. 20 waits for its eventual fate at the
scrap yard.
Green Bay Winona & St. Paul #20 was one of three identical 4-4-0
locomotives built by Schenectady
Locomotive Works and delivered to the railroad in June 1891. The 63" drivers and
17" x 20" cylinders were typical of much of the steam power at
the time. This was the Green Bay Route's first purchase from
Schenectady (later known as the American Locomotive Company, or
Alco).
The arrival of these locos marked the end of the tradition of naming locomotives
for investors in the railroad -- the twenty-one locomotives which preceded
it (there were two #1 and #16 locomotives on the roster at various
times) were all given names - these three locos were simply referred to
as #20, #21, and #22.
In early times, these locos were assigned to Train No. 1 and 2, the
daily cross-state passenger train. As heavier trains became the norm on the
railroad and the locos were bumped to secondary service, the
4-4-0s were operated doubleheaded when traffic needs arose.
After a long career on the railroad, #20 is seen sitting on the "dead
track" next to the turntable pit awaiting the scrappers torch,
along with several other 4-4-0s and 2-6-0s were stored there. It was the
oldest of a handful of 4-4-0s left -- #18 and #24 was facing a similar
fate, while #8 and #23 (with #18's tender) still had a few productive
years left on the Waupaca Branch.
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