Growing up you always hear about barn finds. Someone finds a classic car, priceless artwork or something of historical value that had been locked away and forgotten about. Never does one hear about a locomotive being found though. Built in 1939 as the CB&Q #9139, this SW1 toiled on in Illinois, becoming the BN #84 after the merger and eventually being sold to the Davenport, Rock Island and Northwestern in 1975 where it received a nice white and black scheme. Years later, it sold into elevator service and used in Billings, MT to load cars. Its history after that was murky. Some believed it went to another home, while others simply lost track. One thing was certain, the locomotive was no longer in Billings. Enter the St. Johns River. One of the owners was browsing the internet when he came upon a picture by Montana railroad photography legend Larry Zeutschel which showed this locomotive in the 1990's. He had no idea if this engine still existed but decided to contact the current owners of the property who had just loaded their last train before this facility was scheduled to be sold. Lo and behold, this unit had been sitting in a tiny shed (with heat!) for 10 years since its last use. A deal was struck and St. Johns River became the proud owner of this old workhorse. Today, after months of prep work, the BGT #84 saw the light of day for the first time in many years. The hope is to fire it up soon and then work on a plan to remove it from the property. It remains in largely original condition, still sporting its original trucks, nose mounted bell and lack of handrails among other things. An incredible find and win for preservationists!
