Monson Railroad #3....the Little Engine That Could. Although the beefy B&SR #7 and the elegant WW&F #9 probably garnered the most attention at the 2020 Grand Reunion event, this little engine is a star in her own right. Built in 1913, this little Vulcan is an 18-tonner, just like WW&F #9, but she looks very different. Whereas locomotives were still being designed as things of beauty when the 9 was built in 1891, just 22 years later, they were looked on as work-a-day machines. Gone were the elegant wood cabs and fluted domes, replaced by steel and simple rounded ones. But whatever she may lack in terms of beauty, the 3 more than makes up for it in utility. This engine has muscle and she has legs. Getting the #9 up the steep grades on the mountain extension takes a deft touch on the throttle, and it's easy to spin the tires. The 3 however seems to have that grade's number, because she just digs in and goes. I don't have a lot of shots of 3 from this weekend, but I love this one. It not only depicts the engine in a pretty setting, but it also shows off the dynamic range of modern digital cameras.
