A rare look at Arcade & Attica #14. ucked away in a cluttered stall in the old engine shed in Arcade, NY is the Arcade and Attica Railroad's "other" steam locomotive. Built in 1917 for Michigan's Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad, this roughly 70-ton, 4-6-0 ten-wheeler worked that line for nearly 50 years. In 1963, she became the second steam locomotive to be acquired by the Arcade & Attica Railroad, which was developing a tourist operation to supplement its freight income. Over the next 25 years, this engine became the face of the Arcade & Attica's steam program, being the primary duty locomotive, and being featured prominently in the railroad's advertising. Alas, she made her last runs in the late 1980s and was relegated to the shed as she was pretty worn-out, needing some significant repairs to run again. While stablemate Consolidation #18 has been restored a couple of times since then and is currently operational, the #14 has been stored indoors, awaiting a day when funding might be available to get her back operational.
Railroad officials indicate that Locomotive #14 has had a high-level evaluation by a prominent railroad contract shop and that the cost of that work would likely be between one and two million dollars. Based on that estimate and available funding, the railroad has no current plans to restore this engine, and she'll likely continue to occupy this space for some time to come.
Images depicting both passenger and freight operations on New York's Arcade & Attica Railroad. The Arcade & Attica has been running steam tourist excursions in Western New York since the early 1960s.
