Wilmington and Western No. 58

Wilmington and Western No. 58 is an 0-6-0 switcher type locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in October 1907 for the Atlanta Birmingham & Atlantic Railroad. In 1926, following the bankrupt of AB&A and being acquired by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, who reorganized the railway as the Atlanta, Birmingham and Coast Railroad the next year, it was later renumbered to No. 27.
The locomotive was eventually sold to the U.S. Army and wore the number No. 6961, and was sold again in 1947 to the Virginia Blue Ridge Railway and became there No. 4, were it was used to haul train loads of titanium dioxide and aplite out of the mines. Ni. 4 was later purchased by the Mead Corporation of Lynchburg, Virginia and renumbered 300.
In 1963, Malcom purchased No. 300 for his Valley Forge Scenic Railroad to haul tourist trains, however, its been reported that No. 300 never operated on the Valley Forge Scenic Railroad. After operations ended on the Valley Forge Scenic Railroad, No. 300 was then purchased by Brian Woodcock for the Wilmington & Western Railroad in 1973 and renumbered it back to its original road number No. 58, there it was cosmeticlly restored and put into storage. In 1976, it participated in the United States Bicentennial Celebrations of Hockessin, Delaware along with No. 98.
In December 1988, it was donated to the Avondale Railroad Center were it was put on static display in January 1989 along with several Ex-Pennsylvania Railroad MP54's. In December 1997 after nine years on display, Brian Woodcock donated No. 58 to the Wilmington and Western Railroad, with the hopes to have it restored to operating condition to haul excursion trains on the line. No. 58 was removed from the Avondale Railroad Center on January 24, 1998 and moved into the shops were restoration work on No. 58 official began. After a full year of restoration work, No. 58 was test fired on November 6, 1998 and returned to operating condition on November 28, 1998 were it officially began hauling excursion trains on the Ez-Baltimore and Ohio line between Wilmington and Hockessin. On May 23, 1999, No. 58 became dedicated as "The Veteran's Locomotive".
In 2013, No. 58 was taken out of service to undergo its extensive 1,472-day inspection and overhaul, which lasted for four years, it eventually returned to steam in 2017. That same year, No. 98 was removed from service for its FRA inspection and overhaul, leaving No. 58 the sole-operating steam locomotive on the line.
==See also==
* Gallery
Category:Steam locomotives
Category:Tender locomotives
Category:American locomotives
Category:Passenger locomotives
Category:Four-coupled locomotives
Category:0-6-0 locomotives
Category:0-6-0 steam locomotives
Category:Built in 1907
Category:Baldwin locomotives
Category:Locomotives
Category:Restored locomotives
Category:Preserved steam locomotives
Category:American steam locomotives
Category:Excursion locomotives