On February 28, 1940, two brand new saddle tank locomotives arrived at the Perla Plant of the Acme Brick Co. in Malvern, Arkansas. Both had originally been intended for a South American customer, but when Acme Brick’s original two locomotives had become inoperable, H.K. Porter offered the two dinkies to the Arkansas Company. The two locomotives were the 7084th and 7085th steam engines produced by Porter.
Serial number 7084, upon her arrival in Malvern, it received the running number of 5. She had 11” x 16” cylinders, 31” drivers, steam brakes, and an 800 gallon saddle tank. With a train of 10 western dump cars, #5 went to work hauling clay the 1.5 miles from the pits to the brick plant. As the little narrow-gauge line had no turning facilities, #5 was constantly pushing and pulling.
When heavy business demands forced night time operation of #5, she was given an automobile headlight as the original equipment had not included a headlamp from the factory. In her 16 years of service with Acme Brick she hauled over 1,500,000 tons of clay, enough to make roughly 72,000,000 bricks a year. |
By early 1956, a more efficient way had been found in hauling the clay to the plant, and of course it was by truck…! The two little sisters were thereupon withdrawn from service and stored in the old engine house at Malvern. In 1957, Paul R. Eakins, owner of Paul’s Inc. which operates the Gay 90's village in Sikeston, Missouri, made a down payment on both #5 and her sister. On June 18, 1958, the deal was completed, and the two rusty and dirty Porters were loaded aboard trucks and taken to Sikeston. It had been Mr. Eakin’s original intention to use both locomotives as a display at the entrance to his place of business but only #5’s sister was used. #5 remained in a nearby salvage yard. Then about a year later, #5’s sister was sold to Roy Danuser of Bull Shoals, Arkansas and #5 was purchased by Mr. Stone of Stone Machine Co. Daisy, Tennessee. The two little girls finally were separated.
Mr. Stone intended to use #5 along with another narrow-gauge engine which he had purchased from Argent Lumber Co. on a backyard railroad at his home. He died however, with his plan unfulfilled. Mr. Stone’s son then sold both locomotives to George Roose in 1963.
Both were sent to Port Clinton, but only old #5 was immediately restored. Sam built a new wooden cab, and ornate headlamp, and an old looking squared off balloon stack for the old dinky. After he removed the rusty saddle tank, he built an old-fashioned tender for the old girl. By mid-summer 1964, she had been trimmed in brass and bright paint and was ready to be brought to the Point. The unnumbered & unnamed Jennie K. outside the engine house in 1964. Photo courtesy of the Industrial Railway Society.
Inside the engine house in pieces waiting for her return.
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Everything went well for the first few days of her trial runs on the CP&LE, but then one day as she was approaching the third trestle, and she threw a driving rod. Of course, she couldn’t complete the trip under her own power, so a standby engine went out to tow her and her load of passengers back to the station.
The repairs must be extensive and expensive, so they were postponed. It was not until the winter of 1966-1967 that the work was given the go ahead. By May the old porter was ready to roll. Not only had she been given mechanical attention, but she also received a new name, Jennie K., and a running number of 2. The name was in honor of Mr. Foster’s baby Granddaughter and niece. Jennie K. went to work again in May 1967 and served the road faithfully for the next two summers requiring only minor repairs, except for new flues which were received in the winter of 1967-1968. |