EBT Locomotive Roster
J&A 1

This 20 ton Davenport was built in 1941 or 42 (depending on source.) Originally built for the US Army as #7707. It served during WWII at Holabird Quartermaster Depot (later Holabird Ordnance Depot, Holabird Signal Depot, Camp Holabird and Fort Holabird.) After WWII, the locomotive was sold into the private sector.

It next served at the Lion Oil Refinery in El Dorado, AR. This refinery was built in 1922 during an oil boom in the area. Today the refinery is owned by DelekUS.

In the earliest photo found of this locomotive it is lettered for the Malvern Brick and Tile Company. MB&T was located in Malvern, AK.

The locomotive was brought to Hardin, KY (southeast of Paducah) around 1999. The intention was for it to be used on the Hardin Southern Railroad as a backup locomotive. The HSRR operated on the former Nashville, Chattanooga and Saint Louis line from Paris, TN to Paducah, KY. The HSRR ran on the then-end of line from Murray, KY (where the line ends today) north to Hardin, KY (where it ended then.) The locomotive was not owned by the Hardin Southern, but by a private party who volunteered there. One source notes the locomotive as being owned by the Mid-South Rail Heritage Foundation. At its next two homes the cab was stenciled "PROPERTY OF HALE FAMILY 270-753-6124", which also may have been the owner at this time. The locomotive was repainted in yellow, but no mechanical work appears to have been done on the locomotive. The HSRR was subsequently sold.

In 2007 the locomotive, in danger of being scrapped, was donated to the Chesapeake Railway Association prior to the HSRR being dismantled. CRA moved the unit by truck to the Walkersville Southern in Walkersville, MD. It was designated WS 3 but never painted as such. At some point the CRA turned over ownership of the locomotive to WS. Other priorities led to the unit not being returned to service in Walkersville. In 2018 it was intended for the locomotive to go to the Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad in Maine, but delays in restoration led B&ML to acquire another locomotive. In 2020, the WS moved the Davenport outside on onto a storage siding and covered the windows with plywood. It is presumed that the locomotive did not operate during any of these ownerships.

Ironically, during its time at the Walkersville Southern, the Mount Union Connecting Railroad CR-4 Plymouth locomotive, after its stint on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, was spotted right next to this locomotive on the storage track. The CR-4 was in Mount Union from 2003 until about 2017 but did not operate.

The locomotive as-built had a LeRoi gasoline engine. At some point this was swapped with a Cummins H-Series inline 6 diesel engine. That engine was swapped with a Cummins L-Series inline 6 diesel. The L series was introduced in 1982, displaces 8.9 or 10 liters, has 4 valves per cylinder and produces 260-450 HP depending on configuration. It is unknown when the engine swaps took place.

6-4-2026 the locomotive was brought into Mount Union by the Juniata and Aughwick Railroad via low-boy road trailer, and placed in the EBT enginehouse. 6-13-2026 the locomotive engine ran for the first time in Mount Union. Approximately 7-10-2026 the locomotive operated down to the old Pennsylvania Railroad spur in Mount Union.

General References

• G1 - Old Hardin Southern Railroad Photos at Four Rivers Explorer
• G2 - Chesapeake Railway Association - Rolling Stock