In the January 2009, issue of The PennyRail two photos captioned as locomotive 2086 appeared: the older one taken at Earlington in its original configuration—capped stack and oil headlight. The second picture taken at East St Louis near its end of service, with a straight stack and electric headlight.
However, I believe the last two digits in the caption were transposed, and that the locomotive shown is actually 2068. (Editors note: Mr. Millen is correct, the numbers were mistakenly reversed in the caption.) For many years engine 2068 was assigned as the Earlington switcher. I grew up hearing about it, and think I remember having ti pointed out to me as a small boy in the early 1930s. In a remote sense, I guess I can even claim that it played a part in my entry to the world!
The story I heard many times growing up, was that Dad (Harry Millen), promoted as Engineer the last day of 1918, being lowest on the seniority list, could only bid on a running job on the Earlington switcher. Mom (Mildred Shaver, whose father Elmo, was also an engineer.) graduated Earlington High in Spring 1918, having learned typing and shorthand. Elmo was able to get her the job as stenographer, assigned to the Master Mechanics office in the L&N shops at Earlington. She said one day walking through the yards from the shops to the Division headquarters on the second floor of the Earlington station, which from time to time her duties required, she say Dad running engine 2068. Then and there she decided to “set her cap” for him! As things progressed, occasionally he was able to run 2068 south on the main the seven or eight blocks to the Shaver home at 705 West Side Avenue alongside the grade, and give her a cab ride to work. One time he showed her the throttle and told her to pull on it to start forward. She did—too much of course, and my, how the drivers spun and the exhaust roared! Since 2068 became Dad’s “court’n conveyance” can’t you see how I feel it’s a little bit responsible for my existence.
Richard Prince’s Louisville & Nashville Steam Locomotives (1968 Rev, Ed. , p. 50) lists class B-5 0-6-0 switcher locomotives numbers 2060-2069 built by Baldwin in 1903-4. They had 20”x26” cylinders, 180 lbs. pressure, 52” drivers, and 30,600 tractive effort, weighed 143,000 lbs. All in B-5 class were retired during the years 1934 to 1951.
However, if I am wrong in my surmise that the picture was inadvertently mis-captioned, I must also report that the L&N did roster a #2086. It was in Class B-4, numbers 2084-2089, built by Manchester in 1907, and retired beginning 1946. Unlike the capped stack of the early photo of the 2068 taken at Earlington, a builder’s photo in Mr. Prince’s book (p. 52) shows a unit of the Class B-4, #2087, had a straight stack when built.
The engine number on the tender in the two photos in The PennyRail unfortunately did not survive the printing process legibly enough to make out. Perhaps a view of the original photos would quell the quandary.
P.S. In spite of the paragraph above suggesting “Love on the Locomotive,” my sister and oldest sibling was not born until 1923, three years after their marriage in December, 1920.
