East Tennessee and Western North Carolina 12

East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad 12
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Baldwin Locomotive Works Serial number 45069 Model 10-26-D Build date 1917
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-6-0 Loco weight 98,800 lb (44,800 kg) Total weight 60,000 lb (27,000 kg) Fuel type Coal Water cap. 3,000 US gal (11,000 L; 2,500 imp gal) Boiler pressure 180 psi (1.24 MPa) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 16 in × 22 in (406 mm × 559 mm) Valve gear Walschaerts
Career Operators East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad Shenandoah Central Tweetsie Railroad Class 10-26-D Numbers ET&WNC 12 TR 12 Retired 1950 (1st retirement) 1954 (2nd retirement) Restored 1953 (1st restoration) July 4, 1957 (2nd restoration) Current owner Tweetsie Railroad Disposition Undergoing Major Restoration East Tennessee and Western North Carolina 12 U.S. National Register of Historic Places Location Tweetsie RR theme park, jct. of Tweetsie RR Rd. and US 321, near Blowing Rock, North Carolina Coordinates 36°10′14″N 81°38′51″W Area less than one acre Built 1917 Built by Baldwin Locomotive Works NRHP reference No. 92000147 Added to NRHP March 12, 1992

East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad No. 12, also known as Tweetsie Railroad No. 12, is a narrow-gauge 4-6-0 "Ten Wheeler" type steam locomotive located near Blowing Rock, North Carolina.

History

The engine was built in 1917 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad. After retirement in 1940, the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad ceased operations in 1950 and No. 12 is the only one of the railroad's narrow-gauge engines still in existence. It was sold to the Shenandoah Central in 1952 where it was restored in 1953 and continued to operate in service until its second retirement in 1954. The locomotive was put up for sale again and was later sold to the Tweetsie Railroad theme park in 1957, where it received a full restoration and began pulling excursion trains around the park on July 4, 1957. Today, No. 12 continues to operate at the Tweetsie Railroad along with former White Pass and Yukon Route 2-8-2 No. 190.

The locomotive became listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.