MT. PLEASANT, Iowa – Former Georgetown Loop Railroad 2-6-2 No. 12 made its debut at the Midwest Central Railroad over Labor Day Weekend during the annual Old Threshers Reunion in Mt. Pleasant. The 1929 Baldwin was built for use on Hawaii’s Kahului Railroad.
The locomotive was last operated at Colorado’s Georgetown Loop Railroad, making its final run there on August 1. No. 12 was part of a locomotive trade that benefited both lines. Midwest Central sent its West Side Lumber Company three-truck narrow gauge Shay No. 9 to Colorado to work the Loop’s four percent grades, a service it was better suited for than the 2-6-2. In turn, Georgetown sent No. 12 to Iowa where it now operates on Midwest Central’s much flatter 1.25-mile line.
Coincidentally, Midwest Central previously owned No. 12. It was sold in 1988 to another tourist railroad and eventually ended up in Colorado.
