ATTRACTIONS
ENGINE, ENGINE
NUMBER 253
A rescued steam locomotive brings
Fort Pierce full circle in railroad history
Some of the people behind the restoration effort are, from left, Joshua
Rowley, Glenn Benjamin, “Caboose” Mikey Starck, Betty Jean Andrianoff,
Richard Benjamin, Robert Brodie, Bob Bates (co-owner of the 253) and
Jerry Groothouse, alongside the locomotive.
BY WILLI MILLER
PHOTOS BY ED DRONDOSKI Sitting quietly yet majestically on a rail siding in the
38
north end of Fort Pierce is Engine No. 253, one of the
dwindling numbers remaining of the 75,000 steam
locomotives built by the American Locomotive
Company. Of that number, 275 belonged to Florida
East Coast Railway (FEC), and No. 253 is one of only six left.
She’s an 0-8-0, meaning there are no wheels in the front, eight
in the middle and none in the back. And, yes, locomotives are
referred to as “she.”
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The 253 is seen in the roundhouse of the Louisiana & Arkansas Yard 1947. Photos
of working locomotives are in the Steam Locomotive Association’s archives.