MADRID -- Locomotive 210 of the former Norwood & St. Lawrence Railroad will go on display at its new home on Saturday, Nov. 21. 

Built 103 years ago and after an absence of 70 years, it will be located at the St. Lawrence Power & Equipment Museum at Madrid, barely 10 miles from its former home in Norfolk. 

There will be a special program at 11 a.m. on Nov. 21 at the museum and an open house for the public is planned for 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

The old locomotive will not be returned to service.

The arrival of the locomotive at the Museum completes the first phase in the development of a Railroad History Center. 

The next phase is to build an engine house for the locomotive and its tender, and the third phase will be a railroad depot that will serve as its interpretive center. 

Large windows and lights on one side of the engine house will allow year-round view of the historic N&StL Locomotive 210. 

The total project may take three to five more years to complete. 

The N&SL, one of many earlier short line railroads, had 13 miles of track connecting the now submerged river port at Waddington to the grand connection at Norwood. 

Locomotive 210 was the fifth engine that pulled freight and passengers on that line, and it was the last operating steam powered locomotive among all the short lines in the North Country of NY. 

Restoration sponsors

The St. Lawrence Power & Equipment Museum will seek sponsors and other donors to support the restoration of Locomotive 210 and construction of the Railroad History Center, one of the largest projects it has attempted. 

Sponsors will be recognized for their support on a commemorative plaque. 

Volunteers will be needed during the development and operating phases.

The trip home

On June 18th, the Museum received a Pick Up Notice from the NY State Bureau of Federal Property Assistance in Albany, which authorized the Museum to take possession of Locomotive 210 currently located at the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, PA. 

It was many weeks before the locomotive could be ready for transport. 

Asbestos abatement took a month to be completed. 

Cracked spokes in the cast iron wheels had to be repaired. 

And a highly specialized mover had to be located, capable of transporting the locomotive had to be found. Meanwhile, tracks had to be installed where the locomotive will reside at the Museum. 

Locomotive 210 was built by the American Locomotive Company in 1923 and delivered to the St. Regis Paper Company’s mill in Norfolk, NY for use on its N&SL Railroad. 

It is a classic example of a Mogle type of locomotive used for relatively short, mixed freight hauls. 

Its wheel configuration is 2-6-0 with two wheels in front, six under the engine, and none under the cab. With the usual steam and sand dome on top of the boiler, it has an extra sand dome providing it with a less common three-dome silhouette. 

Sand provides extra traction on wet, heavy, or steep hauls. 

The locomotive is accompanied by its tender which carried eight tons of coal and 5,000 gallons of water. With the tender, its total length is 61.4 feet. 

The 210 alone weighs 129,000 lbs.

After retirement 

Locomotive 210 was retired in 1957 and driven to a junk yard in Watertown. Salvation came in 1965 when a collector in Vermont purchased it for $500 and took it home to join many other old steam locomotives in his collection. 

He was intent on preserving these treasures and making it possible for visitors to ride trains of the steam era. 

He moved the collection to Scranton, PA to find a better market for his excursion trains. Not long after he died in an accident.

In 1986, the National Park Service took over the extraordinary collection and began restoration of the former roundhouse and rail yards at Scranton. At first, the 210 was considered a candidate for restoration, but the old locomotive was too “tired and worn out” to justify the work and expense. 

Many members of the railroad families in the North Country kept an eye out for the 210, even going to visit where it rested on tracks in the back rail yards, surrounded by old, rusting rail cars. 

Among the families was Bill VanKennen, a member of the Power & Equipment Museum and president of the Norfolk History Museum. 

During a visit to Steamtown in 2025, Van Kennen found that the 210 might be available. He contacted Roger Austin, Secretary and Trustee of the Power & Equipment Museum and reported the news. Van Kennen’s father had been an engineer on the 210, and he believed it was time to bring it home. 

The Museum is located only nine miles from the 210’s original home in Norfolk, NY and tracks from Norwood border the Museum’s property. 

Austin contacted Steamtown regarding the 210 and received a message from Brian Reklaitis, Project Manager with Steamtown. During a recent review of its rolling stock, they had determined that the 210 had been identified as “excess,” no longer a contributing piece. 

The process of making it available for preservation by another organization had begun. A proposal to acquire the 210 and to create a Railroad History Center at the Power & Equipment Museum was approved by its board of trustees and shared with Steamtown. 

Museum President Scott Wilson commented, “This will be a great addition to the Museum.”

While Steamtown management supported its return home, the 210 first had to be declared federal surplus.  

As soon as Steamtown relinquished custody of the 210, he submitted a claim and assured its release to the Museum. 

For more on the St. Lawrence Power & Equipment Museum, email slpeminfo@gmail.com or call 315-250-9141.

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