#10 was built in 1904 by Vulcan Ironworks, in Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania, as a 30″ gauge locomotive for southern Louisiana sugar plantations. At one time named High Pockets, this engine saw service with at least 3 sugar plantations, including Sterling Sugars, Inc. and Westfield Plantation, in Paincourtville, LA. This was Westfield’s 4th locomotive, and went out of service there in 1958. It was sold to the Edaville Railroad, in South Carver, Mass.
Edaville gave it the number 5, and gave it an overhaul which included a new, larger boiler and regauging of the engine to 24″. It was put into services at the Pleasure Island amusement park in Wakefield, Mass. It returned to Edaville after that park’s closure in the late 1960’s. Because of its small size and inability to haul the usual Edaville train size, it was put into storage. It was used to generate electricity with steam during the 1970s oil crisis, but other than that seeing no service.
Resurrection came in 1998 by a group hoping to restart the dormant Edaville attraction. After getting it to operational status, the group put the locomotive up for sale the following year, and after some generous donations by Museum members, the engine arrived at the WW&F.
Following the tradition of railroads everywhere, the locomotive was quickly relettered and renumbered, given #10 on the WW&F. However, it did not go into service right away, but first had to receive its boiler ticket from the State. The first steam-up on the WW&F took place on December 18, 1999. It saw several weekends of service in 2000, after which it underwent some boiler repair and retubing during the winter. It saw infrequent service from 2001-2002, then underwent an 18-month, frame-up mechanical overhaul in 2003-2004. Since that time it has seen frequent service during the summer.
