The Baldwin Class 12-28 ¼ E was a series of 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotives that were built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for several narrow-gauge railroads.
History The class of 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotives were designed in the 1910s with one example East Broad Top #12 "Millie" being built in December 1911, where it was classified by East Broad Top as a Baldwin 12-28 E-1.
But in the 1930s, an updated version was drawn up. This version had driving wheels, a pair of cylinders, a boiler pressure of , a tractive effort of and weighed in at 72 tons without the tender (115.25 tons with tender). Their tenders could hold up to 8 tons of coal and of water.
The locomotive class were often referred to as Hog by the crew members, due to their high fuel consumption.
Preservation Only four locomotives of the Baldwin Class 12-28 ¼ E are still in preservation. Currently preserved PhotographLocomotiveSerial no.Build dateOperatorStatusNotesRefsEast Broad Top Railroad 12 "Millie" 37325December 1911East Broad Top RailroadStored, awaiting restorationWhite Pass and Yukon Route 7062234May 1938Operational (2 Volumes)Dollywood Timeline. White Pass and Yukon Route 7162257January 1939White Pass and Yukon RouteStored, awaiting restoration (2 Volumes)White Pass and Yukon Route 7373352May 1947White Pass and Yukon RouteOperationalThe original #73 tender can be identified after 1981, by the absence of the left side tender ladder, which was removed in 1982.
Formerly preserved, scrapped PhotographLocomotiveSerial no.Build dateOperatorScrappedCause of scrappingRefsWhite Pass and Yukon Route 72733511947White Pass and Yukon Route1974 (boiler)Involved in a roundhouse fire in 1969.
Accidents and incidents In 1940, 1951 and 1955, No. 70 was involved in three major accidents while working on the WPY, where it rolled over on its side three separate times. The locomotive would be repaired three separate times after the incidents and would continue service. In 1946, No. 71 was traveling southbound to Whitehorse, Alaska with several freight and passenger cars, as it rounded a curve, the locomotive ran into a gasoline motor car that was on the same track, damaging No. 71's pilot truck. One crew worker suffered a broken leg while the second suffered minor injuries. No. 71's pilot truck was repaired and the locomotive returned to service. In the winter of 1948, No. 72 was hauling a freight train when a snowslide hit the side of the engine and knocked it onto its right side, burying the engineer and fireman in the snow. The locomotive was eventually pulled up from the bank of snow, repaired and returned to service. In October 1969, No. 72 was involved in a roundhouse fire that destroyed the locomotive's boiler. It was scrapped in 1974, except for the drive wheels, which are now on No. 70.
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