Historic locomotive to move to Southeastern Railway Museum

August 29, 2007
For Immediate Release  (Duluth, Ga.).

The Southeastern Railway Museum is pleased to announce the donation of “General II,” Stone Mountain Railroad’s locomotive No. 104.

Originally built in 1919 engine No. 104 for the Red River & Gulf Railroad, the locomotive moved to Gulf Sand & Gravel Co. in 1950 to become Comite Southern No. 1.

The Stone Mountain Scenic Railroad acquired the engine in 1961. It became known as “General II” when it was rebuilt and cosmetically altered to resemble the “General,” the locomotive made famous by the Andrews Raid and locomotive chase through northwest Georgia during the Civil War.

“General II” was the last steam locomotive operating under its own power at the Stone Mountain railway. It stopped making regular runs in 1986, when the need for costly boiler work relegated the engine to making only cosmetic appearances. In 1991, Stone Mountain placed the locomotive, which had developed other mechanical issues, on static display.

The Southeastern Railway Museum plans to move the locomotive from Stone Mountain to the museum’s facility in Duluth. There, it will cosmetically restore the locomotive and place it on display, a reminder of the days when it puffed along at Stone Mountain.

Locomotive technical details:
Class 4-4-0 under the Whyte classification system for locomotives
Driving wheel diameter – 60 inches
Tractive effort 13,800 lbs using a boiler pressure of 180 psi & Walschaerts valve gear.

The museum is grateful to the Stone Mountain Memorial Association (the state authority responsible that owns Stone Mountain Park) for the donation of this historic piece of Georgia’s rail history.

The Southeastern Railway Museum has been in operation since 1970 and is “Georgia’s Official Transportation History Museum”. The museum has over 80 other pieces of retired railway rolling stock including vintage steam and diesel locomotives, passenger coaches, private business cars, a World War II army troop kitchen, wooden freight cars, railway post office car and maintenance of way equipment. Many other items from Georgia’s transportation history are also presented on the museum’s 30-acre site.