Alabama, Florida & Southern 4-6-0 "Ten-Wheeler" Locomotives in the USA

Class 14 (Locobase 14069)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University, Volume 45, p. 173. See also Mississippi Rails' description of this road at [] . Works number was 41164 in February 1914.

E L Marbury Lumber Company built this road from Ardilla, Ala across the state line to Malone, Fla only 15 1/2 miles (25 km) away as a logging road in 1907-1910. In 1910, the AF & S bought the line to operate for common carriage. This small Ten-wheeler was the only new locomotive to be bought by this company.

After only 7 years, the AF & S was bought by W S Wilson who created the Alabama, Florida & Gulf to run 32 miles (51.5 km) from Cowarts, Ala to Greenwood, Fla. Only 2 1/2 miles of the original AF & S (Stapleton to Malone, Fla) was incorporated into the new road. Mississippi Rails describe AF & G country as "gently rolling" with the trains rolling on unballasted "relay rail" (i.e. worn mainline rail reused in lighter service) that weighed 50-60 lb/yard (25-30 kg/metre).

[See the the application for the National Registry of Historic Places titled "Logging Railroad Resources of the Coconino and Kaibaba National Forests, Arizona," , and found at [] . Section E, page 4, has an excellent description of "relay rail".]

By 1923, the road had entered receivership and never was healthy again. It was reorganized as the Alabama & Florida in 1936, but abandoned on 24 October 1941. At that point the South Georgia bought the 14, but sold it almost immediately to the Georgia Southwestern & Gulf. In 1942, the GS & G regained its 1910 name (Albany & Northern)