Butler Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> EXCELLENT pictures. That American Standard #98 is
> a real classic. Any idea as to it's history?

Sure!

Since the web site of the W&W does such a superb job
telling the story, I'll simply paste the text right
here.

4-4-0 AMERICAN #98
The first locomotive with a 4-4-0 wheel arrangement was built in 1837 and the design lasted for nearly a century. By the end of the 1920s, over 25,000 such locomotives had been built. The 4-4-0 was a popular choice for nearly every American railroad, so much so that the wheel arrangement soon earned the name "American Standard," or simply "American." Locomotive 98 was built by the American Locomotive Company of Schenectady, NY in January 1909 (construction #45921). It worked in passenger service on the Mississippi Central before being retired in December 1944. Paulsen Spence purchased the 98 in 1947 for the Comite Southern, and later the Louisiana Eastern. Thomas C. Marshall and T. Clarence Marshall purchased the locomotive in January of 1960 with the intent of operating her (and several other engines) on a proposed weekend steam tourist railroad in Wilmington, DE. The 98 was moved to the Strasburg Rail Road where she was placed in storage until storage facilities could be obtained in Wilmington. In April 1964, the 98 was moved off Strasburg property and shipped to the Wilmington & Western where she was returned to service in October 1972. Tom Marshall officially donated the locomotive to Historic Red Clay Valley, Incorporated in December 1977. No. 98 operated regularly until the end of 1998 when she was removed from service to undergo a major rehabilitation project, and returned to our rails on Saturday, October 16, 2004.

If you'd like to read more about the route, the history and details regarding the line's other
equipment - including 2 other steam engines, click HERE

/Mitch