26. St. Joseph Lumber and Export Company Locomotive

North side of the Centennial Building.

1917 steam engine used by the St. Joseph Lumber and Export Company

This 1917 steam engine used by the St. Joseph Lumber and Export Company as a logging engine from 1938 until the 1940s was placed on the site in the 1960s as a reminder of the city’s rich railroad history. Built in 1917 by Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia, the engine was originally purchased by Big Pine Lumber in South Caroline. It was purchased by Kenney Lumber Company and brought to Port St. Joe in 1938.

During the early years of World War II, Kenney Lumber Company and two other companies merged to become the St. Joe Lumber and Export Company. The newly formed company had five locomotives and 30 miles of track from Port St. Joe to the Willis Swamp and the Lake Wimico to transport cypress to its sawmill in Port St. Joe.

A steam-driven engine, the locomotive was designed to haul heavy loads over short distances at low speeds. The wood-fired engine operated on saturated steam at a pressure of 150 pounds per square inch. The main driver wheels were small (about 40 inches in diameter) and designed to provide power for traction at speeds less than 20 miles per hour. This prairie-type locomotive has a 2-6-2 type wheel arrangement for maximum traction and power.

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