I bought a Bachmann 0-4-0 Porter on ebay for a great price and am going to change it into a historical locomotive located in my neck of the woods.

This is the Natalie. It played a significant role in the narrow gauge railroads located in the Black Hills. My problem is I cant see wither the top of the saddle tank is continuous or does the saddle tank split at the top of the boiler. The Natalie looks like a standard 0-4-0T Porter and was wondering if anyone could answer my question.

I don’t know if the tank goes all the way over the top but it sure looks that way.
That sure is a neat little loco it reminds me of one I have seen up in NH at the entrance to Loon mountain ski resort.
Any chance they will resurrect that little gem to working order?

Most of the saddle tank porters the tank was one piece. There were collars around the openings where the steam dome & stack went through the tank. On some, the sand domes were on top of the water tank - they did not sit directly on the boiler.

That looks like a simple, single water fill hatch between the front sand dome and the steam dome … I’m guessing it’s a continuous tank.

A google search turned up another view that pretty well confirms this … but it’s a flickr photo and I can’t link it. An image search for “natalie black hills locomotive” tends to bring it up first, at least from here.

Thanks guys. I believe the Natalie is a basic 0-4-0T from Porter so I figured it would look and other Porter.

The story on this loco is a little long but I’ll give you the shortened version the best I can.

This little locomotive was purchased by the Branch Mint Mining Company in the late 1890’s (cant remember the date off the top of my head). It’s purpose was to ferry ore cars from the Branch Mint Mine to the Smelter located in Galena, SD. The smelter and mine never really made too much money it was more of the product of an over ambitious owner. The smelter and mine went into receivorship and the loco was sold to the Black Hills and Ft Pierre.
The Natalie was then used in a very similar job it had done before, shuttling ore cars from mine to smelter.

The significant part of the Natalie’s history is a great forest fire errupted in the Elk Creek Valley. The Natalie was shuttling cars up at the head of the valley when the fire broke out. The fire was kind of one of those “perfect sotrm” type deals. It quickly spread to cut off escape out of the head of the valley. The Nataile crew braved life and limb to hurry down the valley to pickup stranded farmers and their families and bring them to safety. Since that time the Natalie has had a spot in the hearts of those who take time to read about Black Hills railroad history.

The Natalie was eventually “put out to pasture” and was stored in a small engine shed in Gelena. The locomotive was then sold to a businessman in Billings, MT who transported it there to be used as a static display on his musuem property. That musuem went out of business and the Natalie was sold to a gentleman in CA.

Eventually the Natalie was moved back to its home area of the Black Hills when it was “transfered” to the Crazy Horse Memorial. I couldnt find anything to determined what was ment by transfered, but the end result is it is where it is. THe Natalie was well take care of at first. The CHM had built a small shelter over the loco and had painted it. Now you can see it is in a lot worse shape.

The South Dakota Railroad Musuem, which I sometime volunteer for, is actively trying to get the loco moved to its property and then to restore the loco. With the Black Hills Central on the property there is a lot of expertise in restoring steam locomotives. So here is the wierd part. When the loco was moved to the CHM, Korczak Ziolkowski, promised one of his daughters that he would repaint the loco and name it after her. The problem is, CHM has said they will donate the loco but they want it repainted and name after the daughter. To the museum that is not acceptable, the Natalie played an important part in the narrow guage railroads of the Black Hills and it would be a travesty to repaint her to anything than her former glory. So that is where she stands today. Rusting away in the elements because of one silly demand.

Sorry the story turned into longer one than I intended.

Thats a very neat locomotive and history! I look forward to your progress!

Jake,

Tell the museum to agree to his demands, making sure they are not included in the donation paperwork. Once the donation is finalized, the museum can do with her what they will. This tactic has been followed many times in history and should work well now. The purists will cringe, but sometimes you have to give a little to get a lot.

Bob C.

It is an option Bob, but I think a last resort. I really dont think the railroad museum wants to create tension between them and the museum. I’m looking at going a more diplomatic route and try some pressure from other areas. Crazy Horse is a great operation, but railroading is not in their scope of interest. I think we can start to appeal to that sense and go from their.

Cute little loco. Never heard of a loco being a hero before, but it fits. Hope you guys manage to get her saved.

Jake, I never said it was a pretty option. Diplomacy is always the better path, but sometimes brute force is what is called for. If she sits too long, the current owner may just consider the scrapper’s torch. Last time I did some recycling, I got $0.12 per pound for scrap steel. At that rate she would be worth a few dollars.

My more than a tuppence.

Bob C.

Jake Smith said:
... promised one of his daughters that he would repaint the loco and name it after her. The problem is, CHM has said they will donate the loco but they want it repainted and name after the daughter. To the museum that is not acceptable, ...

Rename the daughter ...

I hope they find some way out of this nonsense.

That really stinks (about the naming thing). I wonder if maybe they didn’t put a time constraint in the transfer documents, the new museum could paint it for the daughter and leave it just long enough for the CH Museum folks to see it, then make the decision to properly restore it to it’s original name.

I was talking with the SD railroad museum administrator on Saturday and it will most likely be a slow process. We have to tread lightly in order to not cause any hard feelings. It seems as though we have half the family on our side and half on the other. But, there is a museum board member who is connected to the CHM who is working very hard to persuade them.

But, with all this happening I plan to build the Natalie starting with a Bachmann Porter and donate it to the museum. At least the museum will have something.

I have to say one thing. It is really critical that the Natalie get restored. Unlike most narrow gauge systems. The Natalie is one of only two narrow gauge locomotives know to exist, that operated on the Black Hills narrow gauge system. Incidentally, the other one is the JB Haggin, stored in the Adams Musuem in Deadwood, SD.

Jake Smith said:
I have to say one thing. It is really critical that the Natalie get restored. Unlike most narrow gauge systems. The Natalie is one of only two narrow gauge locomotives know to exist, that operated on the Black Hills narrow gauge system. Incidentally, the other one is the JB Haggin, stored in the Adams Musuem in Deadwood, SD.

Jake,

I agree the locomotive deserves to be retored and preserved. I suggest you contact the SD State Historic Preservation office and ask to speak to someone in the SHPO office (State Historic Preservation Officer).
http://history.sd.gov/preservation/

Those folks are the best avenue for preservation funds/grant money to help with the restoration of the locomotive. Prerequisite to a grant application is that the owners permission must be obtained to place the loco of the SD State historic register. The most important thing for everyone to remember is the owners DO NOT have to relinquish ownership.

In Colorado (where I live) a percentage of the funds from the sale of lottery tickets and taxes from the gambling casinos are earmark specfically for historic perservation which is named GOCO - Go Colorado). The SD SHPO will be of great help I’m sure, but they don’t start the nomination process. Someone like you that shows an interest and is willing to put the time and effort to writing a nomination are usually the ‘sponsors’.

As you might have guessed, yes I have completed a historic registry nomination. It’s not as hard as one might think AND the SHPO will be there to help every step of the way.

Good Luck. If you want to email me back channel, I’ll be happy to help and answer questions.

Go the B&O Museum’s AFT, CSS T-1 route… paint one side each way… but they you’d have to remember which side needs to face which group’s cameras

Thanks for the info Jerry. That has been started by the SDRM (SD Railroad Museum). Like I said it is a delicate process. The SDRM doesnt want any animosity with Crazy Horse. Unfortunately this will be a slow process.

You’re welcome Jake. Always happy to help someone interested in preserving this country’s wonderful railroad heritage - narrow gauge or standard gauge. At this point, all you can do is hope there is a favorable change to the impasse. There have been some similar incidents regarding privately owned historic Denver & Rio Grande narrow gauge equipment here in Colorado. Life’s circumstances have a way of changing those relationships… Today some of that equipment lives at various locations around Colorado - like the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, CO; The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad in CO and NM; Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and others.

Sounds like you are engaged with some of the parties and have the locomotive’s welfare in best interest. Best of luck with your continued efforts.

Jerry

Jake, did you ever finish your model of this loco?

That is a neat little loco and cool story. I hope they manage to save it and put it on display even if it is named after the daughter, a nearby placque will straighten out the visitors as to the real history and name of Natalie.

Here is the one up at Loon in New Hampshire that I mentioned before. Maybe it will help serve to get Jake going on his model of Natalie.

That is a neat little loco and cool story. I hope they manage to save it and put it on display even if it is named after the daughter, a nearby placque will straighten out the visitors as to the real history and name of Natalie.
Here is the one up at Loon in New Hampshire that I mentioned before. Maybe it will help serve to get Jake going on his model of Natalie.
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It would be a good thing for Natalie to be restored and kept in an accessible place for all to see. I can appreciate the naming issues. Daughters are especial to most fathers so I can see his point of view. Todd males a valid point about a information plaque: that could be one way over an impasse. I and I guess most folks reading this thread will wish to hear, eventually, of a satisfactory outcome.