Rahway Valley 15


Rahway Valley Railroad No. 15 is a steam locomotive on display at Steamtown National Historic Site. It was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works as Oneida and Western Railroad No. 20 in 1916, and was sold to the Rahway Valley Railroad in 1937. It last ran in revenue service in November 28, 1953 before being replaced by #17 a GE 70-ton switcher. No. 15 was then placed on the deadline for the next six years before it was donated to F. Nelson Blount in May 1959 and was received on June 5. Blount chose to restore the locomotive and operate it at Steamtown, USA. It also travelled to Boston to be filmed in The Cardinal. The locomotive later became Green Mountain Railroad #15 following the formation of that railroad. It remained under the Green Mountain name until 1973 and was later reverted to Rahway Valley #15.
No. 15's last run was on August 12, 1973, when a boiler tube blew out, scalding Andy Barbera, who was operating as the locomotive engineer at the time. Since the services of the locomotive were not needed at the time, the repairs were not done and remained undone by the time the Steamtown Special History was written. While in Blount's possession, the locomotive appeared in the movie The Cardinal. The Steamtown Special History Study recommended that the engine be cosmetically and operationally restored, as it had served in the northeastern quarter of the United States and had been serviced, at least once, at the Lackawanna's Scranton shop.
As of March 2012, the locomotive is still displayed inoperable at Steamtown National Historic Site.