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Alger-Sullivan Society’s Old 100 Train Restoration Crew Honored
August 11, 2013
The Alger-Sullivan Historical Society held Collector’s Day and an awards lunch to recognize the crew that reassembled the group’s historic Old 100 train.
No. 100 was built in September 1919 for the Britton Saw Mill Co. in Florala, Ala. Four years later, it was sold to The Alger-Sullivan Lumber Company in Century for use on its subsidiary common carrier, the Escambia Railway, abandoned in 1947. The Escambia Railway once operated a total of nearly 200 miles of logging railroad in Florida and Alabama with an all-time roster of at least 29 locomotives. No. 100 was used as a general-purpose logging engine until 1935 when it was rebuilt for use as the sawmill’s switch engine.
As the sawmill switch engine, No. 100 would occasionally operate over Louisville & Nashville tracks from Century to Flomaton, Ala. This practice continued up until its retirement in 1954, making it the last wood burning steam engine to run on “Old Reliable” tracks.
By late 1974, the No. 100 was in such poor condition from vandalism and weather deterioration that Jim Walter Doors, new owners of the sawmill, decided to sell the eyesore for junk.
After the Bicentennial celebration in 1976, Old 100 was sold to the Whitewater Valley Railroad in Connersville, Indiana, a not-for-profit Railroad Museum, where until the early 1990s it faithfully hauled tourists on a daily roundtrip run.
When the engine developed boiler problems, it was removed from service until a new boiler might be fabricated. However, there were problems with the new boiler upon delivery and because of financial concerns and tightening of federal regulations, the engine was not placed back in service at all, but rather sat in a sad condition for over 14 years.
With the assistance of grants from the State of Florida and a tremendous outpouring of support and donations from local people, the engine made its way from Indiana to Century in May of 2007.
Pictured top: The crew responsible for the restoration of the Alger-Sullivan Historical Society’s Old 100 train (L-R) Jewel Warren, Margaret Collier, Jerry Fischer, Harold Warren, Bobby Warren and Jed Warren. Not pictured: T.C. Jordan. Picture below: Old 100 sits restored in Century. Pictured inset: The train is moved into place in Century in 2008. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
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10 Responses to “Alger-Sullivan Society’s Old 100 Train Restoration Crew Honored”
I really do think that I have some old family photos (1940’s/early 1950’s) that may have this train in them. I ami going to have to pull out my album and see if it is the same train. I know there is an old steam engine in them…and always assumed that the train was somewhere in Molino area.
It looks great ! I know a lot of hard work went into this project. Congrats to all who helped.
The Collectors’ Day on Saturday, August 10 had as its opening program an awards ceremony thanking the crew responsible for the reassembly of the Old 100 locomotive. They took a pile of parts strewn inside a building and outside and figured out how to put it all together to form the engine. We’d had someone supposedly knowledgeable about this kind of thing for three years who did almost nothing and the Warrens (knowing nothing about steam locomotives) put it together like a jigsaw puzzle in less than six months! The only thing the first guy could do was make promises, tell fabrications and let us down. Thanks to the Warren crew!
@Atmore, it’s located at the corner of Jefferson Ave and 4th St at the ASHS park. If you come down Hecker road in front of the old high school, you will dead end at Jefferson Ave, turn right on Jefferson and go about a quarter of a mile when you get to the section of road that has the small median in the middle of the road, look to your left and you will see it. From highway 4 (Jay road) go south on Jefferson about ¾ of a mile to the park.
Would love to see one of these steaming from Flomaton to Pcola and back carring passengers to work or play or with a diner car.
Where is the train located at in Century?
I’m so very proud of each person who poured their all into this project. From those who donated for the restoration to those who made it what it is today. History is a beautiful thing, it allows us to learn from it, reminds us what once was and it teaches what we might not have known. Thank you Alger-Sullivan Historical Society for bringing an important piece of history back home to Century, Florida, you have made us all so very proud!
A beautiful piece of machinery and our history.
Looks GREAT…good memories..good times…good project…GREAT people who gave of their time and effort for this project
A big thanks to these folks for rescuing a piece of local history. The timber and lumber industry is a significant part of this area’s roots, and it’s wonderful to have this tangible part of our past! Well done!