1876 Baldwin Mine Locomotive

In 1876, the Bald Mountain Gold Mining Company of Forest City, California ordered this 20" gauge locomotive from Baldwin Locomotive Works. She operated underground, hauling mine cars in a tunnel over a mile long burning coke or coal. When the Bald Mountain Mine played out, this locomotive was sold to the Union Blue Mine at North Bloomfield, where she operated until 1912, when she again returned to Forest City to operate at the North Fork Mine. She was allegedly scrapped sometime around WWII.

Between 1867 and 1900, there were hundreds of steam locomotives like this operating underground mining service across North America, in 1889 alone Pennsylvania had over 200 in use in coal mines. By the 1890s, many mines began using compressed air to power underground drills and other equipment, soon many of these steam locomotives were supplanted by compressed air locomotives as well. Still, some of these locomotives held on in operation until the 1930s.

The real prototype of this locomotive was 20" gauge, but to make it compatible with the static mine track system offered by Grandt Line, it has been regauged to 18". This kit prints in 5 pieces and must be assembled and is a static, none-operational model. Great Basin Car Shops offers a set of lettering and striping decals for a small locomotive that would pair well with this model https://3dptrain.com/products/locomotive-striping-for-toma-porter-0-4-0-hon3-hon30.