BROOKVILLE — In March 1975, the steam locomotive, Little River Railroad No. 110 was pulled out of the siding track in Brookville.

Its final destination was Angola, Indiana There it was joined with the waiting coaches and caboose and was to be known as the Little River Railroad Steam Passenger Service. It was then made ready for excursion rides late summer of 1975.

The steam locomotive was purchased by Terry Bloom from the Smoky Mountain Railroad, located west of Knoxville, Tenn., where it had worked in a logging company.

The locomotive arrived in Brookville by rail flatcar in May 1972. The engine was placed on a siding at Harley Holp and Sons where it underwent a Cinderella-like transformation over the next few years.

The restoration process involved a great deal of time on the part of the Little River Railroad, Inc. members as they took off the rust, overhauled the complete air brake system, re-flued the boiler, installed a new cab, replaced parts that were missing, replaced the tender floor and bearings on the axles and replaced and repaired all the smaller items that were necessary to restore it to its original state.

Chet Bloom, (who owned Boose Chevrolet in Brookville) was one of the Little River Railroad members. He stated that one of the greatest helps in making the project possible was the help of Harley Holp and Sons for the loan of the space and equipment that was needed.

The 110 is still running. The operation moved from Angola, Ind. to Coldwater, Mich. and is still in operation. The website is: www.littleriverrailroad.com.

All information and the photo for this Look at Brookville article were supplied by the Brookville Historical Society. Do you have a photo or historical information to share or add? Please contact the Brookville Historical Society at 937-833-0285 or email to [email protected].