Number 105, a small 0-6-0 switch engine, was constructed by Baldwin in January 1917 as No.51, one of an order of four built for John Marsh Inc. Railroad Contractors. Records indicate that by December 1923 No.51 had been sold to Birmingham Rail and Locomotive, a dealer who bought and sold used rail equipment. On February 23, 1929, BR&L invoiced Sturm & Dillard at Lower Elk, Kentucky, for the purchase of No.51. S&D renumbered the engine as No.105, and it went to work in S&D’s company-owned gravel pits located in Circleville, Ohio. Sturm and Dillard specialized in railroad construction work. Among other famous projects, the company had the huge task of constructing much of the Norfolk & Western Railway’s Big Sandy main line.

Around 1969, Art Davis purchased No.105 from Sturm & Dillard for $1,500. In 1971, Art loaded his locomotive into a gondola and had it moved to the former PRR roundhouse in Erie, Pa. In 1983, the engine was moved again, this time to Art’s industrial property in Orrville, Ohio. At some point, Art swapped-out No.105’s original slope-back tender with the chunky-appearing tender now trailing this 0-6-0, but neither he nor anyone else seemed to recall where this replacement came from or where the original tender went.

Art occasionally fired up his little engine for his friends to enjoy, among them Jerry Jacobson and members of his crew. After Art’s passing, an estate sale paved the way for Jerry to acquire this beloved engine. The No.105 arrived at Age of Steam in July of 2015, and today it is proudly displayed in the Roundhouse. Art Davis would be happy to know that his little engine continues to be looked after.