most amazing machine in the world. One fine fall day in 1981, my first season as a student fireman, I met an old boom- er named J.R. Phillips. He had driven up to our railroad from the south and explained that for a short time during World War II he worked for the Mis- sissippi Central. He told stories about how he remembered No. 98 pulling work trains and even helping freight trains during the early part of the war. I took several pages of notes, and held on to them for three decades. Meeting Phillips sparked a lifelong interest in No. 98’s history.
Fast forward to 2015. I’m in the final
stages of researching every little detail about No. 98, perhaps digging as deeply as anyone has ever dug to learn about one specific locomotive. With the en- couragement of my best friend Raymond Harrington, I’m now writing a book about my favorite engine.
Scratching Beneath the Surface Fortunately, the McCain Archives at
the University of Southern Mississippi holds a large number of company files from the Mississippi Central. I placed an ad on Craigslist and hired a student to
scour those files, photograph hundreds of documents, and email them to me. I also discovered that the archives of the Hattiesburg American newspaper had been digitized and were online at news-
paperarchives.com. I gleaned every bit of data I could and
input it into a giant spreadsheet. I gath- ered the names of No. 98’s crewmen from a variety of company documents and then researched the background of each man. From the archived newspapers I learned about their marriages, when they went to war, had children, became officers in the local Masonic lodge, and when they
OPPOSITE: Wilmington & Western 4-4-0 No. 98 heads northwest out of Greenbank, Del., pulling the railroad’s attractive passenger train consist, for a trip to Mount Cuba along Red Clay Creek. CHRISTIAN BENTLEY PHOTO TOP LEFT: On December 7, 1996, the author restored No. 98 to its Mississippi Central appearance for a night photo charter, including a new numberboard, centered headlight, and two bells. THOMAS GEARS PHOTO TOP RIGHT: The trim American works towards Mount Cuba on January 27, 2008. STEVE BARRY PHOTO ABOVE: Fireman Charles Butler works in the cab of No. 98 in September 1940 at Brookhaven, Miss. C. WILLIAM WITBECK PHOTO, DAVID S. PRICE COLLECTION
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