Charlie
A few extra details. Wyoming Pacific Improvement Co. was the company behind the Nebraska & Western which built the Covington (South Sioux City) to O’Neill line (plus two other related companies which were supposed to build to Salt Lake City didn’t actually build any track) The actual contractor for the completed section was E P Reynolds & Co.
Macon Construction Co. was a developer of railroads in Georgia, etc. in 1889-1894 (and maybe earlier) including the Macon & Birmingham and the Macon & Atlantic roads. Just to muddy the waters, one of the projected roads was the Macon & North-eastern to connect Covington (Georgia, not Nebraska) ) to Macon. Looking at the management and boards of Wyoming Pacific Improvement and Macon Construction doesn’t show any connection between the companies.
There is a note in Railway Review for 8 November 1890 stating that the Rhode Island Locomotive Works was “building a compound locomotive for the Macon Construction Co. This engine is of the eight-wheeled typo, and is intended for fast passenger service.”
Rupert Gamlen
Auckland NZ
According to the Connelly and Rhode Island Lists the ex-GN K-9 Rhode Island 4-6-0s_were as follows:
CB&Q 943 GN 994 2264 Macon Construction Company 131 18x24 62” Dec 1889 ret 10/12 to Wyoming Pacific Improvement Co. 10 Pacific Short Line
CB&Q 944 GN 995 2265 Macon Construction Company 132 18x24 62” Dec 1889 ret 10/13 to Wyoming Pacific Improvement Co. 11 Pacific Short Line
CB&Q 945 GN 996 2328 Wyoming Pacific Improvement Co. 12 18x24 55” Apr 1890 ret 11/13
CB&Q 946 GN 997 2440 Wyoming Pacific Improvement Co. 15 18x24 54” Aug 1890 disposition unknown
I wish Joe were still with us to weigh in on this discussion….he may have provided more up-to-date information to Connelly. The Rhode Island lists do not indicate the engines going to the GN or the CB&Q, but all seem to be contractors locomotives and if anyone has more detailed info on the building of the O’Neil branch it may help clarify if the info is likely to be correct.
Charlie Vlk