Cartersville in Bartow County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

ca. 1930 Whitcomb 15-ton Model 15DM4 Locomotive

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, March 16, 2025

1. ca. 1930 Whitcomb 15-ton Model 15DM4 Locomotive Marker

Inscription. This small locomotive is known as a "dinky." It has three speeds forward and three speeds backward, and it could either pull or push open cars called gondolas. The dinky was used to transport barite ore from the mine at New Riverside Ochre to the rail yard in downtown Cartersville. After delivery, the ore was shipped to oil fields in Texas and Oklahoma, where it was used to make drilling muds that helped prevent blowouts.

(caption) Ad for various Whitcomb Locomotives ca. 1936. The engine at top left would be similar to the one on exhibit.

Engine Type: Straight-6 Hercules Diesel-electric
Displacement: 249 cubic inches
Cylinders: 6
Output: 70 HP
Top Speed: 20 mph
Manufacturer: Whitcomb Locomotive Works
Rochelle, Illinois

Donated by New Riverside Ochre Company
Cartersville, Georgia

Erected by Tellus Science Museum.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars.

Location. 34° 14.495′ N, 84° 46.181′ W. Marker is in Cartersville, Georgia, in Bartow County. It is on Tellus Drive north

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of Williams Drive, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 100 Tellus Dr, White GA 30184, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Mountains. It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: ca. 1925 P&H Dragline Model 206 (a few steps from this marker); ca. 1960 Euclid Dump Truck (a few steps from this marker); ca. 1997 HD785-3 Komatsu Dump Truck (within shouting distance of this marker); Harris II - Meter Satellite Earth Station Antenna (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Rowland Springs (approx. 2 miles away); Felton Home (approx. 3 miles away); Confederate Memorial Cassville Cemetery

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, March 16, 2025

2. ca. 1930 Whitcomb 15-ton Model 15DM4 Locomotive Marker

(approx. 4.3 miles away); Grave of Gen. William Tatum Wofford (approx. 4.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cartersville.

Also see . . . Tellus Science Museum. (Submitted on April 5, 2025.)

The front of the ca. 1930 Whitcomb 15-ton Model 15DM4 Locomotive image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, March 16, 2025

3. The front of the ca. 1930 Whitcomb 15-ton Model 15DM4 Locomotive

The left side of the ca. 1930 Whitcomb 15-ton Model 15DM4 Locomotive image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, March 16, 2025

4. The left side of the ca. 1930 Whitcomb 15-ton Model 15DM4 Locomotive

The rear of the ca. 1930 Whitcomb 15-ton Model 15DM4 Locomotive image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, March 16, 2025

5. The rear of the ca. 1930 Whitcomb 15-ton Model 15DM4 Locomotive

Credits. This page was last revised on April 5, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 4, 2025, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 226 times since then and 49 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on April 4, 2025, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.