National Museum of Transportation near Kirkwood in St. Louis County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
City of St. Louis Water Division #1
1924
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 22, 2019
1. City of St. Louis Water Division #1 Marker
Inscription.
City of St. Louis Water Division #1. . The Whitcomb Locomotive Company of Rochelle, Illinois built this 15 ton, model SRD industrial switching locomotive. It was a gasoline-mechanical engine, but it was later given an 87 HP, 3-cylinder, GM diesel engine. It has a clutch and manual transmission that has four speeds in both directions. This drives the rear axle via a double chain drive, with the front one powered by the side rods ("B" classification). Mechanically driven locomotives never got much bigger than this one, capable of slowly moving a few cars in an industrial plant. The clutch and transmission could not handle the weights or speeds of long trains, even as a railroad yard switch engine. The diesel-electric locomotive, with electrical transmission of its power, was developed for these jobs. This engine is 19' long and has 30" drive wheels. The "dome" on top of the engine hood is the sandbox. All locomotives carry sand to the drop on the railheads when needed for extra traction. This locomotive was used as the St. Louis city's Howard Bend Water Plant. Purchased in 1973.
The Whitcomb Locomotive Company of Rochelle, Illinois built this 15 ton, model SRD industrial switching locomotive. It was a gasoline-mechanical engine, but it was later given an 87 HP, 3-cylinder, GM diesel engine. It has a clutch and manual transmission that has four speeds in both directions. This drives the rear axle via a double chain drive, with the front one powered by the side rods ("B" classification). Mechanically driven locomotives never got much bigger than this one, capable of slowly moving a few cars in an industrial plant. The clutch and transmission could not handle the weights or speeds of long trains, even as a railroad yard switch engine. The diesel-electric locomotive, with electrical transmission of its power, was developed for these jobs. This engine is 19' long and has 30" drive wheels. The "dome" on top of the engine hood is the sandbox. All locomotives carry sand to the drop on the railheads when needed for extra traction. This locomotive was used as the St. Louis city's Howard Bend Water Plant. Purchased in 1973.
Erected 2013 by National Museum of Transportation.
Location. 38° 34.26′ N, 90° 27.8′ W. Marker is near Kirkwood, Missouri, in St. Louis County. It is in National Museum of Transportation. It can be reached from Barrett Station Road east of Old Dougherty Ferry Road, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3015 Barrett Station Road, Saint Louis MO 63122, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater St. Louis. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, in the Corn Belt, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Antebellum South.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 7, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 28, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 255 times since then and 33 times this year. Last updated on July 1, 2026, by Garrett Koch of Saint Louis, Missouri. Photos:1, 2. submitted on April 28, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
