Ladysmith in Rusk County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Old Smoky

Ladysmith, Wis.

Photographed by K. Linzmeier, September 17, 2011

1. Old Smoky Marker

Inscription. Steam locomotive 1011 was donated to the City of Ladysmith by the Soo Line Railroad in 1961. The 2-8-2 "Mikado" locomotive was built in May 1920 by the American Locomotive Co. at its Brooks plant in Dunkirk, N.Y. It was the first of 23 Class L-2 and L-20 engines built for the Soo Line. The locomotive and tender are 82.5 feet long and weigh 493,100 pounds. Tender 4003 held 10,000 gallons of water and 17.5 tons of coal. It was hand-fired until a stoker was installed in 1939. It has 63-inch driving wheels and operated under 170 psi of steam pressure. It has its original wooden cab. Used in mainline freight service, it made its last run on Jan. 18, 1955 after traveling 1,496,191 miles. It was named Old Smokey by the school children, who raised money to defray the cost of installation.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1920.

Location. 45° 27.921′ N, 91° 6.367′ W. Marker is in Ladysmith, Wisconsin, in Rusk County. It is on Lake Avenue West (U.S. 8) near West 5th Street North, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker

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is at or near this postal address: 415 Lake Avenue West, Ladysmith WI 54848, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Northern Wisconsin. It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Great North Woods,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 3 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Sweet 'Soo' (approx. 0.3 miles away); Rusk County World War I Memorial (approx. 0.4 miles away); Apollonia (approx. 9.6 miles away).

Also see . . .
1. Ladysmith lore: Railroads. "[Steam locomotive 1011] was the first of 23 Class L-2 Mikados of that design used in heavy freight service on all divisions of the Soo Line. The railroad reportedly was the first in this country to accept the Mikados, so named because they were first built for Japan." (Submitted on October 16, 2011.)

2. Soo Line 1011. 1971 photo. (Submitted on October 16, 2011.)

Old Smoky and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by K. Linzmeier, September 17, 2011

2. Old Smoky and Marker

Photographed by K. Linzmeier, September 17, 2011

3. Old Smoky

Photographed by K. Linzmeier, September 17, 2011

4. Old Smoky

Credits. This page was last revised on November 23, 2020. It was originally submitted on October 16, 2011, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 1,721 times since then and 109 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 16, 2011, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.