How old do you think this little gem is? 1890? 1880? Well, you are wrong! This little unassuming 4-4-0 was made in 1864! That is 149 years old and amazing. Yet another cool fact: it was built for the Western Pacific. No, not the the 1909 WP that went through the Feather River Canyon, but the 1862 railroad that connected San Jose and Sacramento. This first WP purchased ten locomotives that they lettered "A" to "J." This engine was built by E. S. Norris in Lancaster, PA and was lettered "G." To get around the awkward "G" it was nicknamed "Mariposa" which is Spanish for "butterfly". In 1867 the first WP ran out of money and was absorbed by the Central Pacific. The Mariposa then turned CP No. 31 in 1869 and worked the line for forty five years. In 1914 it went to the new (1910) Stockton, Terminal & Eastern which ran east from Stockton and hauled farm products. It was a hand-to-mouth existence for the ST&E but remarkably it is still in business. No. 1 weighs 33 tons, is 53' 3" long, has drivers that are 63", and the cylinders are 16" x 22." It ran up to 1953 when it was donated by railroad.
