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Bonhomie & Hattiesburg Southern No. 300
The Bonhomie & Hattiesburg Southern #300 is a steam locomotive currently located at the Hattiesburg Hattiesburg Intermodal Center.
History[edit]
The train was purchased by W. S. F. Tatum in 1925. It spent the next few decades working in the Bonhomie & Hattiesburg Southern Railroad hauling freight between Hattiesburg and Beaumont until the engine was retired in either 1960 or 1961.
Legal battle[edit]
| This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses. |
Valley Railroad Company and the City of Hattiesburg are currently (as of late 2022) in a legal battle over who owns the train. The City of Hattiesburg says that because the train has sat on public land for more than twenty years, and that area businesses have contributed money to restore the train, the train belongs to Hattiesburg. The Valley Railroad Company says they legally purchased the engine from its owner, the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad, who acquired the train from Fred Kepner upon his death, who acquired the train in 1968.[1]