MARIETTA, Ga. – The little locomotive sitting in a fenced in area under a canopy is dwarfed by the locomotives that pass by no more than 50 feet away.
Locomotive No. 81421 was built in 1916 by Marietta’s own Glover Machine works. The 2-6-0 narrow gauge steam engine operated as Coulbourn Brothers No. 4 starting the following year. In 1921, the locomotive returned to Glover Machine Works.
Glover Machine Works dates to the early 1890s and was an important steam locomotive builder, although it was less known than many of the other, larger builders. The company built 200 locomotives between May 6, 1902, and April 19, 1930, according to the Southern Locomotive of Civil War and Locomotive History.
In addition to Glover Machine Works, railroads have played an important role in Marietta’s history. It was here on April 12, 1862, that James Andrews and 19 raiders boarded a Western & Atlantic train bound for Chattanooga. The plan was to burn bridges, tear up track and cut telegraph lines between Marietta and Chattanooga to disrupt one of the Confederate’s most important rail lines.
