No. 97 was built by the American Locomotive Company's former Cooke Locomotive Works in November 1923 as No. 200.[4][3][5][1][6][2][1] It was one of two locomotives that were intended to be exported to Cuba for use on the National Railway Company of Cuba.[7] No. 200 however, never made it to Cuba as the order was cancelled, it was kept in storage at the Cooke Works factory until it's closure in 1926.[1] Instead, it was subsequently sold to the Birmingham and Southeastern Railroad in February 1926 and was moved to the company's shortline in Alabama on March 5, 1926.[1][3][4] The locomotive pulled multiple passenger and freight trains on Birmingham and Southeastern trackage until it was retired from revenue service in 1958 and put into storage.[1][4]
VTR and NH excursion service
In 1963, No. 200 was purchased by New York publisher Stephen D. Bogen and moved it to the Vermont Railway, it was restored and placed into service and renumbered to No. 97 to avoid conflict with the railroad’s diesel locomotive No. 200.[4][3][7] No. 97 pulled mainline excursion trains on portions of the New Haven Railroad until it merged with the Penn Central Railroad in 1968.[4][3][7]
VALE excursion service
In 1970, No. 97 was moved to Essex, Connecticut to haul tourists trains for the Valley Railroad and was placed into service in the spring of 1973.[1] Shortly afterward, No. 97 would replace 2-6-2 locomotive No. 103 as the Valley Railroad’s train consist expanded.[3] In the late 1970s, No. 97's original small tender was replaced with a larger tender that was previously used from a Central Vermont Consolidation steam locomotive No. 404. No. 97's original tender currently sits out of service in Essex.[2]
In December 2010, No. 97 was removed from service to undergo its 1,472-day inspection and overhaul as required by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), it was soon back in service on October 26, 2018.[1]
