According to records, Despatch Shops No. 5 was purchased from Vulcan Iron Works in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., in 1924, for exclusive use at MDT’s Despatch Shops in East Rochester, N.Y. The 0-4-0 saddle tank switch engine, serial no. 3343, was shipped to DSI on March 31, 1924. There, it was immediately put to work on a construction project to expand the storage yards around the shops, hauling side-dump cars full of dirt and debris. We assume it spent the rest of its career as a shop switcher working around the East Rochester campus in various roles.
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It was sold to Rochester Iron & Metal in 1955. When the scrap yard closed down its operations, it sold the engine to John Virgilio of Henrietta in 1965. He maintained the locomotive at his private museum until the early 2000s. He passed away in 2021, and the museum agreed to acquire the locomotive to preserve it for future generations to enjoy. Your donation will help pay for reassembly of the locomotive as a static display, as well as fresh paint and lettering.
Donate to Despatch No. 5
The Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum is a 501c3 non-profit educational organization. All donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.