Steam & Excursion > Oddball steam builder plate?

Here's an old, odd builder's plate I have in my collection of RR stuff. It's about belt buckle size, 4-1/2" X 3" or so, bronze, and curved to fit a 7 or 8" pipe. It's old, and says "M.J.D. Benoit, builder". I've tried to search the names on it several ways, and can't find out anything about it. Anybody here ever heard of the "Scenic R. R. Eng. Works" of Rhode Island?

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The Bible on American locomotive builders, "A Short History of American Locomotive Builders in the Steam Era", by John H. White, curator of some sort for the Smithsonian, is of no help.

The curvature of the plate indicates

a) A vertical boiler, and

b) a boiler of small diameter.

Other than that, I know nothing.

BTW, what makes you think it's old? Maybe it really is a belt buckle.

Yet, perhaps it really IS something very unique....

It's definately old, red brass or bronze. It's about the size of a buckle, but curved too much. The back is just sand texture bronze. It has a mounting hole on each side, and was probably screwed or riveted to a pipe or boiler. No, it's definately not a buckle, but could be flattened a little and made into one I guess.

I just looked through my copy of North American Steam Locomotive builders and their Insignia by Harold Davies there is nothing on this company Though the shape of your plate is very similar to the Rhode Island Locomotive Company plates of 1900 and earlier Possibly they were contracted by Rhode Island to build locomotive components for them ? Could it be from a non railroad industrial use such as a stationary steam boiler? PS if you are a collector of steam locomotive builders plates I can not recommend a more thorough book on this subject

What if it is a plate from a miniature locomotive, for a 7-1/2" or 12" gauge line in a park, for example? Maybe "Scenic R.R. Equipment" was a company like Crown Metal Products here in southwestern Pennsylvania used to be; they offered steam locomotives in several gauges, from 12" to 3 ft. IIRC. I well remember that the beautiful miniature of a D. L. & W. "Pocono" 4-8-4, on the Centerville & Souhwestern RR (at the Becker Dairy Farm in East Orange, NJ), now in the Henry Ford Museum, has builder's plate that looks at first glance like an ALCO plate, but actually says "H. B. Ayers, builder"; I recall reading that Ayers was a retired V.P. of the D. L. & W., and friend of the Becker family, who supervised construction of the miniature Pocono.

Just a thought...

Airbrakegeezer has a good point Around the early 1900s there were a number of companies building amusement park live steam locomotives Perhaps this would be where to begin your search There used to be a publication called Live Steam not sure if they are still in business

Is this builders plate for Sale?

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I know the fellow who owns this little steamer, I think he would be interested in acquiring this builders plate if you would be interested in moving it on.

Hadn't considered selling it before, but I do still have it.

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The Locomotive doesn't look like this anymore, a previous owner changed it over to a 4-4-0 configuration, and widened the frame to make it into a 2' gauge locomotive, also changing it from coal to a propane heating source. I can contact the owner and see if he would be interested in purchasing the builders plate if you are willing to move it out of your collection.