Re: More Bodie & Benton Builders Plate

The Bodie & Benton Ry has long fascinated me. It's isolation, rustic equipment and on and off operation for 30 years is what Western Railroad Lore is made of.
I loved following this thread as it has added much to my knowledge of the B & B Ry & L Co.
At the end of operations the locmotives were all scrapped at Mono Mills along with the mill equipment. Apparently one of the scrappers decided to save some of the brass objects and buried a chache of brass oilers, rod brass and 2 of the builders plates off the locomotives. In 1980 a treasure hunter with his metal detector found the cache including the 2 builders plates. One of the plates off one of the Prescot Locomotive Works 0-6-0s is owned by a friend of mine back east.
I was lucky enough to purchase the 1882 Porter plate recently off the 0-4-2T engine named "Bodie". Here is a shot of the plate that is now 125 years old. Also included is a shot of the engine at Mono Mills with the plate showing on the smokebox.

Martin