23 is an SC-4 class 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type steam locomotive originally built by the ALCO's Pittsburgh Works in 1910 for the Lake Superior and Ishpeming (LS&I) Railroad in Upper Michigan.

23 was sold to the Empire State Railway Museum in Phoenicia, New York, where it was put on static display.

In 2002, ESRM announced that they would restore the locomotive to operating condition, and they began the rebuilding process at the Catskill Mountain Railroad's Kingston yard site.

[3][5][6] The C-5's were also built with saturated keyhole fireboxes that were placed in between their rear sets of driving wheels, resulting in their poor abilities to produce steam.

[3] In 1924, the LS&I was reincorporated after merging with the Munising, Marquette and Southeastern Railway (MM&SE), and the former retainted the latter's fleet of three C-5's, expanding the class total to eight.

18–24) were sent to the LS&I's Presque Isle locomotive shops to be extensively rebuilt and modified to improve their performance.

[5][8] Following its rebuild, the locomotive was primarily reassigned to switch hopper cars at iron ore mines and to pull logging trains on branch lines.

[2][13][14] Public accountant John A. Zerbal owned the M&HM, and he sought to make revenue off of operating shortline logging and tourist trains between Marquette and Big Bay, primarily using former LS&I equipment.

[2][14] The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) approved the sale of the LS&I's Lake Independence Branch to the M&HM on July 2, 1963, and No.

[13][14] The three SC-4's initially pulled freight trains to refurbish the right-of-way before regular passenger operations commenced in the summer of 1964.

[14][15][16] The M&HM's goal was to operate all their locomotives and to eventually construct a major complex of resort attractions in Big Bay that would consist of various outdoor activities.

[13] Many of the M&HM's workforces, including chief mechanical officer Art Anderson, tried to save the railroad, but the property was too remote and not profitable enough.

23 to their location in Phoenicia, New York, where it received a partial cosmetic restoration and was put on static display near the Catskill Mountain Railroad's (CMR) depot.

23 was consequently moved next to the CMR's depot for temporary storage while the ESRM constructed a two-stall car barn to continue the restoration process indoors.

The number plate, headlight, and whistle were cosmetically restored and put on display inside the museum in May 2020, but progress had decreased since the coronavirus pandemic of that year.