New Hope Railroad 40 is a 10-34-E class 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type steam locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Lancaster and Chester Railroad in Lancaster, South Carolina.

[1][3] Upon arriving on L&C's property, it was placed into service hauling freight trains between the railroad's customers and the Southern Railway interchange in Catawba, South Carolina on December 5, 1925.

[1][4] Being one of the railroad's largest engines, it was put on the main train from Lancaster to Catawba.

40 was involved in a fatal accident caused by one of the locomotive's driving wheel tires slipping off during heavy braking, that resulted in the death of the fireman.

[2][1] During its entire tenure on the Cliffside, the relatively diminutive 80-ton 2-8-0 was the largest locomotive the railroad owned, earning it the nickname, "The Big Engine.

"[5] However, the locomotive was not used much as it was often overpowered for the small switching jobs and sharp track, compared to the smaller 2-6-2 also owned by the railroad.

40 being refurbished by the Cliffside, it was retired from revenue service on July 20, 1962 and sold to Steam Trains Inc., located in New Hope, Pennsylvania.

40 was the first piece of equipment purchased by the Steam Trains Inc. group, in hoping to find a branch line to run it on.

40 was then moved to the Reading Company shops in St. Clair, Pennsylvania with the rest of Steam Trains Inc.'s equipment.

40 was operational at the time, it remained mostly a static display and was sidelined as a backup engine due to No.

[4] This issue was later discovered to be an improper repair by the L&C of the third driver, by 1974, the problem would eventually be resolved when the New Hope & Ivyland's new owners, the McHugh Brothers, began rebuilding No.

[1] One of its offline runs took place in 1985 when it ventured down to the Fairless Works of U.S. Steel in nearby Morrisville, Pennsylvania as part of a weekend-long open house for plant employees and their families.

40 was taken out of service once again for repairs, with various diesel engines taking its place hauling passenger excursion trains, however, when the railroad's leadership changed that same year, No.

40 was backdated to its Lancaster and Chester Railroad apperence for several Lerro Productions mixed freight photo charter's.

40 powered four excursions over the SEPTA Lansdale/Doylestown Line in Montgomery County between North Wales and Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania as part of North Wales Borough's Sesquicentennial celebrations.

As of 2023, the locomotive is operational, pulling excursion trains on the New Hope Railroad.