Minnesota Steel Company No. 7

This little saddle-tank engine was built by Porter Locomotive Works for the United States Steel-Duluth Works in 1915. Designed specifically for working in restricted clearances around the open hearth, the 7-spot spent its entire working life in the US Steel plant in Morgan Park, about 6 miles south of the Museum. It served as a plant switch engine, moving cars of ore, coal, and coke around the plant. As a plant switcher, it was designed to be operated by one man. The fuel (coal) was carried in a small bunker in the cab, and the water in the saddle tank over the boiler. Quite heavy for only four wheels (36 tons), it was designed that way purposely to allow it to move in tight quarters and sharp curves, and yet be able to move a significant load.

H.K. Porter specialized in building small locomotives for various industrial uses. They offered a very wide variety of sizes and gauges that were used in mines, sugar plantations, road construction, and industrial plants such as US Steel. No. 7 was donated to the Museum in 1973 by United States Steel.