Coronel Church

"An engine lost in the South American jungle was found after 30 years. A tree had grown through its chimney and hornets nested in its firebox. When mended it gave good service for 30 more years."

- Foward, Duke the Lost Engine

Coronel Church was a Baldwin metre-gauge "American" 4-4-0 No. 12 Coronel Church from 1878 belonging to the Estrada de Ferro Madeira Mamore (EFMM), a Brazilian railway.

The locomotive was abandoned for 30 years and discovered consumed by the rain forest, after which it was repaired and steamed again, running for another 30 years. The locomotive is currently the EFMM Railway Museum in Porto Velho, Rondonia, Brazil.

According to the Wilbert Awdry, the locomotive's rediscovery was the inspiration for Duke, and was mentioned in the foreword of the twenty-fifth book of The Railway Series, Duke the Lost Engine.

Railway Series

 * Duke the Lost Engine (mentioned in the forward)