Ft.WRHS Fires Up SD9 it is Restoring

The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society announced that it reached a milestone last weekend when it fired up for the first time a historic former Nickel Plate Road diesel that it is working to restore to operating condition.

SD9 No. 358 was donated to the society by Norfolk Southern in 2010. It was built in 1957 by EMD. It was initially used to haul coal on the NKP’s Wheeling & Erie District.

NS last operated the locomotive in the late 2000s. Last weekend’s firing up of the 358 was the first time that had happened since the unit was retired.

FtWRHS members have been working to restore the locomotive since at least 2017. At the time, the group said it would restore the 358 cosmetically and eventually to operating condition.

“What follows will be several weeks of testing, adjustments, and then prep work for paint to return it to its original 1957 appearance,” the Society wrote on its Facebook page.

Donations are still being sought to complete the project. They can be made at https://fortwaynerailroad.org/donate/

Museum to Add New Cab to Switcher

An Indiana railroad museum plans to restore a badly damaged SW1 switch engine that lost its cab after a truck carrying it struck a low bridge in 2018.

The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum has found a replacement cab that will be mounted on former Monon DS-50.

The locomotive’s original cab was destroyed after striking the bridge in Logansport, Indiana, in December 2018.

The DS-50 was recently moved to the museum in North Judson after sitting in Logansport for more than two years.

“We’ve been working on saving this locomotive for almost a year now,” museum president Todd Flanigan said in a statement.

 “There’s no way for me to fully express my gratitude to everyone involved in making this project a reality.”

The locomotive is not owned by the museum but its owner has agreed to the rebuild project.

The museum also plans to restore a former Monon transfer caboose, No. 81551, which was built in the railroad’s Lafayette, Indiana, shops in 1946.

CN Grant to Help Restore SRI Coaches

The Steam Railroading Institute will use a donation from Canadian National to repair three passenger cars.

The Owosso-based organization said the CN grant of $2,000 will be applied toward repair the brake valves on former CN coaches Nos. 5447 and 5646, so they can be used in excursion service.

Some of the grant will be used for window refurbishment and seal replacement on former Pennsylvania Railroad coach No. 147.

 “This will allow the continuation of repairs to three of our coaches and will be a significant and important job for our volunteers to better learn the inner workings of our passenger car fleet,” said Aaron Farmer, the institute’s mechanical manager, in a statement.

Wabash Wood Caboose Restored

A wood former Wabash caboose has been rebuilt by the Indiana-based Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society.

The century-old car is one of just two wooden Wabash cabooses in existence.

Restoration work on caboose No. 2534 began in 2018 and involved more than dozen regular volunteers working over three years.

The volunteer corps devoted more than 5,000 hours and replaced more than 90 percent of the structure with more than 1,000 pieces of new wood.

The caboose had been displayed between 1957 and 1984 in Swinney Park in Fort Wayne.

It was then moved to the Society’s shop in New Haven in deteriorated condition.

Donor Gives $1,000 toward Reading 2100 Restoration

The American Steam Railroad Preservation Association said it has received a $1,000 donation toward restoration of Reading T-1 4-8-4 No. 2100.

In a news release, ASRPA said Louis Schillinger, president and CEO of United Shortline Insurance Services, donated money to be used to help complete the forging and machining of 560 staybolts for the locomotive’s firebox.

Schillinger has been providing support for restoration of No. 2100 since 2007.

He worked with ASR over the past five years by assisting and transferring interest in Reading 2100 to the group, along with providing ASR’s insurance needs, the group said in a news release.

Work that remains to be done includes before the boiler can undergo a hydrostatic test includes welding the staybolts in place along with forming and replacing the two arch tubes in the firebox.

ASRPA said it plans to begin raising funds for that work soon.

The restoration work is being done at a former Baltimore & Ohio roundhouse in Cleveland owned by the Midwest Railway Preservation Society.

Wheel Work Progress Reported on C&O 1309

The Western Maryland Scenic Railroad is eyeing a finish of wheel work in the restoration of former Chesapeake & Ohio 2-6-6-2 No. 1309.

It has purchased 12 driving boxes for the locomotive and had on hand 11 journal driver boxes in place on the axles.

It was missing the final driver boxes but was able to purchase it due to an influx of donations that were in part prompted by a fundraising effort led by Trains magazine.

“We have paid other expenses on the locomotive from previous work performed totaling $20,000,” said WMSR Executive Director John Garner. “Balancing the account, we have $18,500 to advance the locomotive restoration to the next phase.”

The project now needs $28,000 to do more wheel work, which includes $16,500 for labor services and $11,500 for two cranes to lift the locomotive.

Garner said if donations continue to come in the 1309 wheel work could be completed by June.

Restoration of Cass Steam Locomotive Nearly Done

Shop workers on West Virginia’s Cass Scenic Railroad are in the final weeks of completing a restoration project to Middle Fork Climax No. 9.

The restoration, which has been underway for more than a decade, is down to the final jacketing and reassembly, Trains magazine reported.

The magazine said in a report posted to its website that exterior plumbing and jacketing is largely complete and new air tanks are expected to be installed this month.

A motion test must be completed to ensure that all items were properly installed before the reassembly of the drive shaft is completed.

Workers expect to complete the restoration project in mid August and the locomotive is expected to operate during the Rail Heritage Weekend on Sept. 6 to 8.

The event will feature runbys, freight train consists and nighttime photography opportunities.

Overseeing the restoration project are the Mountain State Railroad & Logging Historical Association and the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park.

AOS Acquires ex-W&LE Steam Locomotive

A former Wheeling & Lake Erie steam locomotive has been shipped by truck to the Age of Steam Roundhouse, which plans to cosmetically restore it

The 0-6-0 was owned by the City of Canton where it sat on static display for 33 years.

In 1991 No. 3960 was moved in anticipation that it would be restored to operating condition by Silver Throttle Engine and Museum.

That didn’t happen and in recent years it has been stored in a disassembled state in Minerva.

During the time that No. 3960 was stored in Canton many of its appliances and parts were stolen.

AOS has some parts that have been stored in boxcars for more than 10 years and it plans to give the 0-6-0 a new cab and replace rusted, lost, and stolen parts.

The 21^st steam locomotive to be acquired by AOS was built by the Wheeling in 1935 at its Brewster shops.

It was part of a class of 20 0-8-0s and 30 0-6-0s locomotives built to a USRA design.

The locomotives 51-inch driving wheels with No. 3960 capable of producing 41,200 pounds of tractive effort and a boiler pressure of 200 pounds.

After the Nickel Plate Road leased the W&LE in late 1949, No. 3960 became NKP 360.

It operated in revenue service for the final time on Oct. 31, 1957. After being cosmetically by the Wheeling, it was put on display in Canton’s Mother Goose Land Park. It was re-lettered to W&LE 3960 in 1973.

Painesville Depot Marks 125th Anniversary

The former New York Central passenger station in Painesville will mark its 125^th anniversary with an open house an Aug. 4.

The station at 474 Railroad Street, was built by the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern and opened on Feb. 1, 1893.

It is now the home of the Painesville Railroad Museum.

The depot served NYC and later Penn Central passenger trains until the coming of Amtrak on May 1, 1971.

Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited passes the station twice a day but does not stop there for passengers.

For a time the depot also served Greyhound buses. But that ended in June 1988 and the station became derelict.

The station was eventually purchased by Ed Dunlap who planned to convert it to a restaurant. But that didn’t happen and the Western Reserve Railroad Association was formed in 1997 and became owner of the depot.

The City of Painesville made Railroad Street and the Depot a Historic District in 2015.

In the past two to three years, restoration work at the depot has included adding two ADA-compliant restrooms, renovating the walls and ceiling and adding period appropriate chandeliers.

Also being renovated was the express room, which received a new coat of paint, new trim and refinished wood floors. The express room can be used as a meeting room.

In the works is development of a 6,000-square-foot Lionel Experience and Event Center.

The open house will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and feature complimentary birthday cake and ice cream.

Hamburgers and hot dogs with soft drinks will be available for a small donation. There will also be live music, face painting, a balloon artist, games, a Chinese Auction and a 50/50 raffle.

Admission is free, but donations will be accepted.

Kentucky Group Wins NRHS Grant

A Kentucky museum is one of eight recipients of a 2018 heritage grant from the National Railway Historical Society.

The Allen County Historical Society and Museum in Scottsville, Kentucky, received a $1,500 grant to be used to help fund the exterior restoration of a former Louisville & Nashville Railroad 70-ton diesel switch engine.

The locomotive, which will be placed on static display next to the under restoration Scottsville passenger station, was the last unit serving Scottsville and the Scottsville branch.

NRHS awarded a total of $21,000 in grants to not-for-profit organizations, including historical societies, museums, and a railway historical society chapter.