Firebox Welding Completed on Reading 2100

The American Steam Railroad Preservation Association said it has completed welding work within the firebox grate area of former Reading T1 4-8-4 No. 2100.

The work included welding of 548 new side sheet flexible and rigid staybolts, the welding of the inner sheets to the mud ring, and the installation of two new arch tubes.

Next will be making repairs to 85 sleeves in the firebox combustion chamber and purchasing 170 new caps and copper gaskets, to complete this phase of the restoration. Vendors have quoted a price of $9,060 for these parts.

The work is being performed at a former Baltimore & Ohio roundhouse in Cleveland that is now the home of the Midwest Railway Preservation Society.

ASR Sells Car to Raise Money for Steam Restoration

To help raise money for the restoration of a Reading steam locomotive, American Steam Railroad has sold former Frisco business car No. 1100 to Allied Rail Corporation of Ludlow, Kentucky.

ASR is restoring in a former Baltimore & Ohio roundhouse in Cleveland Reading 4-8-4 No. 2100.

The Frisco business car was built around the dawn of the 20^th century and was once named Arkansas.

It served the Frisco, formerly known as the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway, until the late 1950s.

The car had been donated to ASR several years ago and the group said restoring it is not part of its current business plan.

RBM&N Helps with Reading 2100 Restoration

The Reading, Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad has donated a new fire door casting to the group restoring Reading 4-8-4 No. 2100.

Members of the American Steam Railroad, which is restoring the T-1 at a former Baltimore & Ohio roundhouse in Cleveland, journeyed recently to Port Clinton, Pennsylvania, to accept the donation.

The RBM&N is itself restoring another former Reading T-1, No. 2102.

Reading & Northern, which owns the RBM&N, had the new fire door cast by a foundry located near Port Clinton.

“The Reading, Blue Mountain & Northern believes in supporting groups like these, to continue to educate the public about railroads,” Mike Fisher, general manager for RBM&N passenger operations, said in a statement.

The statement noted that RBM&N has provided assistance to other groups including the owners of Central of New Jersey 0-6-0 No. 113, the Colebrookdale Railroad in Boyerstown, Pennsylvania; the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, which owns Nickel Plate Road No. 765 in 2015; and National Railway Historical Society chapters in eastern Pennsylvania.

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.

McCormack to Speak in Bellevue on May 16

Another steam impresario is coming to Ohio to help raise money for the restoration of Reading Company steam locomotive No. 2100.

Doyle McCormack will speak on May 16 at the Mad River & NKP Museum in Bellevue as part of the “Legends of Steam” speaker series sponsored by the American Steam Railroad Preservation Association.

The ASRPA is restoring the Reading locomotive at a former Baltimore & Ohio roundhouse in Cleveland that is owned by the Midwest Railway Preservation Society.

McCormack is best known for his work with Southern Pacific 4-8-4 No. 4449 but will also speak about his experiences with the Nickel Plate Road.

He also was involved with the American Freedom Train, which toured the country in 1975-1976.

During his talk McCormack his expected to tell some of his stories about steam locomotives and his work to preserve vintage diesels.

Tickets to the event are $99 per person. More information can be found at FireUp2100.org.

The ticket price includes admission to the museum, caboose rides and a catered dinner.

Participants will be able to inside the cab of Nickel Plate Road locomotive 757, which the museum has acquired and plans to restore.

Rowland to Speak at Reading 2100 Fundraiser

Ross Rowland has been confirmed as the keynote speaker at a fund-raising event to raise money to help pay for the restoration of Reading 4-8-4 T1 No. 2100.

The event will be held on Sept. 21 at the former Baltimore & Ohio roundhouse in Cleveland that is now operated by the Midwest Railway Preservation Society.

Rowland will present a video and photo presentation about his experiences in restoring and operating steam locomotives, including the Golden Spike Centennial Limited in 1969, the American Freedom Train from 1975-76, and the Chessie System Steam Special in 1977 and 1978.

Among the locomotives that he helped operate were Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 No. 759, Reading 4-8-4 No. 2101 and Chesapeake & Ohio 4-8-4 No. 614.

The restoration of Reading 2100 is being undertaken at the B&O roundhouse by American Steam Railroad.

A catered dinner from Ohio City BBQ. Tickets are $99 per person and can be purchased on the internet at fireup2100.org

Fundraiser to Benefit Reading 2100 Restoration

Reading 2100 sits inside the former Baltimore & Ohio roundhouse in Cleveland on May 10, 2019, as it undergoes restoration to operating condition.

Steam impresario Ross Rowland will headline a fundraising dinner on Sept. 21 in Cleveland to raise money for the restoration of Reading Company T-1 No. 2100.

Rowland will give a presentation at the event about his career in railroad preservation ranging from his work on the American Freedom Train, the Chessie Steam Specials and his involvement in an earlier restoration of the 2100.

The event, which begins at 4:30 p.m., will be held at the former Baltimore & Ohio roundhouse that is now the home of the Midwest Railway Preservation Society.

Aside from a dinner catered by Ohio City BBQ, attendees will be invited to view the MRPS’s collection of equipment and take a short ride on a Pullman car that stared in the movie The Natural. The 2100 will also be on display.

Tickets are $99 per person and seating is limited. Members of the American Steam Railroad, Midwest Railway Preservation Society, and Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society will be offered a discounted ticket price of $89.

For ticket information contact brian.smith@americansteamrailroad.org for the discount link.

All proceeds from the event will help with the restoration of Reading 2100, which is being undertaken by American Steam Railroad.

Restoration of Reading 2100 Continues

Restoring a steam locomotive to operating condition is a long journey filled with many expected and unexpected challenges.

Just ask those involved with restoring Chesapeake & Ohio 2-6-6-2 No. 1309.

The financial and mechanical woes afflicting that locomotive have played out in a very public way as the time needed to get the engine out on the road has lengthened by months if not years.

The restoration of Reading Company T-1 No. 2100 has received far less publicity and it is difficult to gauge its progress.

American Steam Railroad, which is conducting the restoration at a former Baltimore & Ohio roundhouse in Cleveland, last updated the project’s progress on its website in February.

Without detailing that here, suffice it say that much has been done, but there remains much more to do.

I recently had a chance to see the 2100 sitting in the roundhouse that is owned by the Midwest Railway Preservation Society.

A casual glance at the engine wasn’t enough to give a sense of how much has been done and how much is left to do, but here is what it looks like these days.

Steam Locomotive Restoration Group Reaches Pact with MRPS For Use of its Roundhouse

A group seeking to restore a Reading T1 steam locomotive has apparently patched up things with the Midwest Railway Preservation Society.

Trains magazine reported last week that MRPS has reached a tentative agreement on a lease with the American Steam Railroad Preservation Association for that group to remain at MRPS facility in Cleveland.

ASR had moved 4-8-4 No. 2100 to the former Baltimore & Ohio roundhouse two years ago with the goal of restoring it to operating condition.

Known as a term sheet, the agreement  calls for the lease to last three years and establishes a set of agreements and conditions both sides agreed to meet before signing binding documents. The two parties will have four months to complete any pre-agreement work necessary.

Last spring the MRPS went to court to seek to evict ASR from the roundhouse.

According to Trains, the new agreement allows ASR to use one roundhouse stall and some tracks outside the building.

“Midwest sincerely hopes that we are entering a new and fruitful period for both organizations,” said MRPS President Donald Zeyer says. “Additionally, Midwest also wishes to advise the public that we had nothing to do with any allegations, comments, or arguments that were made on social media. Again, we hope that we are entering a new era of co-operation. We wish ASR nothing but the best in their efforts to return No. 2100 to steam.”

ASR President Steve Harvey said his group is pleased with the roundhouse, noting that it has good access to Class I railroads, short lines, and scenic railroad operators.

Trains quoted a ASR officer as saying that the group plans to focus on rebuilding No. 2100’s firebox and running gear in the coming months and to have locomotive under steam in the next year or two.

Excursions to Raise Money for Restoration

The American Steam Railroad Preservation Association has announced plans to operate two special passenger excursions to raise money for the restoration of Reading T-1 4-8-4 No. 2100.

Both trips will feature private cars attached to scheduled Amtrak trains. The excursions are being coordinated by Luxury Rail Travel of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

One trip will operate July 27-30 on the Adirondack between New York and Montreal.

The second trip will operate in November on the Pennsylvanian between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

The private cars expected to be used include a 1952 Budd observation-lounge, Alexander Hamilton, a former Pennsylvania Railroad car; and Passaic River, a 1948 Budd-built buffet-once owned by the Santa Fe. Both cars are now owned by the Morristown & Erie Railroad.