Reading 2100 Passes FRA Test

A former Reading steam locomotive that is being restored to operating condition in Cleveland recently passed a hydrostatic test administered by the Federal Railroad Administration.

The American Steam Railroad Preservation Association said T-1 4-8-4 No. 2100 received a rating of satisfactory with no exceptions taken.

The locomotive is being restored in a former Baltimore & Ohio roundhouse that is operated by the Midwest Railway Preservation Society on Cleveland’s West Side.

ASRPA said the restoration of the 2100 has thus taken nine years and cost $1.3 million in funding and volunteer labor value.

Passing the test means ASRPA can continue with the design and construction of a new oil firing system, and a test firing commencing as soon as funding is raised for the work to be performed and the parts purchased, the group said in a news release.

As part of the restoration the 2100 will be repainted into an American Freedom Train paint scheme and given roster number 250 for the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary.

Reading 2102 Undergoing Hydrostatic Tests

Forner Reading Company No. 2100 recently received its first hydrostatic test.

Owner American Steam Railroad Preservation Association said the T-1 4-8-4 locomotive late last year also received 291 new 2-inch gauge 10 (.135) boiler tubes.

A report on the website of Trains magazine said ultrasound readings showed the 5-3/8-inch flues were above minimum thickness specifications, and the flue layout allows enough room for Federal Railroad Administration inspectors to inspect the internal boiler shell surface,.

During the hydrostatic pressure test the, boiler was filled with 8,500 gallons of water with the new tubes in place.

The 2100 is being restored to operating condition at a former Baltimore & Ohio roundhouse in Cleveland.

Reading 2100 to Wear AFT Livery

A Reading Company 4-8-4 being restored to operating condition in Cleveland will wear American Freedom Train colors and get a new roster number.

The American Steam Railroad Preservation Association said this week that No. 2100 also will have roster number 250 in commemoration of the 250^th birthday of the United States in 2026.

ASRA officials said they hope to have Reading 2100 operational by late 2024 and to conduct test runs in early 2025.

The restoration of the T-1 class locomotive is being conducted at a former Baltimore & Ohio roundhouse in Cleveland that also is home to the Midwest Railway Preservation Society.

Restoration work on the 2100 has been underway since 2015.

The freedom train livery will be similar to the one worn by Reading 2101 in 1975-1976 when it pulled the American Freedom Train.

Some components of the 2100 were used in the restoration of the 2102.

The 2102 is currently at the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore and that institution has said it plans to restore the steamer to its AFT 1 appearance.

Wickersham to be Feted at Cleveland Banquet

A banquet being held on Saturday in Cleveland will honor steam preservationist Steve Wickersham.

The event is being hosted by the American Steam Railroad Preservation Association, which is restoring in a former Baltimore & Ohio roundhouse in Cleveland former Reading 4-8-4 No. 2100.

The banquet is in part a fundraising event for that restoration and is billed as the Legends of Steam.

Wickersham worked on the American Freedom Train restoration and operation along with previous Legend of Steam honorees Ross Rowland and Doyle McCormack.

Wickersham played a role with the Chessie Steam Specials and with Chesapeake & Ohio 614 on the Chessie Safety Express and tests related to the ACE3000 project.

During the banquet he will talk about these and other steam operation experiences.

Tickets for the banquet can be purchased at americansteamrailroad.org/product/legends-of-steam-steve-wickersham-banquet/.

ASRPA said it needs $170,000 more to reach its $700,000 fundraising goal.

A new lid for the steam dome is on order, which will be followed by hydrostatic testing that the group hopes to complete by Thanksgiving.

Steamer to be Converted to Burn Oil

A steam locomotive being restored in Cleveland to operating condition will burn oil rather than coal.

American Steam Railroad Preservation Association, which is restoring Reading 4-8-4 No. 2100, said it decided to use oil due to economic and operating challenges.

A report on the website of Railfan & Railroad magazine noted that the locomotive had been converted to burn oil when it was in Canada.

However, it is slated to receive a new oil-burning system that will use recycled vegetable oil.

ASRPA indicated in its announcement that obtaining good quality coal has become a challenge for steam locomotive operators. There also are issues of transporting the coal, storing it, loading it, and disposing of coal ash.

The 2100 was designed to burn Anthracite coal and ASRPA said it will properly store its coal components.

Modifications of the locomotive will not change its external appearance.

ASRPA has retained a consultant, FMW Solutions, to assist with the installation of the oil burning system.

The group said it has taken delivery of 291 new boiler tubes needed to complete the restoration of the boiler.

In a related development, ASRPA said it is selling tickets to a fundraising event to be held in Cleveland on Oct. 28.

Headlining the Legends of Steam event will be Steve Wickersham who worked with Ross Rowlandon the American Freedom Train and Chessie Steam Specials in the 1970s. 

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.