Gary Bensman in a video interview with Western Maryland Scenic Executive Director John Garner said his crew is focused on piping on the boiler and plans to install the rear engine in March, the front engine in April, and have the engine testing in May.
The boiler was test fired last September but reassembly work was slowed while suppliers reproduced parts that went missing in a theft of items belonging to the engine.
The $2.6 million project was delayed multiple times as the cost of the project grew from an early $800,000 estimate and funding lagged behind. Work resumed last spring, but was hampered after it was discovered that a former railroad employee had stolen and scrapped critical parts.
On Tuesday, the John Emery Rail Heritage Trust awarded the project $40,000.
If this timetable holds, No. 1309 will hit the rails about the same time Union Pacific sends newly restored Big Boy No. 4014 on its inaugural voyage in May.
When restoration is complete, No. 1309 will be the only operating compound-mallet type locomotive east of the Mississippi River. A 1309 Club has been created to find 200 donors interested raising money to finish the engine. To help, see, wmsr.com/support-co-1309-restoration/
Any updates? Had planned to ride the 1309 this August, but they substituted a diesel instead. Doesn’t seem like it’s ready yet.
Hip,hip hooray!Thats other thing in Cheyenne finally has some competition.And about time to
Potomac Chapter, NRHS, who helped fund “Next Stop: Silver Spring” , members match ends May 31, 2019.
trailer on youtube
This time I am trusting that the remaining scope of the work, including break-in runs, WILL be finished by the time our Great Nation’s 243rd Birthday rolls around on July 4th. I have already asked for that weekend off from work. Hopefully this will be 1309’s REAL “debut”. As May and June continue to draw closer, and dates truly become “set in stone”, it will probably be very difficult to get tickets for those inaugural runs on Friday the 5th, Saturday the 6th, and Sunday the 7th, respectively. I imagine those scheduled trains will begin to completely sell out at lightning speed… Sure glad I thought ahead proactively and already secured spots for me and my family aboard 1309’s October 26th, 9:00 a.m. excursion. GOOD LUCK FOLKS! 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂