CONNERSVILLE, Ind. — Indiana tourist railroad Whitewater Valley Railroad has begun soliciting donations for the mechanical and cosmetic restoration of former ARMCO Steel Lima Diesel switcher No. 709.
Whitewater Valley has a Facebook page dedicated to No. 709. Donations can be sent or dropped off at the railroad. Officials also ask that donors specify that a donation is for the 709 Fund so that the donations can be properly directed for the project.
The locomotive has been on the Whitewater property since 1989 with sister locomotives, and the 709 was operational for one season on the railroad before being withdrawn from service due to leaking radiators. Sadly, at one point while stored on the property, the unit also had all the copper wiring to the trucks ripped out by vandals.
A person close to the project estimates that it will take between $4,000 and $5,000 for body work, lettering, and painting the locomotive.
While Lima is most famous for their steam locomotives, they did make a brief foray into the diesel market, mostly end-cab switcher models.
Sadly, the Lima diesels did not prove popular, with only 174 units built. Only four Lima diesel units survive, three of them at Whitewater, and one at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Ill. Of those four surviving units, No. 709 is the only 1,000-hp model left. Whitewater Valley also rosters the only known operational Lima diesel, former Cincinnati Union Terminal No. 25.
Lima was unusual in that their diesels were not classed as a model type, but rather by specification numbers. Railfans later coined model designations for easier identification. Whitewater Valley No. 25 was a Lima spec type A-3149, which was later dubbed by railfans as an LS-750 for its 750-hp Hamilton engine. No. 709 is a Lima spec type A-3080, later dubbed an LS-1000. No. 709 also was ordered with dual control stands, which it still has.
Built in March 1950, No. 709 has spent its entire career in the Ohio Valley, working both ARMCO’s Hamilton and Middletown, Ohio, plants until the mid-1980s, when, as ARMCO E-137, it and another Lima, LS-1200 E-123 (built as Baltimore & Ohio No. 320) were retired by the ARMCO Middletown plant. There they sat for at least two years. A Whitewater Valley volunteer and former ARMCO employee, Jerry Feicht, was instrumental in convincing the management at ARMCO to donate both units to the tourist railroad.
Official Whitewater Railroad Post
https://www.facebook.com/WVRRinfo/posts/2546000928755572
I think Riverport Railroad at the old Savanna Army Depot has some Lima diesels inherited from the Army.
Hello David,
Thank you for writing this about our restoration efforts at the WVRR. I noticed a few things in your story.
First off, the Facebook page mentioned above is not an official page of the Whitewater Valley Railroad and is actually a fan page with no input from the railroad. They are doing a great job of documenting the work and the railroad appreciates the page accepting donations on behalf of the WVRR project. Look for the official WVRR page to be making an official post in the upcoming week detailing a bit more information about the loco including its history.
Second thing is that the numbers quoted are a bit low for the entire project as the painting is estimated to be closer $8,000 besides the mechanical repairs and parts that are in the process of being acquired.
Thank You again for the really nice article.
William W. Gray
Whitewater Valley Railroad Publicity Officer
The Whitewater Valley Railroad is a 501c3 non profit operating railroad museum dedicated to the preservation of a historic branch line railroad, to the restoration of railroad equipment, and to the conduct of educational railroad programs. Operated and maintained by trained volunteers.
Just made a donation. Do they have a breakdown of the restoration process and the anticipated timeframe?
This is indeed a very worthy cause. Someone on Facebook posed the question to me as to why doesn’t the WVRR restore a steam locomotive. To that I say this: there are already several steam locomotives operational or under restoration in the U.S. But how many Lima Diesels? As I mention in the article, there are only 4 Lima Diesels known to exist, making them, by definition, technically more rare than a steam locomotive. The WVRR already has the only known operational Lima Diesel on the planet. If they can get the 709 restored and operational, they would have the only 2 operational Lima Diesels known to exist. Considering the fact that they have 3 of the 4 remaining Lima Diesels in their collection, that’s a pretty incredible feat, and a very worthy cause.
Jason,
If you go on the WVRR Facebook page for the 709 (search ARMCO 709) they have more information on there. They hope to have the mechanical and paint work done by the end of 2019,
On a note of trivia, Number 709 was built two months before N&W J-Class Number 611. And, she is 14 months my senior. [Oops! I gave away my age.]
This Historical Diesel absolutley should be restored
Having ridden the Whitewater myself and enjoyed a great lunch at their stop, I will contribute to this.
If anyone happens to stop in Connersville, ride down the “Canal Route” to Metamora and grab a spam panini at the Smelly Gourmet. You won’t regret it.
The corn meal for the bread is ground just 200ft away in the grist mill.
Also make sure you waive to all the kids swimming in the Whitewater River under the bridge at Laurel.