CUMBERLAND, Md. — The Trains Magazine led fund-raising effort to contribute $100,000 toward the restoration of the last Baldwin steam locomotive made for domestic use — Chesapeake & Ohio 2-6-6-2 No. 1309 — is off to a good start.
With the appeal to readers still in its first month, more than $41,000 — including one donation of $25,000 — has been raised in the last 30 days, railroad officials report. That is enough to enable the railroad to purchase machined brasses that were lost to theft and became a major setback to the project at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad.
“We know that our readers care about railroad history, we know they want to make a difference, and they are doing it with this drive,” says Editor Jim Wrinn. “They understand that the railroad has been through a difficult time for survival and is now ready to move forward to enhance its offerings with this brutish locomotive that we affectionately refer to in the office as the Beast of the East.”
“We are — I am — humbled by the positive response of 1309 supporters for the full restoration of No. 1309,” says Western Maryland Scenic Executive Director John Garner. “Our team sincerely appreciates each dollar received for the project. Not only are donations arriving daily, in various generous amounts, but the words of encouragement — the letters sharing past experiences with the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway, the stories of seeing steam engines for the first time as children — these are subjects to which pushes our team’s dedication to complete the restoration.”
The locomotive is more than 85 percent complete mechanically, and the railroad says that $390,000 is left to raise to put the engine into steam and to provide for support services for the locomotive. An initial $100,000 was already on hand, so the effort is at approximately 36% of goal.
As a reminder, here’s what the project looks like in the final stretch with information from our www.TrainsMag.Com blog post earlier this month and front the printed March edition: Out of $2.8 million spent on the engine so far, $390,000 is 13.9% of the total budget.
The remainder of the work is as follows:
• $239,000 for labor, machine work, rewheeling, final upfit, testing, and break in.
• $70,000 for a coal loader and ash removal system required by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection at the shop in Ridgeley, W.Va.
• $43,000 for treated water storage.
• $10,000 for a covered coal storage area.
• $10,000 for a crane to set the locomotive onto its drivers.
• $21,000 for contingency.
• $70,000 for a coal loader and ash removal system required by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection at the shop in Ridgeley, W.Va.
• $43,000 for treated water storage.
• $10,000 for a covered coal storage area.
• $10,000 for a crane to set the locomotive onto its drivers.
• $21,000 for contingency.
Once funding is secured, the project can be completed in less than six months, including a break-in period, contractor Gary Bensman says.
We’re asking individuals, organizations, and corporations to donate to help raise $100,000 toward the effort. Trains has financially contributed to this project with its $10,000 Preservation Award in 2015, and Trains readers have kicked in another $50,000 in donations themselves. In early 2019, the John Emery Trust contributed $40,000 to the work.
Built in 1949, No. 1309 operated until 1956, and its return to service at Western Maryland Scenic is seen as a breakthrough for the tourist railroad that carries forward the soul of the original Western Maryland Railway across 17 miles of mountain railroad, including world famous Helmstetter’s Curve.
No. 1309 was steam tested twice in fall 2018. It was acquired from the B&O Railroad Museum in 2014, but funding issues and an employee’s theft of expensive machined parts set back the project. The railroad has since increased security.
In operation, No. 1309 will be the only articulated in regular operation in the Eastern U.S., and the world’s largest operating compound Mallet — that is, a locomotive that uses its steam twice to drive two sets of cylinders [Union Pacific Big Boy 4014 is a simple articulated]. The engine will operate on a regular basis and also will be available for photo freights chartered by Trains magazine. Trains also plans to cover the restoration in print and with an exclusive DVD.
To help, send your donation marked for 1309 to Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, 13 Canal Street, Cumberland, MD 21502, or you can donate online at the Western Maryland Scenic website.
Curtis, I understand that the wheel brasses were recovered, but they had been ruined in the process of removing them from the locomotive. I saw a similar situation in Yakima, WA, but the recovered trolley wire in 2-1/2 foot lengths was valuable only as scrap.
As far as information to the prosecution of the former WMSR employee for selling the 1309 parts for scrap, I figure that the lawyers for both sides have directed that as few details be made public as possible, as much as many would like to know.
Emory, what about, hotel, mottel, restaurant, and other revenues? Indirect revenue is better than no revenue at all… However, I have to agree that Cumberland probably sees most of the dollars…
And one must wonder why the scrapper did not recognize something was amiss with the brass.
Maybe Jay Eaton will get that cab ride he was promised after all!
I’ve also been searching for any information on the prosecution of the individual who stole those bushings/parts ever since the theft first was reported. I’ve been following the story all along. They arrested the thief and determined he scraped the parts for cash. I’ve been attempting to learn if he was prosecuted & what was the outcome of his trial. Is any restitution going to be made or is he gotten away with the thievery? And even more questions arose. Wasn’t 1309 and the garage insured against fire, theft and damage? Hard to believe WMSR facilities & equipment wasn’t insured. Why wasn’t a claim filed? Why haven’t we been told what happened to the thief? Why haven’t we been kept informed about the status of 1309 even before the theft & after? The only time we heard anything from WMSR is when something came up that wasn’t expected or foreseen and they need more money to cover it. And they wonder why contributions dwindled.
That’s as much a mystery as what happened to Amalia Earhart. I tried “googling” a dozen ways and can only find articles about his being arrested and charged and one listed a trial date, but NOTHING about whether he was convicted and if so what the sentence was.
Problem is, John, that most of the revenue from the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad goes to the state of Maryland, as this is where the entire operation of the train takes place. I would suspect that West Virginia sees little of the proceeds from the excursions.
Did they ever catch whoever made off with those machined brasses? Was the thief brought to justice?
The cost of the “Coal Loader and Ash Removal” required by the WV “Department of Environmental Protection” should be brought to the attention of the WV Governor and WV Department of Labor, explaining how many lost dollars in tax revenues this is costing WV. Taxation is the opiate of government…