CHARLESTON, W.Va. — An H.K. Porter 0-4-0T will be restored for operation at the Kentucky Steam Heritage Corp. in Ravenna, Ky., after being on display for many years at the Kenova Historical Museum Commission in Kenova, W.Va. And in Virginia, the Shenandoah Valley Railroad has just finished repainting an EMD GP9 into a Baltimore & Ohio-inspired paint scheme.
0-4-0T on the move
Contractors were on site in the far western West Virginia community of Kenova on Thursday, June 27, to extract the 0-4-0T from its longtime home in Kenova.
“KSHC is hosting the locomotive and is in the process of getting an agreement with the owners to make [the locomotive] a permanent fixture of our attraction at the yard,” says Kentucky Steam Heritage Corp. President Chris Campbell.
“Kentucky Steam is excited to be able to again partner with a private individual and help showcase their equipment. An in-process agreement will allow the engine to be restored and operate on our grounds, giving us a much-needed nimble steam locomotive to be part of our growing attraction of regionally relevant rail equipment.”
According to the Facebook page of the Baltimore Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, the 0-4-0T is Vulcan Iron Works builders No. 2886 and was built between December 1918 and January 1919 as W.E. Callihan Construction No. 1 in Columbus, Ohio, before moving to Williamsport, Md., as Potomac Edison Co. No. 1. The locomotive remained in operation through the early 1960s before transitioning to a number of private owners and ultimately landing for display in Kenova.
B&O heritage scheme for short line
In Virginia, short line railroad Shenandoah Valley has repainted original B&O EMD GP9 No. 6512 into the Baltimore & Ohio’s deep blue and yellow, now featuring a single yellow pinstripe high on the hood. The 62-year-old Geep was acquired by the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad in 2015 and shortly thereafter restored to its original scheme [see “B&O GP9 restored to its original colors,” Trains News Wire, Oct. 1, 2015]. The Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad, which also operates the Shenandoah Valley, purchased the geep from Kanawha River Terminal’s coal transloading facility in Ceredo, W.Va., where it wore the company’s green and orange colors. The switching railroad acquired the locomotive directly from the Class I railroad.
No. 6512 will continue to be used in freight service between Staunton and Pleasant Valley in north central Virginia. The short line, which interchanges with CSX and Norfolk Southern, also operates Alco RS-11 No. 367 wearing a Norfolk & Western-inspired livery and EMD GP9 No. 5940, displaying Chesapeake & Ohio-inspired paint.
