Western Maryland locomotive to be refurbished, receive new protective structure

HAGERSTOWN, Md. — The last surviving conventional Western Maryland Railway steam locomotive, Class K2 Pacific No. 202, will be repositioned in Hagerstown City Park, receive a new protective structure, and be refurbished, the Hagerstown Herald-Mail reports.

Hagerstown has hired Frederick, Md., firm Proffitt & Associates Architects to oversee the project. Senior Project Architect Kevin Kneer told the newspaper the work will proceed in two parts.  First, the 103-foot-long, 402,300-pound locomotive and tender will be moved to a more visible display area. It will then be covered by a new Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant shelter that will cover and display the locomotive more effectively than the current structure, with a concrete wheelchair ramp built to allow better access.

Second, the locomotive will be restored, with replacement of the boiler jacket and missing parts, and removal of current paint and repainting, including historically accurate lettering. Altogether, the work is expected to cost about $790,000, with the U.S. and Maryland departments of transportation anteing up 80% and the City of Hagerstown 20%.  Work is expected to begin spring 2024, and be completed by winter.

Western Maryland No. 202 was one of nine identical Class K2 4-6-2 locomotives built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in July and August of 1912 to power fast passenger trains all over the Western Maryland system.  By 1938, all nine were upgraded to Walschaerts valve gear to replace the original Baker assemblies and, in 1947, four (Nos. 201, 202, 204, and 206) were converted to burn oil instead of coal, to comply with Baltimore city air-quality requirements.  Eventually, Nos. 204 and 205 were relegated to coal-hopper ice-melting duties at the railroad’s Port Covington ship-loading facility, and 205 continued until 1955 or 1956. The others were retired by 1954; only No. 202 ultimately escaped the scrapper’s torch. It was donated by the railroad to the City of Hagerstown in 1953, and has been displayed in the park for 70 years. No. 202 was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 7, 1984.

One other former Western Maryland steam locomotive still exists: the second-largest Shay geared locomotive ever built, No. 6, which works for Cass Scenic Railroad, in Cass, W.Va.

For more information about the Western Maryland Railway, visit the Western Maryland Railway Historical Society Website at http://westernmarylandrhs.com/.