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Steam Locomotive to be Completed After Fundraiser

June 8th, 2020 by WCBC Radio

With almost $120,000 raised in donations as a result of the fundraising efforts of Trains Magazine to complete the restoration of the last Baldwin steam locomotive built, Western Maryland Scenic Railroad Executive Director John Garner said MONDAY that the boiler of Engine 1309 will be set on the two sets of running gear on June 10, WEATHER AND CONDITIONS PERMITTING…

Trains Magazine, whose readers have supported the unprecedented fund-raising drive, will live stream the work on its Facebook page. Contract workers in the former Western Maryland Railway carshop in Ridgeley, are preparing the boiler and running gear to be reunited. The step is the last major one to complete the 1949 locomotive built for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad and set to take up the mantle of articulateds on the famous Western Maryland main line, which includes iconic Helmstetter’s Curve.

7 Responses to “Steam Locomotive to be Completed After Fundraiser”

  1. June 08, 2020 at 10:19 am, Kevin said:

    How many millions to build a turntable that will turn the oversize locomotive around. Sure hope the reverse mechanism was fixed.

    Reply

  2. June 08, 2020 at 10:57 am, mac said:

    The WMSR already owns a steam locomotive that was taken out of service due to needed upgrades and inspection.
    BUT
    Rather than complete that work WMSR bought a gigantic locomotive needing a complete rebuild and inspection.
    NOW
    After many years and literally hundreds of thousands of dollars WMSR is almost ready to put the gigantic locomotive in service. Did I mention that it’s gigantic? That’s important because one of the best parts of the trip was to see the old steam locomotive driven onto the turntable and spun around for the return trip. The new GIGANTIC locomotive is much too large to use the turntable and will make the return trip by reversing down into Cumberland.
    NOW
    What will happen to the old steam locomotive that still needs repair work? Will WMSR continue to beg for hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations? Will they unload it and sell it for monies that could have been used to repair the gigantic locomotive? If WMSR decides to sell the old locomotive that money will go right into their pockets as all of the repairs for the gigantic locomotive are now paid for with contributions from others.
    WMSR has become so dependent on other peoples money that they will always continue to beg, borrow, and steal what they say they need to function.

    Reply

    • June 08, 2020 at 11:08 am, Bob said:

      > Typical Cumberland; spending millions of OPM to get things back to not as good as they had been before.

      Reply

  3. June 08, 2020 at 12:52 pm, Albert Raley said:

    I was on the ‘inside’ of the WMSR. I’ve told the Board of Directors and the County Commissioners 5 years ago about mis-management and it being a ‘money pit’. I even put ‘Letters to the Editor’ about it. I was even told by Superintendent Garner face to face that the WMSR has never met FRA requirements since it’s inception in 1987. It’s not a matter of ‘if’, it’s a matter of ‘when’ the WMSR will be out of business UNLESS others keep pumping money into it.

    Reply

  4. June 10, 2020 at 1:57 am, Ann said:

    Don’t most tourist RRs survive in part on public donations?

    Reply

  5. June 10, 2020 at 1:59 am, Ann said:

    Don’t most tourist RRs survive on public donations, grants and fund raising, the rest coming from the fare-box?

    Reply

    • June 14, 2020 at 5:19 am, Mark said:

      > I don’t know, but this local one is a WELFARE case that we don’t need.

      Reply

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