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Railroad to unload C&O 2-6-6-2 No. 1309 Thursday afternoon
Just as exciting as the Big Boy move!
Is the ownership of 1309 being transferred to the WMSR or is it just on a long term loan/lease from the B&O Museum?
Should mention the emergency stop It made after hitting a crossing signal that was hit by a truck and was laying on the track. Great video of it on Youtube
I watched most of the unloading (missed the unloading of the front articulated part of the locomotive), and learned a heck of a lot today watching it. In the down time, I Googled “Hulcher” and their web site gave a lot of wonderful information on how they came about to be a prime contractor for clearing up railroad wrecks and mishaps. Go to www.hulcher.com to learn more. To reiterate what Jim Wrinn said in an earlier post about the 1309, the reason 1309 was hauled on flatcars to Cumberland was that the locomotive and tender run on friction bearings, and CSX will not allow any equipment to run on its rails that does not have roller bearings. This prompts two questions: 1) Does the Western Maryland Scenic RR plan on replacing the friction bearings on the 1309 with roller bearings, and 2) does the present WMSR locomotive, #734, also run on friction bearings? The answer to the second question I believe would provide the answer as to why CSX didn’t allow the 734 to travel the 14 miles from Cumberland to the Potomac Eagle Scenic RR a couple of years ago for the West Virginia RR Festival.
I attended the unloading of 1309, and was glad I made the trip. Two opportunities were presented, (1) to see a large steam loco arrival and beginning its first phase to operation, (2) to watch Hulcher execute a heavy lift with real professionalism. It was worth the trip just to watch the Hulcher team arrive and prepare four side-boom tractors for the lift job, and then execute the lift flawlessly. They are what I would call a real professional team!
the big question one must ask is: Did UP start a huge trend with the big boy? I kind of want to say yes because I was born to late for any big steamer.
Hopefully one day 2 years and a month later, 734 will celebrate its 100th birthday and 1309 would have a chance for a special steam powered mixed freight and passenger doubleheader action.
The restoration of this locomotive is just as, or more, exciting as the Big Boy project.
@Ross Stone: yeah, I saw the vid and didn’t understand why the CSX train didn’t stop. They had to know about it. A repair crew was already on site.