anyone here know anything about the 2719? the old SOO Line 4-6-2 steamer currently stored in altoona. i see it every day when i go to the yard. but it hasnt run for a long time and i really want to see it in action. anyone know anytning about it?
Well, where do I start? How about the beginnig?
The 2719 was donated to Eau Claire by the Soo in the 50’s or 60’s. It sat in the park until the late 80’s (?) when the engine was taken out of the park, brought to the Altoona Roundhouse, and began restoration. It was restored side by side with the 1003, which now runs off and on with freight specials on the WSOR. It is stored in the Hartford, WI auto museum, with a Wooden Soo Line caboose, #268, and a newly restored Milwaukee Road Rib-Sider.
The 2719 ran excursions on the WC up until the late 90’s. Then, the 2719 and it’s fleet of Algoma Central (ex-CP) cars, and the ex-SOO “D.A.R.E” caboose headed up to the Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad in the summers for I think 2 or 3 years, and went back to Altoona in the winter. I had the great privilage of working on the WGNRR (see username) for those summers. We cleared brush on the line from Springbrook to Hayward, JCT, so that when the 2719 went back to Altoona in the fall, no trees would hit it. Ah, I can still remember those years. I was 9 or 10 at the time. When we would hear the 2719 chugging it’s way up to Springbrook, we would load our equipment up on the speeder (motorcar) and head on back down to Springbrook to take photos. I got a few cab rides out of those summers, all in the 2719.
All good things come to an end, as did the 2719 at the WGN. There were disputes with the group, and the 2719 left. Wouldn’t have mattered anyways, as the CN takeover of the WC happened. The CN wouldn’t allow steam engines run on the line with their drive rods on, and they wouldn’t allow them to run under their own power to and from Spooner.
The 2719 sat in the Altoona roundhouse for a couple more years, until UP put a vacancy notice out to the 2719 group, as the roundhouse was going to be torn down.
The roundhouse was torn down, and the fate of the 2719 seamed near.
As I heard, the group that owns the SP&S 700 was interiested in the engine, and wanted it out in
it was removed from carson park in the 90s. i see it every day when i go to altoona. i have also ridden on those passenger cars but i dont know why UP uses their geeps to pull these specials. the 2719 looks better doing it!
I would kill to see the 2719 pull those specials in Adams in the fall. UP could actually make a bit of money by charging money to get on the D.A.R.E. specials!
Well, I don’t count on seeing it run again, however it would be nice to see her run. However, I might be wrong. At least they could put it on display right now, like the 1003.
Phil
You can also check their website–
We wanted it up here on the NSSR and LSRM, but noooooo…they wouldnt let us… And do you know Kale Mcconel (nssr9169)? He is a good friend of Greg Vreeland and works down there alot and I also work with him.