10 questions for Mike Gresham of the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad

Among the big steam restoration projects in the United States with tremendous worldwide interest is Western Maryland Scenic Railroad’s rebuild of Chesapeake & Ohio 2-6-6-2 No. 1309. The 1949 Baldwin was the last commercially built steam locomotive for domestic use. It was moved from its long-term home at the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum to the Western Maryland Scenic shop in Cumberland last summer. Work has already begun on this eastern articulated. The locomotive will take over from 1916 2-8-0 No. 734, which has been the mainstay of the railroad for years, when its 15-year inspection comes due at the end of 2015. On Wednesday, I sat down with Western Maryland Scenic General Superintendent Mike Gresham to ask him 10 questions about the project and the Cumberland-Md.-based tourist railroad. Here’s a paraphrased version of what he told us, and thanks to our Trains Facebook page followers for offering their questions.

1. What’s the status of No. 1309 today and what is going to be going on with it in the next 4 to 6 weeks?
A: The engine is in really good shape. Everything we’ve gotten into so far looks good. The engine was well maintained. The lubricators were well maintained. The boiler wash came out with little scale. The tires are dished a little bit and will need to be turned. It obviously was not a hanger queen. We’re just now getting into the boiler. The tubes are still in. In next four to six weeks, we should be able to get the money to order long lead time items such as boiler tubes and start working on appliances.  We’ll be taking a look at the valve gear. Right now, much of the crew is working to maintain No. 734. We do about 30 percent of our business in October so our guys are busy with the engine and equipment that’s running now. By early November, we should be back to 1309.

2. Who is doing the work and how often are they working on it?
A: We have one guy working full-time, and we’re looking for three more to work on the project full-time.  However, all of our shop personnel can and do work on 1309, depending on the need for a particular skill set on any given day. 

3. This must be a huge financial undertaking. How is this project funded and do you have a cost figure in mind?
A: It’s fair to say that we’re still tearing into the engine so that we know what we’ve got and we can refine the costs. I don’t have an exact number, but it’s safe to say that any large steam locomotive project is a seven-figure investment. To meet this need, we’ve requested assistance from various sources such as grants and donations as well as private capital.

4. When will you know if you will meet the spring 2016 goal for operations?
A: When we’re about six months out (November, 2016), we should be able to say with some certainty if we will meet that goal. We’re not promising the engine will be done in spring 2016, but that’s our aim unless we run into something we haven’t anticipated. We don’t have a choice if we want to keep running steam because No. 734’s boiler time expires at the end of 2015 due to the number of operating days.

5. From Trains Facebook follower John Koslosky: What has surprised you (or the shop crew) the most about the engine so far?
A: Just how good the condition of the locomotive really is and the amount of public support there is for its restoration. There is so much good will. We get a huge volume of email. Trains’ global coverage really helped; our Facebook page has people who follow us from 45 countries on 6 continents. A friend of mine paid to activate Internet service on a Southwest Airlines flight just so he could watch the loading on the live streaming Webcam at 35,000 feet. The interest in the project, I think, also helped with our increase in overall ticket sales this year, ridership is up 15 percent.

6. When it’s completed, how will 1309 be lettered? C&O or Western Maryland?
A: We’re going to decide in November of next year based on everything that’s planned for the locomotive’s return to service.

7. From Trains Facebook follower Lon Shaffer: Once 1309 is done, will 734 return to service?
A: Yes, but not right away. We’re going to take it off market. It will be back, but for a few years, it will only be No. 1309 running. We’d love to have them both running so that we always have a backup. The biggest issue with 734’s return to service is paying for 1309’s rebuild, then being able to pay for 734’s rebuild; that’s two major investments in a relatively short time frame.

8. Can you tell us more about the Western Maryland office car No. 204 restoration project and what’s going on there?
A: We haven’t done a lot on this project because the 1309 took up most of the spring and summer. We got an $85,000 grant from the state of Maryland to help with the restoration of the car, and the first big project is to strip the car of asbestos and lead paint. Once that is complete, we’ll be able to really start moving on the car.  With our proximity to Washington D.C., we receive requests for a super-premium service and No. 204 will fill that niche nicely when restored.

9. What are the best ways for readers to support the 1309 project or the office car?
A: The Western Maryland Scenic Railroad is a non-profit corporation, and the WMSR Foundation is the division of the WMSR we established to accomplish projects which support the WMSR such as fund raising and preserving railroad history.  Join the WMSR Foundation at www.movingfullsteamahead.com. Checkout our Facebook site. Donate to specific projects at the non-profit website.  Not all donations have to be monetary as we just arranged for a donation of tools from an estate of a gentleman who worked for another railroad.  His wife said that one of his dying wishes was that his tool collection be put to use, not placed in a museum.  We were honored to help preserve his legacy with his family and fulfill that wish.  Those tools will help restore the office car and 1309.

10. From Trains Facebook follower Andrew Dietrick: Does 1309 really fit on the Frostburg turntable?
A: Our table is 100-feet-long, and the engine is 98-feet-8-inches over the pulling faces. Its wheelbase is 88 feet-6-inches, so yes, it fits. What we’re more curious about is the 22-degree curve that leads from the turntable into the passing siding at Frostburg. The engine’s maximum curvature is 20 degrees so that will be an interesting test trip.  We may have to do some track realignment at Frostburg station.  However, since we are already planning to lengthen the siding at Frostburg to accommodate longer consists, easing that curve won’t be that much additional work.  Our longer consists require a helper to be used with 734 about 40 percent of the time, hence the need for 1309. 

Read more about restoring No. 1309.