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been periodically repainted and sheltered in recent years, No. 2132 is now in poor condi- tion. Corbin plans a full cosmetic restoration, and has already secured the donation of a re- placement bell, whistle, headlight, cab gaug- es, number plate, and other missing items. The Bainbridge city council approved donat- ing the locomotive to the city of Corbin in a 4-1 vote in mid-February. Plans are to move the locomotive by rail to Corbin.
Funds Needed for Iowa Park Display
The city council of Cresco, Iowa, met on Feb- ruary 16 to discuss the future of the historic railroad equipment on display at Beadle Park. Milwaukee Road FP7 No. 101A was placed in the park in 1985 and restored by volunteers. In need of attention once again, talk turned to the possible sale and scrapping of a MILW boxcar also on site to help pay for the re- painting of the diesel. Bay-window caboose no. 991943 and a flatcar are part of the short freight train on dislay in the city park. The 1944-built ribbed-side caboose was repainted in 2007. The city council has no intention of relocating the display, considering it to be an important part of the park and a showcase of the town’s ties to its rich railroading heritage.
Santa Maria Valley 205 All Steamed Up
On January 31, Santa Maria Valley 2-6-2 No. 205 was successfully fired up for the first time in 65 years. The 64-ton Baldwin Prairie has been under restoration by owner George La- vacot at the Valley & Siletz yard in Indepen- dence, Ore. “Porky,” as No. 205 is affectionately known,
was built for the San Joaquin & Eastern in January 1924, and then sold to California’s Santa Maria Valley short line in 1933. Side- lined 17 years later when SMV purchased a fleet of GE 70-ton diesels, No. 205 escaped the torch and was placed on outdoor exhibit at
the Santa Maria, Calif., fairgrounds in 1950. Allowed to deteriorate, in 1983 the 2-6-2 was acquired by Lavacot and moved to Oregon, where it’s undergone a top-to-bottom resto- ration over the past 32 years. The work has been extensive, and has included a new cab and tender tank along with major boiler and firebox repairs. Next up — installation of side rods and boiler jacketing in preparation for test runs.
Mid-Continent Update
Work continues on Chicago & North Western 4-6-0 No. 1385 at the Mid-Continent Railway Museum of North Freedom, Wis. The historic 1907-built Ten-Wheeler last operated in 1998 before coming due for an extensive rebuilding. In early January volunteers finished re- painting the frame, which has been thorough- ly overhauled at SPEC Machine in Middleton, Wis. At the same time, No. 1385’s 63" drive wheels are being rehabilitated at the Stras- burg Rail Road in Pennsylvania and are slated to be returned shortly. Repair work in- cludes the replacement of several crankpins and hub liners. No. 1385’s original tender (out of service since 1963) was rebuilt in 2012-13 utilizing the original frame and a brand-new 7500 gallon tender tank, along with new roll- er-bearing trucks, and is ready to mate with the locomotive. Work also continues on privately owned Saginaw Timber Company 2-8-2 No. 2, which has been out of service at the museum since 2000. Its rebuilt boiler has been successfully test-steamed, and the boiler jacketing was re- cently re-installed. Owner Skip Lichter hopes to return the 1912 Baldwin to the rails before the end of the year. In May, Mid-Continent will auction off sev-
eral pieces of surplus equipment, including Alabama, Tennessee & Northern 2-10-0 No. 401 (Baldwin, 1928) and Louisiana Cypress Lumber Company 2-6-2 No. 2 (Lima, 1906). The latter operated at the museum in the 1960s, but has been stored disassembled for many decades. Also for sale is the tender from
C&NW 4-6-0 No. 1361, which was used with No. 1385 from 1963 until 1998. The income from the auction will be used to further muse- um restoration projects.
New Windows for Detroit Central Station
According to a report in the Detroit Free Press, a contract has been signed with Chamberlain Glass & Metal to produce replacement win- dows for installation in the derelict Michigan Central Station. The beautiful Beax-Arts sta- tion and office complex was opened to trav- elers at the end of 1913, and faced a steady postwar decline until the last passenger train departed in 1988. Billionaire Manuel “Matty” Moroun purchased the property in 1995, yet his plans to transform the site into an inter- national trade and customs center never come to fruition. In 2009, the city council adopted an emergency resolution for the demolition of Central Station, but no further action was taken. In the February issue of RAILFAN & RAILROAD, we reported a local company had been awarded a contract to install a new ser- vice elevator inside the station. The Maroun family, owners of the nearby Ambassador Bridge, has been the target of heavy criticism for not paying more attention to what is often referred to as Detroit’s big- gest eyesore. Some interior demolition work and asbestos removal was performed in 2011, followed by a partial restoration of electric service in 2012. Chamberlain has partnered with Graham Architectural Products to design efficient new windows that are also in tune with the his- toric elements of the station. There are more than 1000 window openings in the 16-story structure. While the installation of new win- dows would be a welcome change, it only rep- resents a small amount of the total renova- tion work required. While stabilization efforts are important, there has been no direction chosen for the future use of the building. Con- servative estimates claim it will cost upwards of $80 million for a complete renovation.
Windows v.2.0 Installing
A contract has been signed with local sup- plier Chamberlain Glass & Metal to de- sign and manufacture new windows to be installed in the derelict Michigan Central Station in Detroit. Opened in 1913, the sta- tion was last used by Amtrak in 1988. A se- ries of development plans have come and gone, but the current owners began taking tangible steps towards renovation in 2011. More than 1000 new windows will need to be fabricated for the replacement project.
PHOTO BY STEVE BARRY
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