1957 and February 1958, respectively, upon which both were stored at Weston Shops in Winnipeg. In April 1964 the low-mileage engines
were purchased for $5000 apiece by George M. Hart’s Rail Tours, Inc., for a tourist operation on the Maryland & Pennsylvania at York, Pa., and were shipped across the U.S. border that November. Between 1967 and 1969, both locomotives were leased to Ross Rowland’s High Iron Company and pulled a number of excursions, and then were sold to Historic Red Clay Valley, Inc., of Wilmington, Delaware. In 1973, No. 1286 was relettered as “Rutland 82” for a series of excursions. In 1974 Jack Showalter quit his job to pursue his dream of opening a tourist railroad. He purchased both locomotives plus an assortment of passenger cars, and
moved everything to Virginia.
Showalter’s Alleghany Central Scenic Railway began operation in 1975 over the C&O’s Hot Springs Branch out of Covington, and made summer runs there until flooding in 1983 damaged the track.
In 1987, the Showalters became the contract operator of the ex-WM line between Cumberland and Frostburg, and the equipment was relocated to Ridgeley,
W.Va. Between 1989 and 1990, the line was operated as the Allegany Central (note the difference in spelling) before becoming the Western Maryland Scenic in 1991. This change prompted another move to Staunton, Va., to operate main line trips over CSX rails out of Charlottesville. The
operation, known as Virginia
Central, began running in 1993. The rides were well patronized but increased liability insurance requirements put an
end to the operation in 1994, and neither locomotive has steamed since. After Showalter passed away in 2014, the equipment was put up for sale. The locomotives were purchased earlier in the year by a private party in Canada, and were loaded on flatcars on July 22 bound for the Vintage Locomotive Society, which operates the Prairie Dog Central Railway in Winnipeg. They are slated to remain in storage there while plans for their future overhaul and operating plans are finalized. Despite not having operated in over two decades, both locomotive have been well cared for during their time in storage.
New Facility for East Troy Railroad
The East Troy Railroad Museum (ETRM) broke ground on a new 7000- square-foot maintenance facility on July 25. Officers and board members from the railroad were joined by officials from the village and the construction company for the groundbreaking ceremony. The new facility is being built across from the Elegant Farmer near Mukwonago, Wis. The new building will also contain a machine shop and wood shop. “The current facility is more of a weather shelter for our cars and it isn’t heated or cooled,” said Ryan Jonas, president of the museum. “The majority of our existing car barn does not have finished floors, and volunteers have to crawl underneath the cars to perform necessary maintenance.”
The new facility, being built by Walters Buildings, will contain a maintenance pit and will be temperature controlled. The railroad museum operates on
the last remaining 7.5 miles of The Milwaukee Electric Railroad & Light Co. interurban line, and is home to more than 27 examples of trolleys, interurbans, and other electric railroad equipment. The Village of East Troy purchased the line in 1939 and operated it until 2000 when it was sold to the Friends of East Troy Railroad.—O.M.V.
TTX Flatcar Preserved
The TTX Co. of Chicago has donated a vintage intermodal flat car, RTTX 150643, to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. The recently retired class F89F car was built by Bethlehem Steel in 1965. Records show that it logged 3.7 million miles during its nearly 50 years of service.
TTX Company was founded as the Trailer Train Company in 1955 by Norfolk & Western, Pennsylvania Railroad, and the Rail-Trailer Corporation. At the time No. 150643 was built, the idea of railroad flatcars hauling highway trailers (“piggybacking”) was still a new concept gaining support in the industry. The acquisition of this car will allow the RRMofPA to interpret a more recent era of railroading, a time period that is often overlooked by museums.
New Haven E33 Electric Departs for IRM
A unique heavy electric mainline locomotive has made its way to the Illinois Railway Museum. Conrail E33 No. 4601 departed Old Saybrook, Conn., on August 19, thanks in part to cooperation from Amtrak, Providence & Worcester, and Norfolk Southern.
Roof Restoration for Keokuk Union Station
Constructed in 1891, the historic Union Station in Keokuk, Iowa, was conveyed to the city in 2011. The restoration of the chimney and the eaves, soffi ts, decorative brackets, and copper gutters on the upriver end of the depot is expected to be completed this fall. The depot is in use today as a community event center and will continue in this role during and after the restoration. The roof reconstruction is funded in part thanks to matching grants and donations. For more information, visit
www.keokukuniondepot.org.
PHOTO BY RICHARD C. LEONARD
16 OCTOBER 2015 •
RAILFAN.COM
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