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Phillips) with the condition that it be rebuilt before being returned to MNGM. Out of service by 2007, it was initially believed that the locomotive could be returned to steam by installing new tubes (estimated at $18,000) but further inspections revealed that No. 3 needed substantially more work, including a new firebox, smokebox, dry pipe, and staybolts. As a result, SR&RL has spent nearly $140,000 to get No. 3 back into working order. Number 3’s first public operation post- restoration will be at its old stomping grounds in Portland. With no operating steam locomotives currently at MNGM (Monson 0-4-4T No. 4 came due for its 1,472-day inspection in 2014), SR&RL agreed to temporarily return No. 3 to Portland for December’s Polar Express trains if the Maine Narrow Gauge Museum would finish the restoration. The work was completed this past fall at the Maine Locomotive & Machine Works in Alna. Plans call for No. 3 to remain in Portland until the summer of 2016, when it will be trucked to Phillips and used for short trips at the SR&RL museum. However, MNGR will not be “steamless” when it leaves, since it expects to have Bridgton & Saco River 2-4-4T No. 7 back in operation during 2016.


Milwaukee Road Northfield Depot


A nonprofit group in Northfield,


Minn., has raised nearly $230,000 to move the town’s former Milwaukee Road depot and preserve it at a new location between 2nd and 3rd streets. “Save the Northfield Depot” plans to relocate the


Chris McLarney Memorial Special


In honor of Chris McLarney, the Friends of Spokane, Portland & Seattle No. 700 and Oregon Pacific Railroad teamed up to run this memorial special in his honor on November 29, 2015. McLarney was a key player in the restoration of No. 700, cleaning and oiling parts when the locomotive was on display Oaks Park in Portland, Ore. His initial efforts as a teenager would lead to the founding of the Pacific Railroad Preservation Association and full restoration of No. 700 in 1990. McLarney passed away on September 30. The special departed from the new Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation facility in Portland where No. 700 calls home.


PHOTO BY ANDREW ROBB 17


single-story brick structure, built in 1888, and restore it for use as a visitor information center with displays of artwork and historical artifacts. The depot was once served by passenger trains of The Milwaukee Road and Rock Island, but has been abandoned for decades; it currently sits along Canadian Pacific-owned tracks in Northfield that are operated by Union Pacific. CP had planned to demolish the depot, but instead donated the building to the group for $1 with the stipulation that it be moved from its current site. Save the Northfield Depot plans to move the building to its new location in the coming months. After the move fundraising will continue as exterior and interior renovations are planned during 2016, and in 2017 the group plans to add a pavilion and sculpture garden. Visit www.northfielddepot.org for more information.


Cosmetic Touch-Up for Santa Fe No. 2912


AT&SF 4-8-4 No. 2912, displayed


at the Pueblo Railroad Museum in Pueblo, Colo., is being repainted thanks to several area businesses. Work to cosmetically restore the 1944 Baldwin- built Northern has been ongoing for several years; one of the major jobs undertaken by volunteers has been removing decades of old paint, grease, and oil in preparation for new paint. G4 Coatings of Pueblo, which specializes in automotive and industrial finishes, volunteered to use a new-generation Graco spray blaster to remove the 60-year-old-paint, while at the same time demonstrating its capabilities to Pueblo


area businesses. Graco agreed to provide the high-pressure blaster, and in early October it was shipped from Houston to Pueblo and used to remove stubborn paint residue from No. 2912’s wheels, frame, and pilot; the blaster utilizes a high-speed mist and garnet dust to vaporize old finishes. Rust-Oleum has donated paint to complete the job, which will be supervised by Robbie’s Reputable Painting of Pueblo.


Cummer Sons No. 104 to Florida Museum


Cummer Sons Cypress Company 2-6-2 No. 104 is being sold by the city of Leesburg, Fla., to the Florida Railroad Museum, located south of Tampa in the community of Parrish. The 60-ton Prairie was built by Baldwin in 1920 and for decades served Florida’s Cummer Lumber Company. After the logging camps closed it was


used as a switch engine at the Lacoochee Mill until 1960. No. 104 was purchased by Congressman Albert Herlong in 1961 and moved to his property in Leesburg for exhibit; the land was later donated to the city and repurposed as a public park. Allowed to deteriorate, it now needs an estimated $30,000 in cosmetic restoration work, despite being displayed in a covered shelter. Lacking the funds for restoration, a Leesburg county commissioner said in July 2015 that he’d like to “see it just go away.” On November 9, 2015, the city council voted to sell the locomotive to the Florida Railroad Museum. Plans call for it to be moved to the museum’s shop at Willow, Fla., for cosmetic restoration and eventual display.


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