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L&N 0-8-0 No. 2132 Returns to Kentucky
A significant artifact of Kentucky railroad history was repatriated from Georgia on January 18, 2016. Built in 1922, Louisville & Nashville C-1 class 0-8-0 No. 2132 was retired and sold by the railroad in 1951 to a power company in Sneeds, Fla. It shuttled inbound construction materials for the plant from a junction with L&N’s line from Flomaton, Ala., to Chattahoochee, Fla. After its services were no longer needed, it was miraculously not scrapped. Some 35 years ago the city of Bainbridge, Ga., acquired No. 2132 for a nominal amount and moved it the 25 miles north to be placed in a community park. The city’s public works crew was nearly overwhelmed by the task of moving a 110-ton steam locomotive, so the frame and rods were cut in the middle, and boiler separated to move it in pieces. This rendered the engine unrestorable from an operational standpoint, but the Bainbridge crew did a credible job of putting it back together for static display. In 2013, a visionary and ambitious
college intern named Jeff Cawood, who was then working with the Corbin Tourism and Convention Commission, proposed asking Bainbridge to donate the engine to Corbin. Bainbridge city leaders were at a point where significant funds would have to be expended to stabilize the railroad equipment, and they knew the 2132 had no “history” with Bainbridge (the community was served by the Atlantic Coast Line, and a branch of the Seaboard Air Line). Jeff and his boss, Maggy Kriebel, enlisted the support of the L&N Historical Society
for technical support and assistance in making the case to save the engine. After much negotiation the Bainbridge
city council agreed to the donation last February, with Corbin to assume all costs in moving the equipment and cleaning up the site. Of course this was a huge logistical challenge, but after securing proposals, Wasatch Railroad Contractors of Cheyenne, Wyo., was selected to arrange a highway move (after a rail move proved to be impractical). On January 18, the heavy-duty tractor
trailer arrived in Corbin with the 2132, where she was reunited with her tender, and L&N caboose No. 30, which had been transported earlier and placed on the display track. No. 2132 is one of only three former
L&N steam locomotives still in existence. The other two are well-known K-2A Pacific No. 152, and C-2 0-8-0 No. 2152, both at the Kentucky Railway Museum. While the other two engines were constructed by commercial builders, No. 2132 is the sole survivor of 400 steam locomotives designed and constructed from scratch at the L&N’s South Louisville Shops between 1905 and 1923. Joining the 0-8-0 at Corbin is L&N
steel bay-window caboose No. 30. It was originally No. 1056, and was also built at South Louisville Shops, in 1964. Also on display is former Southern (CNO&TP) 10-roomette, 6-bedroom sleeper 3401, French Broad River. This 1949 product of Pullman-Standard and her cousins operated for many years on the CNO&TP mainline, which is located just 20 miles west of Corbin. The next steps will be the complete cosmetic restoration of the 2132, its tender, and the caboose, plus interior
restoration of the sleeper. A new museum is also being constructed inside the main waiting room of the adjacent former L&N passenger station, which was restored several years ago. While CSX still operates several trains through Corbin daily, the rapid decline in Appalachian coal shipments brought about the closure of the locomotive and car shops late last year. Consequently, Louisville & Nashville No. 2132 and the other equipment have generated a much-needed shot of Kentucky pride within the community. —RON FLANARY
Cosmetic Restoration for C&O 2756
Chesapeake & Ohio 2-8-4 No.
2756, built by Lima in 1947, is being cosmetically restored at Huntington Park in Newport News, Va., where it’s resided since 1963. The Kanawha (C&O referred to its 2-8-4s as “Kanawhas” rather than “Berkshires”) is being prepared for a 20-mile move to a new display site alongside the restored 1881 C&O depot in the Lee Hall section of Newport News. The city is paying Atlantic Environmental Company nearly $200,000 for asbestos abatement and sandblasting, and will spend another $75,000 to paint and re-letter the locomotive and tender, which are scheduled to be completed in 2017. The work is being done by the city in cooperation with the non-profit Lee Hall Train Station Foundation and CSX. A 250-foot display track was installed at the restored Lee Hall Depot in October 2015, which was moved from its original location in 2009.
Comes Home to Corbin L&N 2132
The boiler and cab of Louisville & Nashville 0-8-0 No. 2132 were reunited and placed on a display track in Corbin, Ky., on January 18, 2016. Lengthy negotiations with the city of Bainbridge, Ga., allowed the locomotive to be repatriated to its native Kentucky. A plan for full cosmetic restoration is being developed to tie in with other equipment displays and the development of a new museum inside the L&N depot at Corbin.
PHOTO BY RON FLANARY
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