As our train arrived, I started photographing the locomotives.
Our train pulling in past Western Maryland GP30 501.
New Hope 0-4-0T 17, ex. private individual, exx. Carbon Limestone Company 17, nee New York Shipbuilding Corporation USNX 2025 built by Vulcan Iron Works in 1941.
Chesapeake and Ohio F7A 8016, ex. Chesapeake and Ohio 8479, exx. CSX 116, exxx. Seaboard System Railroad 116, ex. Family Lines System 116, nee Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio F3A 800 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1948. Working for the Seaboard System and later CSX, it wore 116 until it was retired in the early 1990's. While working for the newly-formed CSX, the locomotive wore the first CSX paint scheme of grey blue and black with the lettering CSX Transportation across the side. This paint scheme only lasted a week as leaders of the railroad determined how to represent the new line’s brand, ultimately changing the lettering to feature only the "CSX" letters. In 1990, the unit was repainted into the CSX YN2 "bright future" treatment before being leased to American European Express for luxury passenger runs between Washington, D.C. and Chicago and the Maryland Department of Transportation's MARC Train Service for commuter train service out of Baltimore.
After retiring the unit, the locomotive was donated to the Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society, where it was painted into the C&O’s passenger paint scheme and assigned 8016.
South Branch Valley Railroad SD9 181 , ex. Bessemer and Lake Erie 844, nee Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range 117 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1957.
South Branch Valley Railroad caboose 1892 built by the railroad in 1940.
Flagg Coal 0-4-0T 75 on one leg of the wye. Our train stopped and I detrained to start taking my pictures at West Virginia Rails 2010.
Our train at Petersburg.
South Branch Valley Railroad 65 ton switcher 80, ex. United States Navy 65-00581, exx. United States Army 7880, nee Keystone Ordinance Works 5 built by General Electric in 1943.
Baltimore and Ohio F7A 722, nee Bessemer and Lake Erie 722A built by Electro-Motive Division in 1952.
A view at Petersburg.
South Branch Valley Railroad GP9 6604, ex. Baltimore and Ohio 6604, exx. Baltimore and Ohio 3411, nee Bltimore & Ohio 751 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1955.
Steam whistle display.
Flagg Coal 0-4-0 75 owned by John and Barney Gramling of Indiana. It is a 40 ton saddle tank locomotive built by Vulcan Iron Works of Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvnia in 1930. No. 75 went into service in December 1930 as Flagg Coal Company 2 in Avoca, Pennsylvania where it was used as a switch engine. In 1935 it was sold to the Solvay Process Co. in Jamesville, New York and renumbered 75. There, it was used to push four-wheel hopper cars from the steam shovel to the crusher at the rock quarry. In the early 1950's the Solvay Process Co. disbanded their railroad operation in favour of trucking and in 1953, No. 75 and twelve other locomotives were sold to Dr. Groman and his planned Rail City Museum in Sandy Pond, New York.
There, the locomotive sat untouched until 1991 when John and Byron Gramling purchased it with the intent to restore it to operating condition. The father-son duo painstakingly disassembled the locomotive, moved it to their shop in Ashley, Indiana and over the course of the following ten years returned it to service, completing it in October 2001. Since then, the steam engine has since travelled as far as Florida, Michigan and North Carolina as a living, breathing ambassador of American steam railroading.
A quarter inch scale live steam model of Norfolk and Western 4-8-4 611.
The trailer for N&W J 611.
Western Maryland GP30 501, ex. Conrail 2249, exx. Penn Central 2249, nee Pennsylvania Railroad 2249 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1963.
A view of West Virginia Rails 2010.
The live steamers at the event.
The South Side Depot where I went to Sue's Country Kitchen for lunch.
My ticket for the 2:00 PM hourly trip.
New Hope Valley Railway 17 TripThe Vulcan Iron Works of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania built this oil-burning 0-4-0 tank engine for the New York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden, New Jersey in 1941. It has builders plate 4309 and was designated as U.S.N.X. 2025. The engine was sold in 1948 to the Carbon Limestone Company and was re-numbered to 17 where it worked around the quarry there. Here it was converted to a coal burner. Later a private owner moved the engine to West Virginia to restore it, but was unable to complete the project.
In 1999, the New Hope Valley Railroad and the North Carolina Railroad Museum purchased the engine and moved it to its new home in Bonsal, North Carolina. In 2000, work was started by the New Hope Valley Railway for the extensive restoration of the locomotive bringing the locomotive up to current Federal Railway Administration regulations. Over the next two years, the boiler was inspected, new flues were installed and generally tested to be safe and steam- worthy. The oil burning equipment, steam appliance plumbing and electrical work was reinstalled. In 2002, Engine 17 was test-fired and moved under her own power for the first time in nearly fifty years.
New Hope 0-4-0T 17 returned to Petersburg from its 1:00 PM hourly run.
The steam engine was now ready to take me on the 2:00 hourly run, which had a consist of New Hope 17, coaches 5006 and 5045 with open car PESX 1. I took a seat in coach 5006.
A few views from that trip and I could now add this engine to my list of steam engines I have ridden. I thanked the crew for the ride and for bringing it to West Virginia Rails 2010.
Western Maryland GP30 501 was put on the point of our train for the return trip.
A view after my New Hope 0-4-0T 17 trip. I then walked over to Flagg Coal 0-4-0T 75 and was given a short ride.
We went up and back on one leg of the Petersburg wye.
Me at the controls of Flagg Coal 0-4-0T 75. I thanked the crew for allowing me to add this engine to my list of steam engines I had ridden. Now I will show you the rest of the event.
Two of the model railroads on display here.
Three of the vendors.
Rail Wear Outfitters.
The CSX booth.
Toltec Images.
Train Photos 4U.Com.
Stoddart's.
Another vendor.
Railway Productions A Trains.Com.
Three more vendors.
Thomas the Tank Engine booth.
J.T.'s Mega Steam Trains.
Steve Barry at the Railfan and Railroad Magazine table.
Steam Railroading Institute of Owosso, Michigan.
Two more vendors.
Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society.
Another vendor.
New Hope 17 brought the last hourly train into Petersburg. It was now time to board the train for the return trip to Romney. A special thank you to Jason Johnson, the crews of New Hope 17 and Flagg Coal 75 and to all who made this event, West Virginia Rails 2010, possible.
