Jun 3, 2016

For the past two years, the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad has been restoring a Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad 2-6-6-2 steam locomotive. When completed, the No. 1309 will be the largest and most powerful steam locomotive still in regular operation in the United States.

: Jim Montague, fleet manager for the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, looks into the fire box of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad No. 1309 steam locomotive. The train, which runs on coal, is being restored in the railroad’s shop. When the restoration is complete, probably next year, the locomotive will pull passenger cars along the scenic railroad as it journeys between Cumberland and Frostburg. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: A picture of the Chesapeake and Ohio No. 1309 steam locomotive is on a bulletin board in the shop at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad yard. Restoration work is being done on the locomotive, which was built in 1949 and was a part of the B & O Railroad Museum collection. When the restoration is complete, probably next year, the locomotive will pull passenger cars along the scenic railroad for the 16 mile round trip between Cumberland and Frostburg. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: Shop foreman Scott Nixon, left, and mechanic Bruce Snyder, right, install new boards on the 1309 tender frame. They’re working in the shop at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad yard, where restoration work is being done on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad No. 1309 steam locomotive. When the restoration is complete, probably next year, the locomotive will pull passenger cars along the scenic railroad between Cumberland and Frostburg. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: Protected from the elements under a shed roof, this is the rear end of the 1309 steam locomotive’s tender. At the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad yard, restoration work is being done on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad No. 1309 steam locomotive. When the restoration is complete, probably next year, the locomotive will pull passenger cars on the scenic railroad’s 16 mile roundtrip between Cumberland and Frostburg. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: Shop foreman Scott Nixon, left, and mechanic Bruce Snyder, right, install mounting brackets for new boards on the 1309 tender frame. They’re working in the shop at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad yard, where restoration work is being done on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad No. 1309 steam locomotive. When the restoration is complete, probably next year, the locomotive will pull passenger cars along the scenic railroad between Cumberland and Frostburg. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: Mike McMarlin, an engineer at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad yard, drives a locomotive from the Cumberland station to the Ridgely yard where restoration work is being done on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad No. 1309 steam locomotive. When the restoration is complete, probably next year, the locomotive will pull passenger cars along the scenic railroad, which runs between Cumberland and Frostburg. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: A pile of coal waits to be used to power a steam locomotive at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad yard, where restoration work is being done on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad No. 1309 steam locomotive. When the restoration is complete, probably next year, the locomotive will pull passenger cars on the scenic railroad, which runs between Cumberland and Frostburg. Each trip will require approximately 10-12 tons of coal to power the locomotive’s 16 mile round trip. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: Shop foreman Scott Nixon, left, and mechanic Bruce Snyder, right, install mounting brackets for new boards on the 1309 tender frame. They’re working in the shop at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad yard, where restoration work is being done on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad No. 1309 steam locomotive. When the restoration is complete, probably next year, the locomotive will pull passenger cars along the scenic railroad between Cumberland and Frostburg. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: Stay bolts cover the boiler on the 1309 steam locomotive that’s being restored at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad yard. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad No. 1309 steam locomotive was built in 1949 and was used to transport coal for several years. When the restoration is complete, probably next year, the locomotive will pull passenger cars along the scenic railroad between Cumberland and Frostburg. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: These are stay bolts, which cover the boiler on the 1309 steam locomotive that’s being restored at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad yard. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad No. 1309 steam locomotive was built in 1949 and was used to transport coal for several years. When the restoration is complete, probably next year, the locomotive will pull passenger cars along the scenic railroad between Cumberland and Frostburg. The locomotive was once part of the B & O Railroad Museum’s collection. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: Bruce Snyder, left, mechanic, and Scott Nixon, right, shop foreman, work on installing new boards on the tender frame of the C & O railroad 1309 steam locomotive at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad yard, where restoration work is being done on the train. When the restoration is complete, probably next year, the locomotive will pull passenger cars along the scenic railroad between Cumberland and Frostburg. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: Bruce Snyder, left, mechanic, and Scott Nixon, right, shop foreman, work on the tender frame of the C&O railroad 1309 steam locomotive at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad yard, where restoration work is being done on the train. When the restoration is complete, probably next year, the locomotive will pull passenger cars along the scenic railroad that runs between Cumberland and Frostburg. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: Jim Montague, fleet manager for the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, looks at the 1309’s front engine assembly, which is awaiting overhaul at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad’s Ridgely yard. The railroad is restoring the 1949 Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad No. 1309 steam locomotive. When the restoration is complete, probably next year, the locomotive will pull passenger cars on the 16 mile roundtrip from Cumberland to Frostburg. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: These superheater units take “saturated” steam, recycle it through the boiler flues and extract more power out of the steam that will propel the No. 1309 steam locomotive. At the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad’s Ridgely yard, restoration work is being done on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad No. 1309 steam locomotive. When the restoration is complete, probably next year, the locomotive will pull passenger cars on the scenic railroad, which makes the 16 mile roundtrip journey between Cumberland and Frostburg. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: Jim Montague, left, fleet manager, and Mike McMarlin, right, an engineer, look at the boiler of the 1309 C & O steam locomotive that’s being restored at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. When the restoration is complete, probably next year, the locomotive will pull passenger cars on the scenic railroad. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: This is a view of the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad’s Cumberland station, where passengers embark for trips on the scenic railroad, which runs between Cumberland and Frostburg. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: Bruce Snyder, a mechanic with Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, installs boards on the tender frame of the C & O railroad 1309 steam locomotive at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad yard, where restoration work is being done on the train. When the restoration is complete, probably next year, the coal-powered locomotive will pull passenger cars on the scenic railroad on its route between Cumberland and Frostburg. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: Wheels for the 1309 steam locomotive are stored on the yard at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, where restoration work is being done on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad No. 1309 steam locomotive. When the restoration is complete, probably next year, the locomotive will pull passenger cars along the scenic railroad for a 16 mile round trip between Cumberland and Frostburg. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: When the 1309 steam locomotive is in motion, this lubricator box, a mechanical pump, will send lubrication to various parts of the engine. When the restoration is complete, probably next year, the locomotive will pull passenger cars on the scenic railroad between Cumberland and Frostburg. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: A lubricator box rests in the shop at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad yard, where restoration work is being done on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad No. 1309 steam locomotive. When the restoration is complete, probably next year, the locomotive will pull passenger cars on the scenic railroad between Cumberland and Frostburg. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: The Western Maryland Scenic Railroad’s switch locomotive makes its way along the tracks from the Cumberland station to the railroad’s Ridgely yard, where restoration work is being done on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad No. 1309 steam locomotive. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: The 1309 locomotive headlamp waits on a shelf to be restored at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad yard, where restoration work is being done on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad No. 1309 steam locomotive. When the restoration is complete, probably next year, the locomotive will pull passenger cars along the scenic railroad, which makes a 16 mile round trip between Cumberland and Frostburg. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: This is the front engine left hand piston valve. It directs steam into and out of the left front cylinder of the No. 1309 steam locomotive. At the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad yard, restoration work is done on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad No. 1309 steam locomotive. When the restoration is complete, probably next year, the locomotive will pull passenger cars on the scenic railroad between Cumberland and Frostburg. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: This is a lubricator valve on the 1309 steam locomotive that’s being restored at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad yard. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad No. 1309 steam locomotive was once part of the B & O Railroad Museum collection. When the restoration is complete, probably next year, the locomotive will pull passenger cars along the scenic railroad between Cumberland and Frostburg. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: This is a detail of spring rigging under the boiler of the 1309 steam locomotive which is being restored at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad yard. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad No. 1309 steam locomotive will pull passenger cars on the scenic railroad between Cumberland and Frostburg when the restoration is complete, probably next year. The locomotive was part of the collection of the B & O Railroad Museum in Baltimore before it was purchased by the scenic railroad. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

: Nuts and bolts sit on the edge of a driving box as they wait to be installed in the No. 1309 steam locomotive, which is being restored at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad’s Ridgely yard. When the restoration is complete, probably next year, the locomotive will pull passenger cars on the scenic railroad between Cumberland and Frostburg. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun)

Restoring the 1309 from Baltimore Sun's The Darkroom on Vimeo.

Photos and text by Barbara Haddock Taylor

The train, a compound locomotive called the “Mallet,” was designed by Swiss engineer Anatole Mallet and was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in September of 1949. It was the last commercially built steam locomotive for use by a railroad in the United States, and was on display at the B & O Railroad Museum in Baltimore from 1972 until it was purchased by the scenic railroad in 2014.

Powered by coal and steam, the 217-ton train was used to transport coal from mines through the twisty mountainous terrain of of Kentucky and West Virginia. When the restoration is completed, the locomotive will pull railroad cars full of train enthusiasts and tourists on a 16-mile round trip journey between Cumberland and Frostburg.

“We’re excited to have such a unique locomotive and are looking forward to sharing it with the public,” said Jim Montague, fleet manager for the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. “It will be great to see it back in operation. It’s quite a piece of machinery.”

Restoration of the 1309

Leave a Reply Cancel