In a Wednesday afternoon Facebook post, the railroad urged enthusiasts to purchase their tickets now for the Allegheny Mountain Express, the first train to be pulled by C&O 1309 this summer. The inaugural trip will take place Saturday, July 1 and will feature a round-trip excursion from Cumberland to Frostburg. The train will leave from Cumberland at 9 a.m. and return at 11:45 a.m. The trip features a 45-minute layover in Frostburg.
According to a Facebook post by the railroad, WMSR is confident that No. 1309 will be under steam before July 1, but is setting that day as the official start date for excursions.
The locomotive, which remains in pieces at the railroad’s shops in nearby Ridgeley, W.Va., has been under restoration since it arrived on railroad property in July 2014.
A recent restoration update published by Trains contributor and Western Maryland Scenic historian John Hankey reported that railroad crews would begin major reassembly of the locomotive in early January. A full copy of that progress report is available here.
C&O No. 1309 was the last locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works for use on a domestic railroad in the United States. It entered service in September 1949. Once operational, it will be the largest articulated steam locomotive in regular service in the United States.
Trains News Wire has reached out to WMSR officials for comment on No. 1309’s announcement.
