C&O 1309 (1949 BLW 2-6-6-2 "Mallet" Class H-6)
B&O RR Museum Baltimore MD
Chesapeake & Ohio Railway 1309 was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1949. It was the last Class 1 mainline locomotive built by Baldwin, maker of over 70,000 locomotives since 1832. It was ordered by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway to pull heavy coal trains in the mountainous terrain of West Virginia and Kentucky which it did from 1949 until 1956, after which it was stored for twenty years at their roundhouse at Peach Creek, West Virginia.
The engine, along with several others, all considered impractical to restore to working condition, were moved to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland in 1976 for cosmetic restoration and static display (shown here)
It remained there until 2014 when it was purchased by the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad for restoration. When returned to service, it will be the largest steam engine in regular scheduled service in the United States. The Western Maryland intends to use the locomotive on excursion trains between Cumberland and Frostburg in Maryland. A much larger steam engine, the Union Pacific's Big Boy No. 4014 is also currently being restored to operational status but is not planned to be used for regular scheduled service.
C&O 1309 (1949 BLW 2-6-6-2 "Mallet" Class H-6)
B&O RR Museum Baltimore MD
Chesapeake & Ohio Railway 1309 was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1949. It was the last Class 1 mainline locomotive built by Baldwin, maker of over 70,000 locomotives since 1832. It was ordered by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway to pull heavy coal trains in the mountainous terrain of West Virginia and Kentucky which it did from 1949 until 1956, after which it was stored for twenty years at their roundhouse at Peach Creek, West Virginia.
The engine, along with several others, all considered impractical to restore to working condition, were moved to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland in 1976 for cosmetic restoration and static display (shown here)
It remained there until 2014 when it was purchased by the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad for restoration. When returned to service, it will be the largest steam engine in regular scheduled service in the United States. The Western Maryland intends to use the locomotive on excursion trains between Cumberland and Frostburg in Maryland. A much larger steam engine, the Union Pacific's Big Boy No. 4014 is also currently being restored to operational status but is not planned to be used for regular scheduled service.