Nickel Plate Road 759 is a class "S-2"

2-8-4 Under the Whyte notation, a 2-8-4 is a steam locomotive that has two unpowered leading wheels, followed by eight coupled and powered driving wheels, and four trailing wheels. This locomotive type is most often referred to as a Berkshire, though ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

" type

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

built in 1944 by the

Lima Locomotive Works Lima Locomotive Works was an American firm that manufactured railroad locomotives from the 1870s through the 1950s. The company took the most distinctive part of its name from its main shop's location in Lima, Ohio. The shops were located between ...

Lima, Ohio Lima ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwest Ohio along Interstate 75 in Ohio, Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton, Ohio, Dayton, southwest of Toledo, Ohio, T ...

as a member of the S-2 class for the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, commonly referred to as the "

Nickel Plate Road The New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad , abbreviated NYC&St.L, was a railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. Commonly referred to as the "Nickel Plate Road", the railroad served parts of the states of New York (state), Ne ...

". Built as a fast freight locomotive, No. 759 served the Nickel Plate until being retired in 1959 and placed into storage. In 1965, No. 759 was purchased by

F. Nelson Blount Francis Nelson Blount (May 21, 1918 – August 31, 1967) was president and founder of Blount Seafood Corporation and the founder of Steamtown, USA, the Monadnock, Steamtown & Northern Railroad, and the Green Mountain Railroad. A millionaire and ...

for display in his

Steamtown, U.S.A. Steamtown, U.S.A., was a steam locomotive museum that ran steam excursions out of North Walpole, New Hampshire, and Bellows Falls, Vermont, from the 1960s to 1983. The museum was founded by millionaire seafood industrialist F. Nelson Blount. T ...

collection in

North Walpole, New Hampshire North Walpole is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Walpole in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. It had a population of 785 at the 2020 census, making it the largest village in the town of Walpole. It is located along Ne ...

. The locomotive was restored to operating condition in 1967 by New York

commodity broker A commodity broker is a firm or an individual who executes orders to buy or sell commodity contracts on behalf of the clients and charges them a commission. A firm or individual who trades for his own account is called a trader. Commodity contra ...

Ross Rowland Ross E. Rowland, Jr. (born 1940) is a figure in United States railroad historic preservation, preservation. He has run public and demonstration excursions on existing railroads utilizing steam locomotives. Steam Excursion Career Ross Rowland b ...

for use in hauling his ''Golden Spike Centennial Limited'', a special commemorative train that celebrated the 100th anniversary of the completion of the

Transcontinental Railroad A transcontinental railroad or transcontinental railway is contiguous railroad trackage, that crosses a continental land mass and has terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks can be via the tracks of either a single ...

in 1969. Afterwards, No. 759 pulled numerous excursions for Ross Rowland and Steamtown until being retired once more and placed back on display in 1977. As of 2023, the locomotive remains on static display at the

Steamtown National Historic Site Steamtown National Historic Site (NHS) is a railroad museum and heritage railroad located on in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, at the site of the former Scranton yards of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W). The museum is buil ...

Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U ...

, and sibling engine No. 765 continues to operate in mainline

excursion service A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...

History

Revenue service

No. 759 was built in August 1944 by the

for the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, better known as the "

". No. 759 was one of 80

type

steam locomotives A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

built for the

Nickel Plate The New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad , abbreviated NYC&St.L, was a railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. Commonly referred to as the "Nickel Plate Road", the railroad served parts of the states of New York, Pennsylva ...

between 1934 and 1949 for fast freight duties. The Nickel Plate had 4 sub-classes of 2-8-4s corresponding to which order the locomotive was in, these were designated S through S-3, No. 759, is a member of the third order of 2-8-4s, classified S-2. Much of No. 759's original career on the Nickel Plate is obscure at best, but it is known that in May 1958, No. 759 entered the Nickel Plate's

Conneaut, Ohio Conneaut ( ) is a city in Ashtabula County, Ohio, Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States, along Lake Erie at the mouth of Conneaut Creek northeast of Cleveland. The population was 12,841 at the 2010 Census. Conneaut is located at the far northeast ...

shops for a complete overhaul which turned out to be the last overhaul of a steam locomotive on the Nickel Plate. After the overhaul was completed, No. 759 was never fired up and instead was put into storage.

Preservation

No. 759 was purchased by steam locomotive enthusiast,

on October 16, 1962 and subsequently moved to his

collection in

. It would later be moved across the

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...

Bellows Falls, Vermont Bellows Falls is an incorporated village located in the town of Rockingham in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,747 at the 2020 census. Bellows Falls is home to the Green Mountain Railroad, a heritage railroad; the ...

Excursion service

In 1967 a commodities broker from New York named Ross E. Rowland made a deal that would return No. 759 to service for steam powered fan trips hosted by Rowland's High Iron Company (HICO). No. 759 was chosen for restoration, since Rowland had previously operated

Canadian Pacific The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

4-6-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and two trailing wheels on one axle. The locomotiv ...

locomotives

1238 Year 1238 ( MCCXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Mongol Empire * January 15– 20 – Siege of Moscow: The Mongols under Batu Khan a ...

, 1286, and another one of Blount's locomotives,

1278 Year 1278 ( MCCLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * May 1 – William II of Villehardouin, prince of Achaea, dies. By the terms of ...

, and they didn't meet enough expectations to pull his longer

excursion train An excursion train is a chartered train run for a special event or purpose. Examples are trains to major sporting event, trains run for railfans or tourists, and special trains operated by the railway company for employees and prominent customer ...

s, unassisted. No. 759 was taken to the

Norfolk and Western The Norfolk and Western Railway , commonly called the N&W, was a US class I railroad, formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It was headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, for most of its existence. Its motto was "Precisio ...

Railroad's former Nickel Plate roundhouse in Conneaut, Ohio, the same place No. 759 was last serviced. After a short restoration and subsequent testing, No. 759 pulled its first excursion for the High Iron Company on August 30, 1968 when she pulled a 15 car excursion to

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

. In 1969, No. 759 was painted blue and gold for a special train celebrating the 100th anniversary of the driving of the golden spike. This train, dubbed the Golden Spike Centennial Limited, would take No. 759 as far away as

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

. After returning home from the Golden Spike Centennial Limited, No. 759 was returned to her Nickel Plate Road livery and ran two excursions for Steamtown, one of which was to

, Steamtown's future home. In 1970, this engine pulled an "High Iron" excursion from Hoboken to Binghamton, over the

Erie Lackawanna The Erie Lackawanna Railway , known as the Erie Lackawanna Railroad until 1968, was formed from the 1960 merger of the Erie Railroad and the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad. The official motto of the line was "The Friendly Service Route" ...

main line, stayed over night in Binghamton, and then it returned to Hoboken. In September of that year, No. 759 pulled an excursion on the

Western Maryland upright=1.2, An enlargeable map of Maryland's 23 counties and one independent city Western Maryland, also known as the Maryland Panhandle, is the portion of the U.S. state of Maryland that typically consists of Washington, Allegany, and Garret ...

(WM) mainline between

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

and Haegerstown,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. After a few excursions over the

Boston and Maine The Boston and Maine Railroad was a U.S. Class I railroad in northern New England. Originally chartered in 1835, it became part of what was the Pan Am Railways network in 1983 (most of which was purchased by CSX in 2022). At the end of 1970, B ...

and

Central Vermont The Central Vermont Railway was a railroad that operated in the U.S. states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont, as well as the Canadian province of Quebec. It connected Montreal, Quebec, with New London, Connect ...

in late 1973, No. 759 was placed into storage at the

Delaware and Hudson The Delaware and Hudson Railway (D&H) is a railroad that operates in the Northeastern United States. In 1991, after more than 150 years as an independent railroad, the D&H was purchased by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP). CP operates D&H ...

's roundhouse in

Rouses Point, New York Rouses Point is a village in Clinton County, New York, United States, along the 45th parallel. The population was 2,209 at the 2010 census. The village is named after Jacques Rouse, a French Canadian soldier who fought alongside the Americans d ...

for the winter. While it was in storage, D&H employees had neglected to completely drain the 759's boiler and left water in it which froze causing a considerable amount of damage to No. 759's boiler tubes. As a result, Steamtown sued the D&H for the damage it caused to the locomotive and won. As a settlement for the damage, the D&H had some repairs made to No. 759, and after some follow-up work back at Steamtown, No. 759 was test fired in 1975. In 1977 some more repairs were made to get No. 759 legally operational, but after a boiler flue failed during a hydrostatic test, it was decided that No. 759 would remain a static display piece. No. 759 would join the rest of the Steamtown collection in 1984 when it was moved from Bellows Falls, Vermont to

. After the move to Scranton, No. 759 would be placed on display in the former

Delaware, Lackawanna & Western The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (also known as the DL&W or Lackawanna Railroad) was a U.S. Class 1 railroad that connected Buffalo, New York, and Hoboken, New Jersey (and by ferry with New York City), a distance of . Incorporated in ...

rail yard with the rest of the collection. In 1988, Steamtown and most of its collection became part of the newly formed

Disposition

Nickel Plate Road 759 is now a static display at Steamtown, more often than not being on display inside the refurbished DL&W roundhouse. No. 759 is easily seen from the walk way Steamtown put inside the roundhouse to allow visitors to see the work going on. It is also the largest locomotive in the roundhouse with only a foot or two of clearance at either end making it notoriously difficult if not impossible to get a photo of the whole locomotive. No. 759 was one of the two American built steam locomotives considered by Steamtown to be restored to operating condition, the other being Boston and Maine 3713, which was ultimately chosen over 759, most likely due to clearance issues on the turntable (in order for 759 to fit, all of the safety railings that surround the turntable pit in the areas open to visitors have to be removed). In 2010, No. 759 was among the several steam locomotives in Steamtown's collection to undergo removal of its

asbestos Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere b ...

insulation. Asbestos was used by railroads and locomotive manufacturers as boiler insulation. In addition to having the asbestos removed, 759 had all new jacketing (cladding in UK terminology) applied as well as its bell, which had been in storage re-installed. While it is possible to restore No. 759 to operational condition, Steamtown has stated that they have little interest in restoring 759, citing that it is too large for their use and that another Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4, No. 765, is already operational; the latter has briefly visited Steamtown for Railfest 2015 to pose side by side with 759. For now, No. 759 sits safely on display out of the elements in Steamtown's roundhouse, being one of the three largest non-articulated steam locomotives to be homed at the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the other two being

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

4-8-4 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and four trailing wheels on two axles. The type w ...

No. 2124 and

Grand Trunk Western The Grand Trunk Western Railroad Company is an American subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway operating in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Since a corporate restructuring in 1971, the railroad has been under CN's subsidiary holdi ...

4-8-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels, eight powered and coupled driving wheels and two trailing wheels. This type of steam locomotive is commonly known as t ...

No. 6039.

References

Bibliography

{{Cite book , last=Paulus , first=Brian , title=The Western Maryland Railway: Baltimore to Cumberland & the New Line , publisher=

AuthorHouse AuthorHouse, formerly known as 1stBooks, is a self-publishing company based in the United States. AuthorHouse uses print-on-demand business model and technology. History Originally called 1stBooks, the company was founded in Bloomington, Indian ...

, year=2017 , isbn=978-1-5246-5118-3

External links

Nickel Plate Road Class S-2
2-8-4 locomotives Nickel Plate Road locomotives Individual locomotives of the United States Lima locomotives Standard gauge locomotives of the United States Railway locomotives introduced in 1944 Preserved steam locomotives of Pennsylvania