There is a BRIEF listed today concerning a "West Virginia Northern" steam locomotive which turns out to be a WVN loco from the tourist operation. Does anyone out there know the status of the two GENUINE WVN steam<br>engines still (?) in existance. These two Consolidations (WVN numbers 8 and 9) were eventually sold to the Preston Railroad which at its end was only a 2-1/2 mile operation. Preston renumbered the engines as #18 and #19. After the Preston shut down, the engines were sold to a private collector in Madley, PA. Are they still there? What kind of shape are they in?<br>These two engines had capped stacks and were very photogenic. I believe they may have been "deckless" engines (ala N&W 4-8-0 #475). Anyone know anything about their status today? <br>



midlandblb@cs.com

They are still owned by Don Leap in Madley, PA. I believe they are stored at a quarry.<br>



robsterne@hotmail.com

I met with Don Leap a few months back and he took me over to look at the two locomotive in question. Number 9, built in 1906, is stored under a makeshift shed, is complete, and is in a fairly good condition cosmetically from what I could see. There has not been anything stripped from this locomotive. It is a Baldwin product and does not have a deck.<p>Number 8, built in 1904, is outside and in very bad condition. The tender is rotted clean through, the coal space floor is gone, the cab is ready to come off, and who knows how much boiler damage has been caused by continually soaked lagging. There is not room enough under the shed for number 8, therefore it is doomed to rust away.<p>The locomotives weigh 85 ton engine & tender and have 42" drivers. They are landlocked and would need to be trucked out. There is a stream between the locos and the road so they would have to go over a former railroad bridge to get out. Don has both locomotives for sale and is waiting for a rigger to get a trailer built that can handle the locomotives for the move.<p>Number 9 would be a good operating restoration candidate, number 8 would be good for cosmetic restoration only. Since both are identical, number 8 could be a parts source for number 9.<p>Of course the locomotive is 90+ years old, and just how much service reliability could someone expect out of a machine of that vintage?<br><br>



bighookx45@aol.com

What will happen to this lines Diesels? If I remember right, their SW-1200's have dynamic brakes which are relatively rare. I do not know of any switcher with dynamic brakes that has been preserved other than the former Magma Arizona Baldwin.<br>



paulkattner@hotmail.com