It appears that the next project for the B&O’s restoration shop is the President Washington, according to their Facebook page.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_ ... eed_mobile

Given the quality of work completed on both B&O 51 and CNJ 1000 just this year, there’s a lot to be excited about as the last P7 Pacific gets cosmetic work completed on it.

Double Washington.

Trains Mag reports B&O RR Museum has received funding to cosmetically restore lightweight coach observation-lounge 3316 Washington (P-S 1949), built for Baltimore-Chicago operation on the all-coach Columbian train. It's a boat-end obs car while the all-Pullman Capitol Limited had flat end 5 DB sleeper-lounge-obs cars.

The car is named for the city of Washington; the other lightweight Columbian consist had obs car Chicago.

Remarkably, one of the obs cars from the 1941 heavyweight Columbian, B&O 3302, is also at the B&O Museum. In B&O service it had no name but the Baltimore Chapter NRHS named it Edward G. Hooper after they bought it from the B&O.

Phil Mulligan

$500,000 to restore the observation car according to the article. Now THAT is lavish.

They’ve done a lot right in the recent past with their stuff. There’s a lot to look forward to over in Baltimore.

My B&O knowledge is lacking, but couldn't the engine be restored to a blue scheme? Might make a nice change (sorry R&N 425). I'd be interested to see a summary of livery/number history.

Joshua

It could be restored "blue" but the green would be appropriate for it's earlier in service appearance during its "prime years" with Pullman trains etc

I, for one, would love to see it retrofitted with streamlined shrouding ;)

In all seriousness, Blue or Pullman Green on 5300 would go a long way. Would make a very good showpiece in the roundhouse next to all of the other gorgeously painted 19th Century locomotives.

The 5300 was never streamlined. The 5304 was streamlined for Royal Blue service in the late 30's. When the Cincinnatian was inaugurated in 1947 the 5301-5304 were the engines from the P7 class that were streamlined - streamlining they retained until they were removed from service in 1956 and ultimately scrapped from class P7d. My understanding is that ALL P7's through the late 1940's were upgraded to P7c specs, that includes the 5300.

In the after WW II period, most all B&O Passenger steam power was painted blue, the freight steam power was painted black.

B&O 5300 would not be an appropriate locomotive to fit in streamlined shrouding. It’s fellow presidents would had they survived.

Reason being is that 5300 in service was kept pretty much in original condition with very few modifications unlike the other members of its class. It never had its headlight placed on the smoke box door, never had its bell moved, and never received a larger tender. The closest thing you could call a “modification” was it’s change of paint, from the olive green color it was seen with in the 1970’s and what it was built with to what the B&O museum calls “solid blue” in its later career. Other sources list the locomotives being painted in black but there are a few color photos of the presidents that make them appear blue tinted. Namely this one of 5309 in Cumberland.

Blue would be a good color to display 5300 in. Looks very sharp.

https://www.american-rails.com/images/5 ... 098373.jpg

I believe B&O painted all the P-7's "Bando Blue" and removed the names after 1940. 5304 was destreamlined after the EMC EA/EB sets arrived and took over the Royal Blue service. It was then restreamlined in 1948 for the Cincinnatian, and 5301-5304 remained streamlined until the withdrawal of steam.

5300 was about as 1927 in appearance as any P-7.

Phil Mulligan