(The following story by Frederick N. Rasmussen appeared on the Baltimore Sun website on April 12, 2010.)
BALTIMORE, Md. — The Thatcher Perkins has come a long way since the winter day in 2003 when it lay under tons of snow, slate, wood, cast iron and other debris, after half of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum’s roof gave way in a record snowstorm.
The Presidents Day weekend roof collapse caused $15 million in damage to the museum’s collection of historic locomotives, rolling stock and other rail artifacts – and the Perkins was a woeful sight.
It sustained major cab damage, with its boiler dented and pierced. Its bell and yoke were broken and gouged. Its whistle snapped off at its base, and the engine’s smokestack was smashed.
For those who appreciate such machines, it seemed like the end of the line for the venerable locomotive.
However, on a recent day, the Perkins – proudly displaying the number 147 – was back in its rightful place in the museum roundhouse after a two-year restoration led by Rich Timberman, superintendent of rail operations; George Harwood, master metalworker; and master carpenter Zell Olson. Nary a trace of the wounds was in evidence.
Designed by Thatcher Perkins, the B&O’s master of machinery, the 147 was one of 11 “Perkins Ten Wheelers” built in 1863.
Some museum hands refer to the Perkins as a “war baby” because of the engine’s construction during the Civil War.
Weighing 47 tons, the Perkins was among the B&O’s heaviest and most powerful locomotives at the time. It was designed to haul freight and coal cars over tortuous mountain grades, and during wartime, it saw service powering Union troop trains.
After 30 years of traversing the B&O, the Perkins was retired in 1893.
Like a proud papa showing off his new baby, museum curator Dave Shackelford couldn’t wait to introduce the restored Perkins to a visitor.
“It gave us a chance to do a more accurate, thorough and detailed restoration,” said Shackelford, noting that for years the locomotive bore the number 117. “We found its actual number, 147, on its saddle.”
Shackelford said that it was not unusual for railroad equipment to be modified over the years and that the Perkins had not been immune.
The colorful paint patterns of its early days gave way to a dull black. Lettering styles changed with the times. Other parts were exchanged.
“We did a lot of extensive detective work,” Shackelford said.