Historic steam locomotive returns to Metamora
(By Rachel E. Sheeley, Staff writer Palladium.com Richmond, Indiana)
The historic Flagg Coal Company No. 75 steam locomotive today will return to the tracks of the Whitewater Valley Railroad for three weekends.
During the steam locomotive’s first weekend on the former New York Central Railroad’s Whitewater Branch Line, there will be special activities to commemorate the 200th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s birth.
On Saturday and Sunday in Metamora, where short trips will be offered on the steam locomotive, Abraham Lincoln re-enactor Dean Dorrell will join passengers for the 11 a.m., 1:10 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. excursions.
Before and between trips, Dorrell, as Lincoln, will pose for photos, answer questions and, at the end of each train ride, present one of the president’s many speeches.
The No. 75 steam locomotive’s three-weekend appearance at Metamora is part of a nine-month tour of different rail operations in the United States, according to William W. Gray, the Whitewater Valley Railroad’s publicity officer.
The Flagg Coal Company No. 75 is a 40-ton saddle tank locomotive built in 1930 by the Vulcan Iron Works of Wilkes Barre, Pa. It was first used by Flagg Coal Company of Avoca, Pa., as a switch engine. In 1935, it was sold to the Solvay Process Co. in Jamesville, N.Y., where it was used to push 4-wheel hopper cars from the steam shovel to the crusher at the rock quarry.
In the early 1950s, the Solvay Process Co. disbanded its railroad operation in favor of trucking and in 1953, No. 75 and 12 other locomotives were sold to Dr. Groman for his planned Rail City Museum in Sandy Pond, N.Y., where the locomotive sat untouched until 1991 when John and Byron Gramling purchased it with the intent to restore it to operating condition.
The father-son duo painstakingly disassembled the locomotive, moved it to their shop in Ashley, Ind., and spent 10 years returning it to service.
Established in 1972, the Whitewater Valley Railroad is a non-profit railroad history organization, dedicated to railway and rail equipment preservation, restoration and educational programs.
Additional Facts
If You Go
What: Whitewater Valley Railroad excursions from Metamora featuring the Flagg Coal Company No. 75 steam locomotive, built in 1930. All trains operate rain or shine.
Reservations and info: (765) 825-2054 or www.whitewatervalleyrr.org
Learn more about No. 75: www.FlaggCoalCompany75.com.