History of Mountain Thunder
History of Mountain Thunder
By WMSR Mechanic Cameron Stefan
In the Spring of 1991, the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad began operations. With the help of its diesel-powered engines, they made excursions up and down the mountainous 16 mile stretch of railroad between Cumberland and Frostburg Maryland. When the installation of a scenic railroad was first proposed almost a decade earlier, it was noted that having a steam locomotive could be beneficial in drawing tourism into the area. Considering the successes that the Cass Scenic Railroad and Strasburg Railroad were enjoying, the young WMSR decided to procure its own steam locomotive.
A news article from the Cumberland Times-News in December 1991 reported that the railroad was awaiting funding to purchase a Chinese built SY-class 2-8-2 steam locomotive. Almost 2000 of these locomotives were built for use in China between 1960 and 1999.
The railroad would have preferred to build a brand-new steam engine, rather than worry about fixing a new one. Although it would cost $370,000 shipped, and 8 months to build, it would not be worn out like most of the surviving steam locomotives in the US. The cost of the locomotive was even added to the annual budget, but unfortunately, the SY never made it. So, the WMSR continued its search for a steam locomotive to call its own.
Just like today, there was a delicate balance between size and power that the WMSR needed to maintain when considering power requirements. Most of the railroad was built to a high standard, with broad sweeping curves and grades that did not exceed 1.75%. However, the tippy top of the railroad which had been built for the Cumberland and Pennsylvania Railroad, winds around tight curves, and the grade stiffens to almost 3%! The young WMSR needed a steam locomotive that was small enough to handle the tight curves of the “C&P”, but powerful enough to haul a relatively large train unassisted.
After searching across the country, the WMSR landed on a locomotive that was located at the Illinois Railroad Museum. Faded and washed out, the white number painted on the cab was “34”. She was built for the Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad as a heavy duty road switcher, and spent most of her career shuttling heavy loads of Iron Ore through the countryside of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. She was the middle child of a class of three 2-8-0s built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1916.
Railway Mechanical Engineer, a railroad engineering journal of the time, lauded the newly designed engine’s large proportions. These locomotives were so large for the LS&I, in fact, that the bell had to sit on the side of the boiler, and the domes had to be fabricated shorter to enable better clearances. With a working weight of 425,000lbs, the locomotives sported an 88” diameter boiler and 57” drivers. At the time these engines were built, the LS&I was improving its right-of-way in anticipation of ordering locomotives of this caliber. Locomotives 18, 19 and 20 were ordered Dec. 1st, 1915 and arrived on the LS&I in April of 1916, adorned in shimmering olive green paint and aluminum leaf striping. A separate identical sister, built for another nearby ore-hauling road, would be numbered 44.
After consolidating with another railroad, the LS&I, the trio was renumbered to 32, 34 and 35, and 44 was added to the roster of the LS&I as 33.
34 was the standout of the trio. Most of her stories are lost to history, and though her day to day was spent hauling heavy loads at slow speeds, there are at least 2 events that spice up her career. In 1943, roundhouse fire damaged 34 and several other locomotives belonging to the LS&I. The fire in question was started in the cab of one of the locomotives in the house, and the roundhouse crew was evacuated before it could be quelled,
There also exists a scar on the fireman’s side of the huge cylinder casting. This scar constitutes a repair job that was done after some unknown collision. The damage is typical of “side swipe damage” that may occur when a locomotive is struck halfway through a switch. The LS&I had a remarkable safety record, but even on the safest of railroads, accidents do happen.
Despite their reliability, 34 and her sisters were not immune to the post WWII modernization of America's railroads. The LS&I ran steam pretty late as US railroads go, not fully dieselizing until 1962. After 47 years on the LS&I, 34, along with her sisters 33 and 35, were sold to the Marquette & Huron Mountain Railroad, a small tourist operation hoping to restore steam operations to the Upper Peninsula in 1963. The tourist line only lasted until the early 80’s, but long before the line was abandoned, 34 was rehomed in 1967 after being deemed surplus. 34 and 35 were sold to the Illinois Railroad museum, where 35 resides to this day. 33 changed hands as well, eventually belonging to Jerry Jacobson as part of his collection of Steam Locomotives at the Age of Steam Roundhouse. 32, the lost sister, was used as target practice by the air force in the late 1960s.
Arriving on the property in July of 1992, 34 would return the thunder of steam to the mountains of Western Maryland. There was still a long road ahead; hundreds of thousands of dollars of mechanical work had to be done to get the engine operational, facilities to support the engine would have to be acquired, and some cosmetic surgery would be in order to make the locomotive look more at home. A new tender would also be required due to the original tender’s dilapidated condition.
734 upon arrival in Ridgeley for the first time in July of 1992. Photo by Tim Wilson
So too was the engine’s identity to be shifted slightly. Although her historic number was bestowed upon her in 1923, she was no longer amongst the ore docks of Lake Superior. Considering the plans for cosmetic surgery, and the similarity in size and stature that she shared with the Western Maryland Railway’s H-7 and H-8 classes, 34 would be renumbered 734 to align with the aforementioned locomotives’ number series. Although 734 would not be a 100% replica of either class, its LS&I heritage was masked by the incredible resemblance it would bear to the long lost classes it was meant to represent. To boot, to the WM H-9 class, a large 6 axle tender was acquired from the CSX MOW department. This particular tender was from a New York Central 4-8-2 Mohawk, number 2663.
Some of the modifications to change the 734’s appearance included installing Western Maryland-style windows in the cab, removing the Worthington BL feedwater heater, and mounting a cross-compound air pump in its place. The placement of the headlight and bell was modified, and new steps and a rock knocker were added, further enhancing the locomotive’s resemblance to its intended prototype.
When the restoration was completed in August of 1993, the locomotive that marched into Cumberland Station was like a ghost out of time. Out of the 120-odd locomotives in the WM H-7 8 and 9 classes, not one locomotive survived. 734 was the next best thing, and for the next 20 years she would bridge a gap in railroad history. 734 began operating regularly over the old rails of the WM, to much fanfare,. Her tumultuous victories over the mountain grades and sharp staccato blast of her exhaust would earn her the nickname “Mountain Thunder” in 2001, another change in identity that saw her become more popular among local Marylanders and railfans alike. Her distinctive profile appeared in numerous media outlets, including an episode of Jeopardy!, a 1998 Pontiac Montana minivan commercial, murals in Cumberland and Frostburg, and even a trip to CSX’s Cumberland Terminal under her own power to weigh her New York Central tender.
With thousands of trips logged between Cumberland and Frostburg, No. 734 became the backbone of the WMSR. She carried hundreds of thousands of passengers, creating lasting memories for families and rail enthusiasts alike. By 2016, however, No. 734 had reached the end of her boiler’s service life and required a full rebuild to comply with the
FRA-mandated 1,472-day inspection. Her last fire was dropped on April 10, 2016, marking the end of an era for the beloved locomotive. 1309 has proven to be a favorite among railfans, but 734 is regarded as having more heart and personality, and has been sorely missed since she was pulled from service in 2016. Although the engine has been retired multiple times in her over 100 year career, 734 seems to be the locomotive that history cannot keep down. Let's bring her back!