The Locomotive That Would Not Die and Two Railroads Upon Which She Ran

Video Submitted by CaseyJones16239. This an incredible story about an unstoppable locomotive.
Update Aug 2014. I am very pleased with interest shown in this video. It is a wonderful railroading story. Even with over 5000 views there have been very few comments. So when I receive any I take them very seriously. A KZbin user called ebtmikado has made several very constructive comments. I give them here in the narrative but do not intend to reissue the video. Here they are:
In the diagram I created of the Wye at Old Saybrook I labeled the high speed New England Corridor to belong to the Providence and Worcester Railroad. He is correct in pointing out that the corridor at that point is owned and operated by Amtrack instead. I have learned since then that the Providence and Worcester has overhead usage rights meaning they can use the tracks to travel end to end from one part of their network to another, but can not service freight customers. from Amtrack tracks.
Ebtmikado also pointed out that I misspelled and mispronounced Worcester. I thank him again for the comments. Can you tell I am not from New England.? I am glad ebtmikado likes Mikados!. Now back to the narrative.
The story starts with the purchase of a brand new Chinese Mikado steam locomotive by Sloan Cornell of the Knox and Kane Railroad in 1990. There were no American builders of steam engines then. For the next 14 years the Mikado ran tall and proud as the queen of the Allegheny National Forest. Her excursions from Marienville ended with a spectacular trip across the Kinzua Bridge near Bradford PA. At one time the highest railroad bridge in the USA.
Two blows spelled the end of the line for the Knox and Kane. The Kinzua Bridge was destroyed by a tornado in 2003. An arson engine house fire in 2008 left the locomotive an unrecognizable twisted hulk. Few thought she could be save but not so the keen eye of J. David Conrad of the Valley Railroad of Essex CT.saw differently.
The Valley RR bought the locomotive at auction in Oct 2008. In just over three years the Valley RR restored the locomotive in what appear to many as miraculous restoration. By November 2011 she was fully restored as seen in the photo above. This video has some thrilling footage of Mikado living her new life at her new home.

[@johnthompson4067]

The Valley RR gave the Mikado what appears to be a new tender, or else drastically rebuilt the existing tender. It was lettered for the New Haven RR as they operate over a former New Haven branch line. The number is a tribute to a group of New Haven Mikados that were in that numbering series. By the way, a portion of this line was used in the filming of the 1958 comedy "It Happened to Jane", starring Doris Day and Jack Lemmon and a New Haven Mikado (subsequently scrapped). The Valley RR previously owned another identical SY Mikado, I think its number was 1647, and later sold to the Susquehanna RR.

[@fredstuckmann]

Thanks for your hard work at preserving this wonderful memory for all of us.

[@roscop.coltrane8532]

I was up there in 2003 when the storm took the bridge down

[@jakeandzack5763]

If this engine can run again after a fire, then Reading 2101 can too.

[@ke2xx]

I was in the coal yard and shop yard of the Essex railroad in the early 2000's. I was on my way with a truck to get a load of nursery stock and when i got off the 4 lane #97 sat in the yard along with some rolling stock. I took pictures of that scene.

[@riderstrano783]

I was 7 years old when that locomotive arrived, but I remember that day like it was about a month ago. I was there with my dad to watch them off-load the locomotive, the New #2 was also there at the time, undergoing a similar process

[@UTubeGlennAR]

Nice vid of a happy/sad story. Thanks for posting. I live within ear shot of a grade cossing of the abandon WB&E in eastern PA since I was in 7th grade, some 50+ years ago. The WB&E track was laid starting in 1892 to 1894 from Stroudsburg PA to Wilkes Barre PA at Slucecon. Sadly the tracks were removed in 1937 and I NEVER had the pleasure to whiteness first hand the WB&E in oration.... However I find my self often listening for long, the short and another long train whistle blast in the distance echoing for some 79 years now as locomotive neared the grade crossing half a mile from my home for the last time.... I guess I too know your love for the Iron Hoarse of yester year....... Thanks again for sharing your love for steam with us......

[@garfo992e]

Thanks for sharing, rode the K&K twice, wondered what happened to the 1658 after the fire, glad to see was saved

[@tractorsold1]

One end of the Kinzua bridge is now open as a park. You can walk out and look down on the twisted steel in the valley from high on the bridge. There's plexiglass in the walkway so you can really look down.

[@CaseyJones16239]

Yes. It is called the Skywalk and makes the Park worth visiting. Its near Bradford PA. There also is new visitor's center. State Parks did a good job reinventing the Kinzua Bridge. Thanks for the comment !!

[@strongsadventures]

Very nice Video. Thanks

[@ostlandr]

The Kinzua Viaduct is gone now, too- got hit by a tornado. What really was bad is there was a project underway to reinforce the foundations against just such an event.

[@1TruNub]

every little boys dream is to have his hand on that throttle and pull that whistle cord

[@1TruNub]

good job on the video and excellent story mike, good to see the old girl fired up

[@paddlesaddlelad1881]

kids nowadays: *CAN* *IT* *DRIFT*

[@paddlesaddlelad1881]

running in the 90s 12:12

[@ebtmikado]

In the track map, the mainline was Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, not the Providence & Worcester.

[@CaseyJones16239]

Ebtmikado. You are correct again. I had assumed that the Providence and Worcester Railroad was the owner and maintainer of the tracks through Old Saybrook. but when I researched it deeper, it confirmed your statement that the high speed line through Old Saybrook is owned and operated by Amtrack. The Providence and Worcester leases use of the line to move freight in the region. Thanks for setting me straight on this.

[@brucetharpe762]

13:01 14:36 whats the hormonica music playing in the ending? I love it!

[@raymondleggs5508]

The Chinese SY class is based upon the USRA light mikado

[@Ian-qs3fz]

no usra mikados are a lot bigger

[@kevinbrooks6265]

what a great story. who in there right mind would start a fire in one of these beauties ! i hope they caught the bastard !

[@Stussmeister]

As a self-acknowledged railroad nut (note the profile picture), I would relish the chance to start a fire in an engine's firebox and get it running, but setting fire to a beautiful piece of history such as this wouldn't even be within 100 miles of my thoughts.

[@CaseyJones16239]

They told me a guy who paid his $500 for his hour but did not even touch the throttle (wonder if he was afraid of it) but what he did the whole time was blow the whistle . At appropriate times of course. If you do everything throttle, brake , reversig lever, and whistle. It gets pretty busy. Oh yea you've got to be watching the track also.

[@Trainlover4472]

Mike Adams '

[@TheProfessor936]

To me, seeing the locomotive being shipped by truck was like seeing enemy soldiers carrying a wounded ally.

[@joanhauck6159]

TheProfessor936

[@Billblom]

A great job with the restoration. I hope that the arsonists got thrown in Jail for a long period of time.

[@Maine_Railfan]

what happend to the other steam loco's at the knox and kane? and the 2nd pw loco is rare because its at letx

[@lehighandnewengland]

Maine Railfan© the other steam engine is on the Everett railroad its numbered 38 and it's a 2-8-0

[@Maine_Railfan]

Thanks!

[@ebtmikado]

So many embarrassing informational and spelling errors! A few minutes' research would have made such a difference in quality.

[@brucetharpe762]

4:40

[@ebtmikado]

Pronounced Wooster, NOT Worchester. There is no H in Worcester.

[@CaseyJones16239]

Hi. ebmikado. Thanks for the comment. I'll put a note with the correction in the next day or so. You can tell I'm not from New England.

[@richardmead9225]

Worchester pronounced...Woo (like in wood) ster.

[@CaseyJones16239]

Yea. I blew the pronunciation. Guess you can tell I am not a New Englander. I've decider not to fix it and work on new stuff instead. Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching.