BALTIMORE — On January 12, the B&O Railroad Museum held a ribbon-cutting to mark the conclusion of the cosmetic restoration of American Freedom Train No. 1 (formerly Reading 4-8-4 2101). A ceremony was held for museum board members and donors in the morning, followed by a public viewing in the afternoon.
The ribbon cutting was the culmination of 1,300 hours of labor to return the Northern to its AFT livery. Speakers at the event included former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and Amtrak Vice President of Government Affairs and Corporate Communications Bruno Maestri (who also serves on the museum’s board). Also on hand were four members of the original Freedom Train crew from 1975-1976 including Louis and Valerie Arcuri, Harold Weisinger, and Steve Wickersham (who, along with the late Ross Rowland, was the engineer on the 1 during its AFT stint).
The 2101 was one of three locomotives to power the Freedom Train on its coast-to-coast tour, primarily handling the train in the Northeast. Texas & Pacific 2-10-4 610 led the train in Texas, while Southern Pacific 4-8-4 4449 powered the train through most of the rest of the country.
Members of the Freedom Train crew from 1975-1976 were on hand, including (left to right) Louis Arcuri, Valerie Arcuri, Harold Weisinger, and Steve Wickersham.
Built by Reading in its home shop in Reading, Pa., from a smaller 2-8-0, the 2101 was set aside as protection power for the famed Iron Horse Rambles in the late 1950s, although it never powered those trips. Sent to Streigel’s scrap yard in Baltimore after the Rambles came to a close, it was rescued by Ross Rowland for the AFT. It later powered the Chessie Steam Special in 1977 and 1978, but was damaged by a roundhouse fire in Silver Grove, Ky., in early 1979. Chessie System traded Chesapeake & Ohio 4-8-4 614 to Rowland for the damaged locomotive; the 2101 was returned to its AFT identity and placed in the B&O Railroad Museum.
Outdoor display took its toll on the AFT paint job, and in recent years the locomotive looked somewhat neglected. The refurbished AFT 1 will spend a little time displayed outdoors, but will spend most of its time displayed indoors in the museum’s North Car Shop. According to the museum, “The locomotive’s restoration and interpretation connect two milestone anniversaries: the 250th anniversary of the United States in 2026 and the 200th anniversary of American railroading in 2027.”
—Steve Barry
Missing or damaged exterior elements were restored or accurately recreated, including the number boards and eagle on the headlight. The lights were wired to run off standard current for display purposes. In all, the restoration required more than 1,300 hours of labor, all performed at the museum.
