The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society is hosting an open house at their shop in New Haven, Ind., featuring New York Central L-3a 4-8-2 “Mohawk” 3001 and Nickel Plate Road Business Car 1 on Sept. 26. 

The open house will celebrate the successful relocation of NYC 3001 from its former home at the National New York Central Railroad Museum in Elkhart. The move of the locomotive marks a major milestone in its restoration process, which began two years ago when the Fort Wayne group first acquired the locomotive and began fundraising and preparations for its relocation. 

Guests will be able to tour the restoration shop and Pullman car to get a close-up view of the ongoing work, while volunteers will be available to talk to guests about their ongoing projects. 

Locomotive 3001 is the largest surviving New York Central steam locomotive, and also one of only four that were preserved. Pullman 1 is a former private car once owned by brothers Oris and Mantis Van Sweringen, who had holdings in major railroads including the Nickel Plate Road, Chesapeake & Ohio and Erie.

Pullman 1 was relocated to the Fort Wayne Railroad’s shop last month and is also undergoing an operational restoration. 

  The open house will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and admission is free. 

—Nick Stewart