The Pennsylvania Railroad T1 Steam Locomotive Trust has acquired two former PRR E8A locomotives from the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society and has contracted the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad to perform a full restoration on the pair. The T1 Trust group plans to operate restored PRR 5702A and 5761A alongside T1 steam locomotive 5550, which is currently under construction and will be the first new main line steam locomotive built in the U.S. since the 1950s. A total of 450 E8s were produced by Electro-Motive between 1949 and 1954.
“While our primary mission remains the completion of T1 No. 5550, this acquisition helps us preserve and interpret a broader spectrum of Pennsylvania Railroad innovation for future generations,” stated Brad Noble, president of the Pennsylvania Railroad T1 Steam Locomotive Trust.
These locomotives mark the first motive power acquisition for T1 Trust and are the first diesel locomotives to be owned by the group. Iowa Pacific Holdings previously owned the locomotives, but they were sold to Fort Wayne Railroad following the company’s bankruptcy and liquidation. The group had been evaluating several long-term preservation opportunities while $40,000 in storage costs were raised through the sponsorship of a private donor, who also financed the sale of the locomotives to the T1 Trust.
Jason Johnson, general manager of the T1 Trust, says he is excited about the chance to operate the locomotives again.
“It’s a great addition for the T1 Trust,” he said. “I’m a big fan of the early streamlined diesels even though they replaced the T1s. I’m still partial to that era of diesel locomotives, so I’m looking forward to seeing them operate again just as they did in passenger service.”
The locomotives will spend the winter at the WMSR shops in Cumberland, Md., for mechanical and cosmetic work, and T1 Trust hopes to have them out by some time next year. WMSR Executive Director Wesley Heinz shared that the organization is humbled to play a role in the future of these historic pieces of railroad history.
“WMSR and the T1 Locomotive Trust have worked together on several projects that have been beneficial to both organizations. We look forward to evaluating the locomotives to determine what the next steps might look like.”
PRR 5702A and 5761A were built by EMD in 1952 and were among 75 E8A locomotives built for the Pennsylvania Railroad. They owned the largest fleet of the type. Locomotives 5702A and 5761A have gone through many ownership changes following their service on the PRR, having been operated by Penn Central, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Green Mountain Railroad, and Central New York Chapter NRHS, before joining the Iowa Pacific fleet in 2012. Proposed for use on their Saratoga & North Creek operation, the units were never activated and instead sold into private ownership following the collapse of Iowa Pacific in 2020. They spent the last several years stored on a short line in upstate New York until FWRHS considered them for their own excursion operation in Indiana.
Over the past five years, several long-term preservation opportunities were evaluated as FWRHS stewarded more than $40,000 in storage costs sponsored by a private donor, and the sale to the T1 Trust now ensures the locomotives will continue contributing to the preservation and interpretation of the Pennsylvania Railroad and its contributions to the railroad industry.
The historic streamlined units are currently en route to the WMSR in Cumberland, and no schedule has been released for their completion.
— Nick Stewart
