By Railfan & Railroad Staff
Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation has been awarded a $1.9 million grant from the Commonwealth of Kentucky that will aid the restoration of Chesapeake & Ohio 2-8-4 2716 and the continued construction of a mixed-use development called “The Yard.”
The Abandoned Mine Lands Economic Revitalization grant was awarded through the state’s Division of Abandoned Mine Lands and the Kentucky’s Energy and Environment Cabinet. It was announced by Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on Wednesday morning. Kentucky Steam is one of 14 Kentucky-based nonprofits slated to be funded by the program in 2023.
Chris Campbell, president of Kentucky Steam, said the grant is a watershed moment for the Irvine Kentucky-based non-profit.
“This 2023 AMLER award is a game changer for our project, and is proof positive that the Commonwealth is committed both to our project and to real investment in Appalachia and coal country,” he said. “The capital infusion validates the hard work our all-volunteer organization has put in over the past seven years and gives a big boost to the community that has welcomed us since our inception in 2016. We appreciate the Governor’s office, Energy and Environment Cabinet, and the entire federal delegation including Congressmen Rogers and Barr for their show of support of our endeavor.”
Since 2016, KSHC has been working toward restoring 2716 to operation. In 2019, the locomotive was moved to Revenna, where KSHC had acquired 47 acres of property from CSX that included a diesel locomotive maintenance facility. Since then, the non-profit has not only been busy with 2716 but it’s also been working to rebuild track in the yard and turn the shop, which hadn’t been used in years, into a restoration facility and museum. Part of that property will also become a mixed-use development called “The Yard” with an event venue for the community.
“The vision we laid out was ambitious and was met with skepticism from a lot of folks,” Campbell said. “But as we continued to develop the project with merely volunteer labor and small donations here and there, we have slowly gained more and more believers.”
KSHC officials have said working on its shop and property has been a big focus of the last few years. With progress on the shop facility getting to a place where it will be easier for volunteers to work on locomotives, Campbell said earlier this year he expects the restoration of 2716 to pick up pace in the months ahead. As of early 2023, the locomotive was about 35 percent complete.
For more information, visit https://www.kentuckysteam.org/.