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Nickel Plate Road GP30 Restoration Makes Debut in Ohio

The newly-restored Nickel Plate GP30 902 is on its first run at Mason, Ohio, on Sept. 24, 2021, for the Nickel Plate Road Historical & Technical Society convention. Photo by M.T.Burkhart.

Nickel Plate Road GP30 Restoration Makes Debut in Ohio

By M.T. Burkhart

LEBANON, Ohio – On September 24, Cincinnati Scenic Railway unveiled freshly-restored Nickel Plate GP30 902 on a special run for the Nickel Plate Road Historical & Technical Society convention.

Numbered 900 to 909, the locomotive was part of an order delivered by EMD to the Nickel Plate in 1962. Sister 901, also on the Cincinnati Scenic, was restored to Nickel Plate colors in 2011, although it is not currently lettered. 

Until recently, 902 wore the scheme of Great Miami, where it worked before entering tourist service. An outside contractor was hired to paint the locomotive, but several days of rain leading up to the convention prevented the finishing touches – including the lettering and nose striping – from going on until the last minute.

On the evening before the convention, the contractor sprayed on the yellow road name, the number on the cab, nose striping and the pilot. Chip Coburn, of CDS Signs and an engineer on the nearby Whitewater Valley Railroad, recreated the locomotive’s builders plates and applied them to the frame on Thursday.

By Friday morning, the locomotive was ready for the convention special, double-headed with 901. It ran the length of the tourist operation, going first to Mason and then to Monroe before returning to Lebanon. That evening, it powered a fundraising special to Mason and back to help offset the painting cost.

Also on Cincinnati Scenic’s roster is Chesapeake & Ohio GP7 5704 and a former Illinois Central GP10, painted in Conrail colors and numbered 7544.

This article was posted on: September 28, 2021