Locomotive No. 3001, the centerpiece of the National New York Central Railroad Museum in Elkhart, will receive new life through a partnership between the city of Elkhart and the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society. On Wednesday morning, train lovers flocked to the Elkhart museum for a significant announcement by Kelly Lynch, executive director of the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society.
“Just an hour and a half away in northeastern Indiana, we’ve had the extraordinary opportunity to partner with the Indiana Northeastern Railroad Company to create the Indiana Rail Experience,” Lynch said. “We are well on our way to curating a remarkable living history experience that recreates the golden era of American railroading, just as it was seventy years ago. Naturally the question has arisen, what if we could bring a New York Central locomotive into the mix as well?”
The initiative, called The American Locomotive Project, focuses on restoring locomotive No. 3001.
No. 3001 is one of only two remaining New York Central Mohawk locomotives out of the 600 built in the early 20th century. The museum has housed the locomotive since before its opening in 1987. Although the train has been well preserved, it has not been functional for nearly 70 years.
“To be able to take an icon like this and not necessarily put it on display somewhere else, but to give it a new lease on life is very special and unique,” Lynch said.
While the Elkhart museum will miss its focal point, most railroad enthusiasts agree that restoring No. 3001 to working order is more important than keeping it as a static display. One train fan in attendance, former Goshen mayoral candidate Ben Rogers, shared his thoughts.
“There’s always been that concern about what if the Mohawk leaves,” Rogers said. “What then is the big draw at the museum? You have a diesel locomotive. You have the GG1 electric. You have a lot of other pieces to tell the story of not just the New York Central, but Elkhart County railroading in general.”
In addition to retaining other pieces at the museum, part of the agreement to restore No. 3001 includes creating a master plan for the railroad museum in Elkhart. This plan aims to preserve the existing displays and better incorporate the museum into the local community.
“Our plan with the museum is to put together a master plan for the collection,” Lynch said, “and to improve the overall condition of the outdoor site and the collection itself. This area, on this side of the tracks, is really poised for redevelopment, and this museum can really become a wonderful anchor for this neighborhood.”
No. 3001 was never intended to be a static display.
“When this was towed up here from Dallas, the whole point of bringing it here was to restore it,” Rogers said. “The museum came after it was brought up here. The whole goal has always been to restore the locomotive. The whole goal of it being in Elkhart was to see it run again.”
The estimated cost of restoring No. 3001 is $4.3 million, and the restoration cannot begin until those funds are raised.