Steam Locomotive on Display in North Judson

A rare opportunity to capture C&O 2789 on display

NORTH JUDSON, INDIANA – The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum is pleased to announce a special display of its most prized possession – Chesapeake & Ohio steam locomotive no. 2789. The locomotive will be on display for one day only at the museum’s park along State Road 10 in North Judson, Indiana, on Saturday, October 17, 2020. The event will coincide with the Erie Trail Traveler’s Chili Ride & Walk and the Starke County Bloomers Run.

This is an open invitation to railfans, train enthusiasts, and the public to visit the museum, photograph the move, and experience the grandeur of a by-gone era. It will be the first major move for the locomotive in more than 30 years and will be the first time it has been on display outside of museum grounds.

About the Move

The steam locomotive will be pulled from the museum’s shop on the morning of October 17th and will be moved to the park along State Road 10 in North Judson – a distance of approximately 1.5 miles. There is no set schedule for departure. The locomotive will be towed very slowly, giving on-lookers ample opportunities to view and photograph the engine on the former Erie mainline. The track parallels the Erie Trail, which is a paved non-motorized walking and bike path made possible through a collaborative effort with the Prairie Trails Club. The Erie Trail is part of the American Discovery Trail, the Great American Rail-Trail, and USBR 35.

About the Locomotive

Chesapeake & Ohio steam locomotive no. 2789 was built in 1947 by the American Locomotive Company of Schenectady, New York. It is a K4-class Kanawha-type locomotive with a 2-8-4 wheel arrangement. This superpowered engine represents the zenith of steam locomotive development. The locomotive itself weighs in at 230 tons and could carry 30 tons of coal and 22,000 gallons of water.

This historic steam locomotive was one of 90 that were built for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway after World War II. It was the last locomotive of its class constructed and is the only surviving example with a welded boiler. The locomotive also helped pull the Southwest Friendship Train in 1947, a grass-roots humanitarian relief effort that collected food for delivery in Europe.

The locomotive was only in service until 1955 and put on display in a park in Peru, Indiana, in 1961. It was removed from the park in 1986 and eventually found its way to North Judson where it was the inspiration for the start of the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum in 1988.

About the Museum

The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization dedicated to the preservation of railroad history in northwest Indiana. The museum educates the public through interpretive displays and its tourist railroad that operates over several miles of former Chesapeake & Ohio track saved from abandonment in 2004.

Additional information about the museum can be found online at hoosiervalley.org or on the museum’s Facebook page at @hoosiervalley.