![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/55/Cumberland_Railroad_Station%252C_train_%252821600505165%2529.jpg/640px-Cumberland_Railroad_Station%252C_train_%252821600505165%2529.jpg&w=640&q=50)
Western Maryland Scenic Railroad 734
Preserved American 2-8-0 locomotive (LS&I class SC-1) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Western Maryland 734?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Western Maryland Scenic Railroad No. 734, also known as Mountain Thunder, is an SC-1 class 2-8-0 “Consolidation” type steam locomotive originally built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1916 for the Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad (LS&I) as No. 18. It was renumbered to 34 in 1925. No. 34 was used to pull heavy iron ore trains for the LS&I, until it was retired in 1961. The locomotive was subsequently sold to the Marquette and Huron Mountain Railroad, where it was stored in a sideline alongside other LS&I steam locomotives. In 1971, No. 34 was sold to the Illinois Railway Museum for static display.
Western Maryland Scenic Railroad 734 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() WMSR No. 734 at the Cumberland Station, on August 23, 2006 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
In 1992, No. 34 was acquired by the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad (WMSR), who renumbered it to 734 and cosmetically altered it to resemble a Western Maryland (WM) 2-8-0. For the next twenty-three years, No. 734 pulled the WMSR’s tourist excursion trains and photo charter trains between Cumberland and Frostburg, Maryland. Since 2016, No. 734 has remained out of service for a Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)-mandated rebuild, and the WMSR set the restoration of former Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) 2-6-6-2 No. 1309 as a higher priority. As of 2024, the WMSR is raising funds to perform an extensive rebuild on No. 734.