Some time ago, I posted about the Huber Breaker Preservation Society's efforts to return an 0-4-0 lokie back to PA, specifically, Miners' Memorial Park in Ashley. I came up empty on a search for the original thread. Finally, after 4 years of meetings, e mails, phone calls, grant application submissions, and bids, Wanamie #9 came home on Thursday June 25, and was placed on rails in the park at 4:50 PM.
The lokie was purchased from a private owner in Grand Rapids MI. Matt Stegura, a 16 year old member of our society at the time, proposed to the membership the idea of bringing home one of the lokies in operation in the Glen Alden coal Co. He was interested in #4, which was in a private collection in Oregon. Unfortunately, the owner died, and the lokie was reported as scrapped. He found #9 at Vierson Boiler and Reapir in MI, and a purchase price was agreed upon, grants were awarded, and bids sought for transport and crane service.
The original plan was to bring the lokie to Ashley, but Matt had several conversations with Rich Rowlands, director of The Youngstown Steel Heritage organization, who offered to house and restore her. There would be no charge for labor or storage for up to three years. We would have been responsible for supplying all necessary parts. Unfortunately, our host municipality Ashley Borough would not commit to open checkbook funding.
We went back to plan A, and made the final arrangements about two weeks ago to complete phase one. On Tuesday, a lowboy provided by Falzone Towing, drove to MI to transport #9 home. West Shore Services, the company that placed the lokie in MI, loaded the truck. Two days later, the truck arrived in Ashley just before 2 PM. The project stalled temporarily due to a stove fire at a home nearby which tied up the police, who were needed to stop traffic as the truck backed into the park. One of the two 75 ton wreckers was needed to lift and maneuver the back end of the trailer so the truck could get to the off loading site.
After several failed attempts to off load the lokie due to the suspension flexing which caused the chain under the frame to slip, a sling was placed under the boiler just ion front of the cab, it was a smooth operation to set her on the rails.
The rails were donated by a resident who wishes to remain anonymous, and were pulled and delivered by a local trucking company whose owner donated equipment and manpower. The rail was rolled by Scranton Steel in 1890. Ties were obtained from several locations along abandoned rail lines in Ashley. Ashley Borough provided manpower and a backhoe to grade the site, set the rails, and place the ballast. A 3 man crew leveled the site and ties, set and gauged and spiked the 30 foot section of rail, and spread the ballast. The lokie sits at the top of the park along Main Street, where it is visible from the road.
The next phase is asbestos removal, and assessment to determine what parts need to be fabricated and what parts we have or, have access to. After that, hopefully she can be restored to static operation, and ultimately for short trips back and forth along the property line adjoining the former Blue Coal site.
