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BREAKING - Nickel Plate Road steam locomotive no. 757 is on her way back to where she belongs in Bellevue, Ohio. This marks a major milestone in a long campaign by the Mad River & NKP Railroad Museum to relocate the 757 from her resting place of 53 years in Strasburg, PA to where she was originally supposed to be displayed in Bellevue, along with cosmetically restoring the engine and placing her back on display. The Mad River Museum has also recieved a full transfer of ownership of the locomotive from the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania today.

She has a long 500-mile trip ahead of her, traveling on lines of the famed Strasburg Railroad, Amtrak, and Norfolk Southern. Due to safety and logistics, routing details and any form of a schedule will not be published, but progress reports may be announced on the Mad River group's Facebook page. If you do run into the locomotive, keep safety a top priority; stay a good distance away from the tracks and DO NOT trespass on railroad property.

After she was retired from service in 1960, the 757 was intended for donation to the city of Bellevue. Unfortunately, no display site or museum existed at the time, and after 6 long years in storage, the 757 was donated to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, and was shipped to Strasburg in December 1966. She has been in dilapidated condition ever since. In August 2017, the Mad River & NKP Railroad Museum started a campaign to relocate, restore and display the 757 in Bellevue, OH. As of February 1, 2019, the museum has raised over $157,000 of their $250,000 goal. For more information, or to donate, go to the Bring Back 757 website.

(Photo removed to comply with TOS.)

Last edited by TrainMan1225
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NS6770Fan posted:

Apparently, she is somewhere between Enola and Altoona as of right now. Last seen in Enola around 3 PM. Two Horsehead GP units pulling her and the 783 caboose. Keep an eye out at the Horseshoe Curve Cam and on the NS PA radios via online scanners and listen for NS H27. Trainman 1225, are you part of the "Caboose Crew"?  

I wish...

RideTheRails posted:

Just looked at the museum grounds via maps.google.  Lots of equipment sitting there.  Sadly, most, if not all of it is sitting out, uncovered.  I'm guessing the 757 will have the same fate.

Steve

The Mad River Museum keeps most of their equipment in good cosmetic condition. There are a few pieces there in need of some TLC, but at the RRMPA, literally everything sitting outside there is in horrible condition. The MR&NKP certainly keeps their motive power in good condition, and I'm sure having one of the flagship engines of the Nickel Plate in their collection would be top priority.

I don't remember where I heard this, but I remember hearing somewhere that the engine would be placed under a shelter upon restoration; keep in mind I'm not sure if this is true or not, so take it with a grain of salt.

UPDATE - The 757 recently arrived in Enola, PA, which is near Harrisburg. Norfolk Southern recently posted a video on Facebook, Instagram etc. of the engine turning on the Enola turntable: the first time the table had seen a steam locomotive (dead or alive) in 62 years!

Folks have speculated she'll round the Horseshoe Curve, so keep your eyes peeled on the webcam in the coming days!

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