Can anyone here share information on the current disposition of Middletown & Hummelstown 2-6-0 #91? She is still listed on the railroad's webpage as being a part of their roster of engines - and the website itself says "Canadian National steam engine #91 Mogul 2-6-0 is out of service at this time." - but it has said that for a few years. The railroad, if I recall correctly, has said precious little about the engine or a potential return to service. Also, I believe I heard somewhere that the railroad does not own the engine, that it is privately owned. Does anyone have updates/new information/more details they can share?

To the best of my knowledge--and I am close enough by association to know--she's still there in Middletown, as moribund as many other such steamers nationwide.

As another owner of some locomotive(s) used to say to me, "They don't eat much just sitting there...."

What work would need to be done to get her operational? And would it be a matter of the railroad wanting it back in service, or the owner of the engine wanting it running again?

I count four of these little Moguls remaining in existence. One is a park display in Canada. Three have been in operation during preservation. Should be a fairly simple and economical tourist line locomotive.

And only one of the three is currently operational, if I'm correct, which brings us back to the M&H...

Dick -

I seem to recall that there were more than four of this class of CN 2-6-0's preserved. I want to say maybe six. I've got records somewhere. I'll see what I can find. I agree that they make nice locomotives for service as you can see on the video that was sent of the Strasburg's on the 12 car freight train earlier this month!

Les

Richard,

There are a few more than that! There are 7 of them.

81, 86 and 88 are sitting in parks. 96 is finally inside at the Age of Steam Roundhouse.

And of Course 89 is at Strasburg, 91 at M&H and last time I checked 92 was at the Wilmington and Western.

What's happening with #92?

81 E-10-a 11/59 To City Of Palmerston ON
86 E-10-a 4/58 To City Of London ON
88 E-10-a 7/57 To City Of Morrisburg ON
89 E-10-a 9/61 To Edaville SR, Lancaster PA
91 E-10-a 6/59 To Charles Matthews M&HRy, Hummelstown, PA
92 E-10-a 7/59 To Thomas Marshall W&WRR, Wilmington DE
96 E-10-a 6/59 To Edaville Age of Steam Roundhouse

She has a seriously cracked cylinder saddle casting. Other than that, I am not privy to her status.

91 is owned by M&H and is still there in inside storage. Very little would need to be done to make her operate.

I have some photos of 91 from several years ago. She looked pretty sharp and mostly CN.

If that is the case, then what can we, as railfans and lovers of railroading (and steam) in general, do to persuade the owner/M&H to put the engine back into occasional service? Or is there nothing we could do to help that cause?

Create for him a set of economic conditions which would make it very profitable to do so.

dave

Crud. I'm not that smart. :/

Somewhere back in RyPN, about 2009-2010 there was a thread about M&H 91 and its removal from service. I think it had to do with the cost of water treatment for the boiler? My RyPN search powers have not turned up the the thread. The last M&H 91 thread I found described a successful Civil War event in 2009 using the engine. Maybe someone with an advance search merit badge or better memory that I can find the thread?

Wesley

My contact at the M&H tells me that in 2014 there was a push to do an annual inspection on the engine earlier in the year for operation. But momentum ran out when they were waiting on the railroad's owner to order some supplies which kept getting drawn out to the point where it seems to now be a low priority.