The Conrail Historical Society and B&O Museum have some wonderful news to share.

On Saturday, November 2nd, the museum rolled Conrail 8905, formerly BOMX 1200, out of its restoration shop to the gathered crowd from the CRHS's Conrail Day event.

We put together a quick video with a few photos and the video of the roll out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60YtZXuuFoM

This effort really is emblematic of the future of preservation: organizations partnering together to get great stuff done that serves both their missions.

The answer to the big question is that yes, the 8905 WILL be joining their actual collection in the near future.

Please explain to the uninitiated how a locomotive they've been using for years, painted in a Museum scheme, was not already part of their "actual collection."

Perhaps the locomotive was previously considered a utility piece that is now part of the accessioned collection?

I belive it is something to that effect. On the museum's website, equipment marked for BOMX (as 1200/8905 was) is listed separately from the rest of the collection, and that equipment consists of coaches for the Mile One Express and two flat cars. None of the BOMX equipment is of B&O/C&O heritage as well, so it seems thet are precluded from being part of the accessioned collection due to not fitting the scope of the museum and/or their use in the excursion rides.

A very good question!

The 1200, as she was previously known, was a utility item for the museum. No more part of their collection than the cash register at the front desk or the TP in the bathroom.

Post restoration she's being added to the collection like the AFT 1, Pere Marquette SW1 or CNJ 592.

And Conrail after the NS/CSX split falls within the scope of B&O Museum's collection policy.

Here's CRHS' page on the 8905, originally Peoria and Eastern 8905:

https://thecrhs.org/8905

Evidently from P&E to NYC to PC to CR it retained number 8905 which itself might be so distinctive as to warrant preservation!

Phil Mulligan

The B&O museum is quite weird with what they deem “their collection”. There’s a B&O E8 and the famous PRR 4876 just sitting outside the museum rusting away that they don’t deem as a part of their collection. Very weird, and I don’t understand it.