Whitewater Valley Railroad
P. O. Box 406
Connersville, Indiana 47331
(765) 825-2054
www.whitewatervalleyrr.org

STEAM RETURNS TO THE WHITEWATER VALLEY

RAILROAD ENTHUSIASTS AND HISTORY BUFFS GATHER FOR THE RETURN OF STEAM POWERED TRAINS TO THE WHITEWATER VALLEY RAILROAD

For Immediate Release – Tuesday, August 1, 2006

Contact:
William W. Gray, Superintendent of Operations
Whitewater Valley Railroad
(765) 825-2054
Superintendent@WhitewaterValleyRR.org

Connersville, Indiana - The Whitewater Valley Railroad is proud to announce that after almost twenty years, a steam locomotive will once again move along its historic ex-New York Central Railroad branch line under its own brute power.

The Whitewater Valley Railroad will be hosting Flagg Coal Company #75 for the first two weekends in September 2006. The first weekend’s activities are being held in Connersville, Indiana and the second weekend’s activities are being held in Metamora, Indiana. This will be the first stop on a month long tour of different rail operations. After the WVRR stop, the locomotive will visit the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad in Bryson City, North Carolina and the Thomas Edison Depot Museum in Port Huron, Michigan before returning to the Steam Railroading Institute in Owosso., Michigan.

Connersville, Indiana Schedule

Friday September 1, 2006 will kick off the first weekend with Flagg Coal # 75 on display under steam at Connersville’s Grand Central Station most of the day. At 1:00 PM the first public excursion will depart for an hour long trip along remnants of the Whitewater Canal as well as the West Fork of the Whitewater River. Fares for the hour long six mile round trip pulled by Flagg Coal # 75 are $14 for adults and $8 for children ages 2-12.

Saturday September 2, Sunday September 3, and Labor Day - Monday September 4, Festivities start at 9:30 AM at Connersville’s Grand Central Station with five departures of Flagg Coal # 75 at 9:30 AM, 11:15 AM, 1:15 PM, 3:00 PM, and 4:45 PM along remnants of the Whitewater Canal as well as the West Fork of the Whitewater River. Fares for the hour long six mile round trip pulled by Flagg Coal # 75 are $14 for adults and $8 for children ages 2-12. Special Photographers Events are being planned for each weekend with #75 and the Whitewater Valley Railroad’s historic equipment.




Metamora, Indiana Schedule

Friday September 8, 2006 will kick off the second weekend with Flagg Coal # 75 making four one hour excursions from Historic Downtown Metamora, Indiana along remnants of the Whitewater Canal as well as the West Fork of the Whitewater River. Departure times are 9:30 AM, 11:15 AM, 1:15 PM, and 3:15 PM. Fares for the hour long six mile round trip pulled by Flagg Coal # 75 are $14 for adults and $8 for children ages 2-12.

On Friday September 8, #75 will power a special steam powered running of the Laurel Hotel “Train to Dinner” will depart at 6:00 PM from Historic Downtown Metamora to provide a relaxing trip to dinner at the Laurel Hotel Restaurant in Laurel, Indiana. Fares are $50 per person and include the round trip train ride, the meal, tax and tip. Reservations are required, please call for more info.

Saturday September 9, and Sunday September 10, Festivities start at 9:30 AM at Historic Downtown Metamora, Indiana with five departures of Flagg Coal # 75 at 9:30 AM, 11:15 AM, 1:15 PM, 3:15 PM, and 5:15 PM along remnants of the Whitewater Canal as well as the West Fork of the Whitewater River. Fares for the hour long six mile round trip pulled by Flagg Coal # 75 are $14 for adults and $8 for children ages 2-12.

In addition to #75, our regularly scheduled excursions will also operate each weekend. These include the Laurel Hotel “Train to Dinner” and the Connersville – Metamora Excursion.

Metamora is Indiana's treasured 1838 canal town. Nestled in southeastern Indiana's beautiful countryside, Metamora is steeped in history and famous for its preservation of Indiana's oldest and still operating water-powered grist mill. Located 60 miles east of Indianapolis and 35 miles west of Cincinnati, A must see town that retains all of its traditional charm and languid atmosphere. Shop in stores housed in buildings dated back to the early 1800s, eat and above all else... Enjoy the slow relaxing pace of the past!

Flagg Coal Company #75 is a 40 ton saddle tank locomotive built by the Vulcan Iron Works of Wilkes Barre, PA in 1930. #75 went into service in December of 1930 as #2 for the Flagg Coal Company of Avoca, PA where it was used as a switch engine. In 1935 it was sold to the Solvay Process Co. in Jamesville, NY and renumbered 75. There, it was used to push 4-wheel hopper cars from the steam shovel to the crusher at the rock quarry. In the early 1950s the Solvay Process Co. disbanded their railroad operation in favor of trucking and in 1953, #75 and twelve other locomotives were sold to Dr. Groman and his planned Rail City Museum in Sandy Pond, NY. There, the locomotive sat untouched until 1991 when John and Byron Gramling purchased it with the intent to restore it to operating condition. The father son duo painstakingly disassembled the locomotive, moved it to their shop in Ashley, Indiana and over the course of the following ten years returned it to service.

Established in 1972, the Whitewater Valley Railroad is a non profit railroad history organization. It is an operating railroad museum dedicated to the preservation of a historic branch line railroad, the restoration of railroad equipment, and to the conduct of railroad educational programs. The railroad is operated by volunteers and all proceeds from this event will be used to further the organization’s mission.

Come to Connersville or Historic Metamora for this spectacular railroading event, and return to a time when the railroad moved the nation and the short line railroad was a small town’s best friend. Call (765) 825-2054 for more information and reservations. Visit the Whitewater Valley Railroad’s web site at www.whitewatervalleyrr.org

#75 arrived in Connersville this evening and was unloaded by a top notch crew. She was lubricated and then towed to South Connersville yards were on Thursday the engine will be prepped for operation. It was a great site to see #75 sitting on the WVRR's ex NYC branchline. Steam has finally returned to the Whitewater after almost two decades. Interest seems to be high. I just hope the weather holds out.

I will say that advertising does work, our local FRA Mechanical Inspector called me on Monday because he had seen one of our ads in the Indy paper. I don't think he believed me when I said I was going to call him that afternoon about the locomotives visit. Oh Well...