Locomotive #7470 Updates:
Marchy 5, 2009
#7470 returned to service in September of 2008 just in time to be a part of Railfans� weekend. This was the first time that the locomotive ran with its substantially rebuilt tender tank. The new tank is a beauty and we thank the men from Boothbay Railway Village for the fine work and craftsmanship that they put into it.
January 2009 was a fantastic month for steam in the valley as #7470 ran on three separate occasions. On Saturday, January 3 we fired up and ran the 2nd annual Mass Bay Railroad Enthusiasts trip out to Notchland. The locomotive made at least 5 run-bys on the return trip and the weather was conducive to taking good photographs. We already have an agreement with Mass Bay to run the trip again next year. That evening the locomotive starred in an evening photo shoot sponsored by Lerro Productions. #7470 along with period freight cars and a caboose were posed in various places in North Conway Yard, the scenes were professionally lit and a lot of fantastic photos were taken. It was very cold and windy but well worth the effort. On Sunday, January 4th #7470 departed North Conway at 6:45 am with a pure freight train once again headed for Notchland. This was an all day photo freight and I think it safe to say that thousands of photos were made by the approximately 30 participants.
The following weekend #7470 was out once again for a round trip to Glen as Conway Scenic, Cranmore Mountain Resort and the Village of North Conway celebrated the 7oth anniversary of the arrival of Ski-Meister Hannes Schneider. Mr. Schneider and his family had originally arrived in North Conway by train in the winter of 1939. Hannes� son Herbert was on board the Conway Scenic train as were many other members of the family. We backed the train down the hill towards Conway and then #7470 came blasting into the North Conway station up the hill just like so many other steam trains before her have done. That ended steam operations for the 2008 season.
At this time we are in the process of rebuilding the steam turbine, one of the safety valves and the fireman�s side injector. #7470 should be back in service right after our Thomas the Tank Engine� event is over. Be looking for #7470 on or about July 25, 2009.
Paul Hallett
The Wheel Report is written 10 times a year by Paul Hallett,
our Operations Manager, for "Notch Eight", the newsletter of
the North Conway Railroad Club. To get an inside view of Conway Scenic
Railroad's operations, please read on:
Our Photo Albums
