# New York Central 3001

New York Central 3001 is a preserved 4-8-2 Mohawk (Mountain)-type steam locomotive built in October 1940 by American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of Schenectady, New York as a member of the L-3a class for the New York Central Railroad (NYC). Normally known as Mountain types, the NYC 4-8-2 steam locomotives were dubbed as Mohawk types after the Mohawk River, which ran alongside NYC's famed Water Level Route. Built for dual-service work, No. 3001 was used to haul both freight and passenger trains on the NYC system until being retired in February 1957.
Instead of being sold for scrap, No. 3001 was sold to the Texas and Pacific Railway (T&P), where it was masqueraded as T&P No. 909 and donated to the Museum of the American Railroad in Dallas, Texas. In the mid-1980s, No. 3001 was later donated to the National New York Central Railroad Museum in Elkhart, Indiana. It is the largest modern NYC steam locomotive still in existence and is one of two surviving New York Central Mohawks; the other, No. 2933, which is currently on display at the National Museum of Transportation in St. Louis, Missouri. During the 1980s to 2010s, there were attempts to get No. 3001 back to operating condition, but these never came to fruition. In October 2024, it was announced that the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society (FWRHS) had acquired No. 3001 and made plans to restore it to operating condition.

## History
### Background and design

Between 1916 and 1930, the New York Central Railroad (NYC) ordered 4-8-2 L-1 and L-2 steam locomotives, replacing the 4-6-2 Pacifics for use on fast mainline freight trains. While the other railroads referred to the 4-8-2 wheel arrangement as Mountain, the NYC uses the name Mohawk after the Mohawk River, which ran alongside the railroad's famed Water Level Route. By the late 1930s, the Mohawks were limited to run at 60 mph (97 km/h) due to their instability at higher speeds. The NYC needed more heavier steam power to move both freight and passenger trains swiftly, so they opted for a dual-service steam locomotive. In 1939, NYC chief mechanical engineer Paul W. Kiefer had rebuilt two L2s Nos. 2995 and 2998 with lightweight side rods, cast engine beds, and improved counterbalancing to run smoothly at 80 mph (129 km/h). By the early 1940s, Keifer designed 50 L-3 Mohawks, which were NYC's first modern dual-service steam locomotives.
The L-3 locomotives were built in two separate class groups; 25 L-3as, Nos. 3000-3024, were built by American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in Schenectady, New York, between October and December 1940. Five L-3bs, Nos. 3025-3034, were built by ALCO between December 1940 and January 1941, while the other five L-3bs, Nos. 3035-3049, were built by Lima Locomotive Works (LLW) in Lima, Ohio, between November 1940 and January 1941. Both locomotive classes produced 60,100 lbf (267.34 kN) of tractive effort and a maximum drawbar of 4,120 hp (3,070 kW), while running at 58 mph (93 km/h). In March and April 1942, NYC ordered 15 more L-3s, Nos. 3050-3064, from ALCO. These locomotives were quite similar to the previous ALCO L-3bs, but with increased weight, which classified them as L-3c.
The L-3a locomotives were equipped with a cast-steel pilot, two air pump shields, and a vertically retractable coupler, giving them a close resemblance to the NYC J class 4-6-4 Hudsons. They were also equipped with roller bearings on all of their wheels, including their 69 in (1,753 mm) driving wheels to run at 80 mph (129 km/h) for use on pulling fast passenger trains. The L-3b and L-3c locomotives had a front footboard-style pilot and were destined to pull freight trains. The ALCO L-3 locomotives were equipped with a Worthington 5-1/2 SA feedwater heater mounted ahead of the smokestack, while the LLW L-3bs had a drum style Elesco K50L type mounted on top of the front smokebox. All of the L-3 classes had an operating boiler pressure of 250 psi (1.72 MPa). Additionally, when running at 58 mph (93 km/h), the L-3s produces a maximum drawbar of 4,120 hp (3,070 kW). They were also all equipped with a larger tender, which can hold 43 t (95,000 lb) of coal and 15,500 US gal (59,000 L) of water along with a water scoop to pick up water from the track pan on the mainline while running at high-speed. After World War II ended, all of the L-3s were re-equipped with smoke deflectors.

### Revenue service

No. 3001 is the second member of the L-3a class built in October 1940 and was initially assigned to pull heavy freight trains and troop trains during World War II. After the war ended, the locomotive and the other L-3s ran on the mountainous Boston & Albany (B&A) subsidiary, replacing the B&A J-2 Hudsons on pulling the Lake Shore Limited, New England States, and New England Wolverine passenger trains between Boston, Massachusetts and Albany, New York. They even hauled NYC's famous 20th Century Limited passenger train and Pacemaker fast-freight train between Croton-Harmon and Buffalo, New York. After the B&A and Harmon-Buffalo lines were completely dieselized in the early 1950s, No. 3001 and the L-3s were reassigned to the Big Four region to haul both passenger and freight trains to and from Chicago, Illinois; Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland, Ohio; Indianapolis, Indiana; and St. Louis, Missouri.
In the final years of steam on the NYC, No. 3001 and the other L-3s were demoted to lighter trains, due to the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad (P&LE) 2-8-4 Berkshires and 4-8-4 Niagaras handling increasingly heavier freight and passenger trains on the system. As the new diesel locomotives entered the NYC regions, No. 3001 and the other steam locomotives still in service saw the end coming nearer and nearer. No. 3001 was finally retired from NYC's operating locomotive roster in February 1957, just three months before NYC officially ceased steam locomotive operation.

### Retirement and attempted restoration

In March 1957, the NYC sold No. 3001 to the Texas and Pacific Railway (T&P), to replace the heavily-vandalized and subsequently scrapped T&P 2-10-4 "Texas"-type No. 638, which had been on display at the Texas State Fairgrounds there from 1949 to 1955. The T&P then donated No. 3001, masquerading as T&P No. 909, to the city of Dallas, Texas. The city later donated No. 3001, still masquerading as T&P No. 909, to the local Southwest Historical Society, who put it on display at their Age of Steam Railroad Museum.
Sometime during its display period in Dallas, the locomotive was borrowed by a power plant for use as a stationary steam generator. In 1976, Robert G. Spaugh, founding member of the Lakeshore Railroad Historical Foundation, discovered the disposition of No. 3001 and sought out bringing the engine back to home territory. Alongside his plans to bring 3001 back to Elkhart, Spaugh also dreamed of restoring no. 3001 to operating condition and operating excursions over former New York Central trackage. In April 1984, the Southwest Historical Society reached an agreement with the Lakeshore Railroad Historical Foundation to trade No. 3001 in exchange for Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 No. 4903, and the L-3a was subsequently towed eastward to the foundation’s location in Elkhart, Indiana. In 1986 or 1987, the 3001 was leased to the city of Elkhart for a term of 100 years. The No. 3001 locomotive was left on display at the National New York Central Railroad Museum, but it was considered as a restoration candidate for years. Additionally, it was coupled up to sister L-3b locomotive No. 3042's tender, which was used as an auxiliary water carrier on the American Freedom Train and Chessie Steam Special in the 1970s.
The Lakeshore Railroad Historical Foundation had considered restoring No. 3001 to operating condition, but did not go through with the proposed plan. In the 1980s, Conrail wanted to restore 3001 to operating condition for their proposed steam program. However, then Conrail CEO Richard Sanborn who spearheaded the proposed program passed away in 1989 and the plans did not proceed. In the late 1980s, following the lease of No. 3001 to the City of Elkhart, then mayor James Perron envisioned No. 3001 being restored to operating condition and using it to promote Elkhart economic development. However, this did not pan out. In the early to mid 1990s, the No. 3001 locomotive was proposed to be restored to operating condition for the 21st Century Limited, a cross country exhibit train to highlight the achievements and discoveries of the 20th century, spearheaded by Ross Rowland. However, the 21st Century Limited project was never realized. In 2010, another effort to restore No. 3001 to operating condition arose at a cost of $1 million. However, nothing ever came of this attempt.

### Acquisition and funding

During late August 2023, the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society (FWRHS) secretly entered negotiations with the City of Elkhart government to potentially purchase No. 3001 and restore it to operating condition. In early September of that same year, the City of Elkhart government agreed to the sale. On October 9, 2024, the FWRHS announced their acquisition of No. 3001 and their plans to operationally restore the locomotive for eventual use in their Indiana Rail Experience excursions on the Indiana Northeastern Railroad, alongside Nickel Plate Road 765. FMW Solutions was tasked to inspect the locomotive for restoration eligibility with financial support from former Norfolk Southern (NS) CEO Wick Moorman. It was estimated that the restoration cost of No. 3001 would be $4.3 million to complete. The FWRHS has issued a $100,000 challenge grant with the goal of raising more than $500,000 by around May 2025 to re-locate No. 3001 to the FWRHS's facility in New Haven, Indiana.