Railroad Forums 

  • Restoration of NKP 624 - Hammond, IN

  • Discussion related to the Norfolk & Western, up to 1982. Also includes discussion of the Virginian Railway (1959); Wabash; Nickel Plate; Pittsburgh & West Virginia Railway; Akron, Canton & Youngstown Raiload (all 1964); and the Illinois Terminal (1981).
Discussion related to the Norfolk & Western, up to 1982. Also includes discussion of the Virginian Railway (1959); Wabash; Nickel Plate; Pittsburgh & West Virginia Railway; Akron, Canton & Youngstown Raiload (all 1964); and the Illinois Terminal (1981).
 #372403  by PRRGuy
 
Located in Hammond, Indiana This 2-8-2 Mikado of NKP's H6 Class has been on display since 1955. Work is in progress to form a Railroad Museum in Hammond to preserve and restore this locomotive.

The yahoo group formed for this group can be viewed at http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/N ... teRoad624/
Last edited by PRRGuy on Sat Mar 10, 2007 12:01 am, edited 1 time in total.

 #380636  by PRRGuy
 
Update!

We now have a official website

http://www.nwirps.org/


Also, here's a story from today's Hammond Times about the group.


BY STEVE ZABROSKI
Times Correspondent

HAMMOND | A group of local railroad enthusiasts hopes to bring new life to the city's largest outdoor history exhibit.

The Nickel Plate Road No. 624 steam locomotive has stood across Sohl Avenue from the Hammond Civic Center for more than half a century, and train buffs are forming a nonprofit corporation to restore the aging engine and its companion cars.

"Our ultimate goal is to get the 624 running again," said Kevin Heggi, of the Hammond & Northwest Indiana Railroad Preservation Society.

Though early in the process -- the group's Web site won't be up until next week, and it will likely be summer before its nonprofit status is affirmed -- the idea is not so far-fetched, Heggi said, as similar Nickel Plate steam locomotives currently operate in Fort Wayne and Indianapolis.

"The one in Indianapolis is virtually a twin to the one in Hammond," he said.

Built in Ohio in 1922, No. 624 logged nearly 1.7 million miles before being taken out of service in 1955 to become part of the exhibit commemorating Hammond's central role in the steam locomotive era.

A South Shore Railroad caboose and Milwaukee Railroad refrigerator car, which earned national attention last fall when four men were found living in it, were added to the exhibit in 1976.

With support from city agencies, the society hopes first to restore the caboose and refrigerator car.

"We want to start at the back of the train and work forward," said Heggi, who has volunteers lined up to rebuild the interior of the caboose, which was destroyed in a 1976 fire.

The refrigerator car will be repainted to resemble those used by George Hammond's meat-packing company, from which the city got its name, Heggi said.

And though it's been more than a decade since Ol' No. 624 has had a mechanical inspection, Heggi said he's confident the engine can be restored as a fully functioning mobile railroad museum and tourist attraction.

Both Homewood and Rochelle in Illinois have built popular attractions based on their railroad histories, and Hammond can, too, Heggi said.

Get involved:

Contact the society through their Yahoo Internet group at finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/NickelPlateRoad624/, or by calling Richard Lytle of the Hammond Public Library's Suzanne G. Long Local History Room at (219) 931-5100.

 #385583  by Otto Vondrak
 
"Our ultimate goal is to get the 624 running again," said Kevin Heggi
Ummm... why? Where are they going to run it? Where are they going to base it out of? I want to see as many steam locomotives in service as we can, but aren't they duplicating the efforts of other groups out there?

-otto-
Last edited by Otto Vondrak on Tue Apr 17, 2007 3:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.

 #385717  by PRRGuy
 
I'm not positive as to why Kevin said he plans on getting the 624 operating again however, cosmetic restoration is in the definate future.

A few years ago, a group from Michigan wanted to restore the loco for use on some short line, the city didn't like the idea so it continued to sit.

 #387889  by Otto Vondrak
 
Hey, with the right amount of money, anything is possible. It just seems with the cost of insurance going up, tighter federal regulations, and the need for millions of dollars of work and a backshop to support it... cosmetic restoration seems the most likely.

Not that I wouldn't like to have a fleet of NKP engines running around! That would be great!

-otto-

 #389906  by Tadman
 
Where are they planning on keeping it? I'm guessing the Pullman plant on 165th is a good place with some unused trackage. Also, any idea how much of the placed burned in the fire last year?

 #390075  by PRRGuy
 
Right now, we're looking into the former Monon yard near 165th st. One problem facing us right now is how to get the pieces over there as the former Erie main which the locomotive was brought in by is now...a bike path.

 #390256  by Tadman
 
Uh, it's my impression that the Monon yard in So. Hammond is now also a bike path - following the roadbed south from the big junction at Hohman, it appears to bisect a school-ish building and cross 165th on a diagonal half-way between Columbia and Calument Ave. There's a vibrant yard just east of the old Pullman-Standard plant that is owned by NS, and is half-way between Indianapolis blvd and the EJ&E. Is that what you mean?

edit: this NS yard is former NKP.

 #391011  by PRRGuy
 
Actually, the school site and path is the former Erie main. The Monon line thru Hammond is currenly owned by NICTD for it's "West Lake" expansion. They own the mainline and we believe the city owns the former yard site.


Here's a link to a satelite image of the south end of the yard, near I-94.

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&z=17&ll ... 1&t=k&om=1

 #395516  by Tadman
 
Interesting to know - I've never made it past Hwy 41 on 165th, so I never saw that yard. Does anything still run on the Monon there?