Train to Cumberland Cancelled – What’s Next for Locomotive 202 is the Hard Part (Opinion)

This past weekend I purchased two tickets. No, these tickets weren’t to take me to Paradise. One was a Powerball, which I’m sad to say I didn’t win. The second was a ticket to the train museum and Locomotive 202. And unlike most train tickets, I’m happy to say this ticket, and this Locomotive, aren’t going anywhere. For now, anyways.

While many railfans from across the country including Indiana, Kentucky, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania filled the City’s live YouTube with sarcastic remarks how Locomotive 202 will now “rot” in Hagerstown, the residents of Hagerstown showed up and made their voice heard, loud as a train whistle, with a packed meeting room so filled, there was standing room only and the council had to limit the number of speakers to ensure the meeting didn’t run over time.

And while many are breathing a sigh of relief, honestly, convincing at least three council members to vote against the donation to Western Maryland Scenic Railroad (WMSR) was the easy part. The hard part is the work that remains to be done – the Save Locomotive 202 group and the Hub City Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society now must present a realistic, viable plan to the City of Hagerstown’s council and win their support, then successfully implement the plan.

This is not going to be an easy task, even if it’s just a cosmetic restoration. Locomotive 202 desperately needs more than just a fresh coat of paint, it needs a better quality shelter built, and if supporters truly want the locomotive to be show quality, many of the old pieces of the locomotive’s fittings and pipes need to be replaced once the locomotive has a better quality shelter. We’re talking hundreds of thousands of dollars, minimum. That money does not grow on trees, and will require commitment from the community.

The nation’s railfans don’t think our community can do it. I say they’re wrong. After all, when we work together, we can move mountains. Want proof? Drive out I-68.

While railfans want to see Locomotive 202 run in Cumberland, I want more than to see it restored cosmetically in Hagerstown – I want to see it run in Hagerstown. While there is currently no clear path to accomplish this, it’s now at least a remote possibility – something that wouldn’t ever be possible if City of Hagerstown donated the locomotive to WMSR. Now, we have a chance to build something great.

Hagerstown has history in all three great aspects of transportation – planes, trains, and automobiles. With the recent announcement of the homecoming of an A-10 Warthog to the Hagerstown Aviation Museum, combined with Locomotive 202 in Hagerstown City Park and multiple Dagmar automobiles at the Washington County Rural Heritage Museum, we have some of the finest collection of early transportation all in one community. This puts Hagerstown on-par with The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn, Michigan or the The National Museum of Transportation in St. Louis, Missouri. We as a community need to come together and capitalize on these incredible historic resources available to us.

So what can you do to help? First, get involved with the Hub City Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. They are leading the charge in keeping Hagerstown railway history local, and were born from the Save Locomotive 202 movement. But equally as important, visit the City Park Train Hub. Show Hagerstown City Council that they made the right decision, that the Train Hub will remain a bustling center of activity worth investing in.

It’s a steep hill ahead for Locomotive 202 supporters. Should they fail to produce results, I absolutely see Locomotive 202 as Lou Scally suggested, being placed on the ballot for referendum at the next election. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

Opinion article by Ken Buckler, President of Radio Free Hub City. All opinions are his own, and do not reflect those of our sponsors or clients.

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