Massive Steam Locomotive C&O 1309 Returns to Life! | Western Maryland Scenic Railway 

Nearly every other comment on this video is about the diesels, so I’ll address that now. The two diesels are NOT on the end of the train because 1309 is “too weak” or “has issues”. Like all newly restored things, it’s subject to failure at any given moment due to the fact that it just simply hasn’t been thoroughly tested over a long period of time. However, this still isn’t the only reason. The diesels provide dynamic braking for the train, which takes power from the engine and inverts it to reduce speed. Dynamic braking greatly reduces wear and tear on the train’s air brakes. Another reason is that there was no way to turn the train around on its designated Polar Express route. Therefore there needed to be at least one locomotive on the rear for visibility when heading back to Cumberland. Also, 1309 is not being “dragged around”. Only when the diesels are leading are they providing power.

It’s so wonderful to see these beautiful beasts being bought back to life. Thanks for sharing

Its good to see this true "Beast from the East" in running order. Kudos to the team at Western Maryland Scenic!

Love the way he works that hooter. Sounds like old Norfolk Western days back in the 50’s.

That locomotive is so powerful, I feel like the engineer only needs to lightly tug on the throttle to get it up to the desired speed

Such a great narrative video and great shots! She's the 4014 of the East! Ironic how you made the video 13 minutes and 9 seconds.

Great to see this engine restored and running at the WMSR.

Wow! Congratulations to those who got the locomotive back up and running.

What a great whistle! The engineer was playing it like a virtuoso.

Gotta hand it to you guy's in the U.S.A for bringing the big guns back to life - great to see!

It’s a beautiful steam engine. Congratulations to all that helped in the restoration. Thanks for sharing this video. Very well done. Love the train whistle….

She is truly the 4014 of the east. Now to see her in person

That Steam whistle…… wow just wow!!! It’s haunting 👏👏👏

She's a big one all right! Kudos to the Restoration team!!!

Fantastic video 👍🚂

I love that the video itself is 13:09 long. Well played, well played! Awesome video!!

Beautiful! All of those Christmas lights made the 1309 the perfect Christmas gift for steam locomotive fans!

She looks gorgeous in those Fireball colors. Wild Mary forever!

It brings my son joy when ever a steam locomotive 🚂 is restored to operation 😃😀😄😂🥲!

Thanks so much for bringing back far-gone memories of sight and sound! Sure wish I could have been on that train but I can say that it was a distant memory of riding on a steam locomotive pulled train in my youth! Also, a fantastic stereo presentation for all to enjoy!

I rode the Western Maryland Railroad 20+ years ago. I still remember it fondly.

God I still remember from years ago them restoring this engine, from when the accident occurred with that railroad crossing. And now this! The WMSR did a pretty damn awesome job restoring this beautiful piece of machinery! I bet she’s gonna have a quite similar story to Cotton Belt 819, only a few years in revenue service, and many more years in preservation life! I’d love to see this engine some day!

Steam trains have a soul. There is in James Herriott's memoirs a story of a horse that whenever a steam train appeared would stop and watch it. Then diesel was introduced. The horse took one look, and turned its rump to it. Horse sense, man, horse sense!

Thanks for the heads up I will definitely be going for a ride on this beast

What a beautiful I believe single expansion locomotive a nice restoration Bill

2021 must be a dream for Steam Engine fans

Always awesome to see another one of these old girls broght back to life!

I'm a train and I approve this video! !!

Love that hooter! Quality power.

Looking good and running great i see , good job letting this engine run the rails again

Steam whistles are SO KOOL🤗

Wow, that is beautiful. I live next to a main line in New York, and my Mother remembers steam trains running on it. My house is very old and the dust that falls out of it is still black from the coal engines.

Beautiful looking train every time I see a steam loco it reminds me of my Dad who worked on the steam locos in India built by Baldwin . Cheers from Australia .

This is very historic!

Thanks for posting this! Marvelous.

Beautiful locomotive, thanks for posting this!👏👏👏

Wonderful to see her run again, congratulations to the team!

Great video! Love it. Thanks for sharing.👍

She is beautiful. That lonely hooter whistle.

Wonderful to see this beast and also the Union Pacific 4014 on the tracks again. I saw the 4014 in Plaquemine, Louisiana last year. It is a 4-8-8-4 articulated. They were called the Big Boy.

Thanks for shooting this. Interesting that so many steam engines have been rebuilt in the last decade, especially the mallets... And used for major service instead of just short excursions.

Awe inspiring machines! thank you for showing .

Love the guy following on his bike,great way to get up close and follow along.

Awesome video!

6:57, she still has her C&O chimes :) Such a nice sound.

I watch the video with pleasure, thank you🤟🤟

This is just so darned cool. Beautiful job guys. And it is a coal burner.

Great video! So nice seeing This steam locomotive in action!

*She looks beautiful... Last time I saw her, they were still doing dry runs, cab wasn't even painted, etc.*

Awesome!

Excellent 👍👍👍

She is just like Mount St Helens with that smoke coming out of her funnel

Very nice video! Great night coverage

Very good, hugs! 👍

Great thanks

Excellent video

That is awesome having a bike trail right next to the existing active railroad corridor.

very cool

N&W called; they'd like their whistle back. 😉

LOVE IT!!!!

great thanks

Excellent

Love that whistle

Beautiful Machine!

Magnificent!

Good looking Hog!

GREAT...GREAT..FANTASTIC...

WOW!!!! LOOK at that giant!!!!!

This whistle with that Locomotive!? And by the way. The footage at 6:40 reminds me of Rocky Mountain Express!. Incredible!

5:13 lol that biker

people who went to the train section at the henry ford museum: 😮now that's a train I haven't seen in a looong time. (it's not the same locomotive but it's the same type)

She’s a beauty 🚂

Wow, another large articulated steam locomotive, and this locomotive burns coal for fuel. That must be because it is back east in the state of Maryland. In other states it would have converted to fuel oil during restoration.

SENSACIONAL @@@@@@@

I caught the Chessie steam special when I was a brakeman in Detroit in the mid 70's. I was the last engineer who was paid to be on a steam locomotive when I retired from the Chicken Shit Xpress in 2020. I vastly prefered wide bodies!

That's real coal rolling 😀

Absolutely gorgeous video quality mate, what cameras do you use to take film & photos?

👏🏽👏🏽😁This is history in the making. 4014 is beautiful. It's about time CSX.

Magnificent. Is it a Compound Mallet?

Very Nice Video 🌲🌳🇮🇳🌳🌲

Port and starboard are on the wring sides of the FP40

Gotta get back there in November

It's a huge massive train and unbelievable

Cool

When 734 returns, she can doublehead with 1309.

Coal .....baby!

Hats off to the Cycle Guy...

Glad to see her running after someone managed to steal a part of it.

Anybody notice the time is 13:09? clever

6:15 “I asked you to go to the can before we left “.

Wonderful video, just to let you know, if someone hasn't already pointed it out, you have a spec of dirt on your screen,

BEAUTIFUL VIDEO...LIKE IT MUCH...ME..

Maybe WMSR can one day repair the boiler crack and restore our SP 786 here on the A&TC

Glorious!!! And so heavy it causes the earth to wobble on it's axis!

Should have done video of 1309 pulling up to Cumberland

13 minutes and 9 seconds, *I see what you did there*

I have to apologize, when i first the very begining of the video was a diesel diesel diesel not one steamer i just got your reply and i clicked to watch it again when it started i was like holy that is steamer i kid you not the first i started watching no steamer, when i clicked to watch it again your steamer jumped out at me was like wow it just punched me in the nose

4K Steampunk.

Steam engines are like Formula 1 cars beautiful 😍 👌 ❤ ✨ ♥ 😋 😍 👌

What's up with the extra tall masts on those two crossings with the lights so high up? Is this like a lot of those big boy and many more that have to have the diesels not only to push them but to also run the AC power heats other stuff like that?