Donation to help Steamtown National Historic Site grow stable of working locomotives

Sep. 5—Steamtown National Historic Site's stable of working locomotives will grow within two years thanks to the generosity of the estate of a longtime rail enthusiast and the work of the park's official philanthropic partner.

Work is underway on the restoration of the Atlantic Coast Line 1901, a steam-era diesel locomotive from the park's collection that is expected to become a workhorse in the Steamtown yard.

The restoration was made possible by a $685,000 donation to Steamtown from the estate of Eric J. Yankovich, an engineer, businessman and train enthusiast from Bucks County who died in 2019.

The transfer of the funding was facilitated by the Iron Horse Society.

The nonprofit Steamtown "friends group" was established in 2015 to support park operations, including soliciting donations and applying for grants that National Park Service rules bar the historic site itself from seeking.

The restoration of 1901 represents the largest project undertaken to date by the society.

"I'm really psyched about it, not only for the park but for ourselves as well," said Dominick Tardogno, Iron Horse Society vice president. "It's a very big deal."

A first-generation diesel locomotive built in 1939 by the Electromotive Corp., the 1901 predates some of the steam locomotives at Steamtown.

Steamtown officials anticipate the SW-1 class switching locomotive will assist with switching operations at the park and may be used to provide short-distance passenger rides throughout the rail yard, spokeswoman Megan Stevens said.

"It will be on the active roster once it's complete to help with operations," she said.

In May, the National Park Service awarded a $499,600 contract to McHugh Locomotive & Equipment, Fairless Hills, for the restoration of the locomotive. The work is due to be completed by the end of 2025.

The restored locomotive will have a Lehigh Valley Railroad paint scheme.

With many of the switching operations at Steamtown now carried out by the park's Nickel Plate Road 514 diesel locomotive, the smaller 1901 will be a welcome addition, Tardogno said. The locomotive has large cab windows and a low hood that offer an expansive field of vision that crews love.

"It's the utility locomotive that we don't have and that we need desperately," he said.

Steamtown said it was one of six railroad museums that received funds from the Yankovich estate.

Tardogno said the estate initially approached the park service, and it in turn asked the society to help shepherd the donation. Among the conditions the estate placed on the donation is that funds be used for a locomotive project and that it be completed in a timely way, he said.

The Iron Horse Society worked with park service officials to identify the 1901 as the target locomotive and to identify McHugh as the potential contractor, Tardogno said. When a replacement engine block came up for sale on the used locomotive parts market, the society got the park service's blessing to purchase it in advance before another buyer snapped it up.

A few weeks ago, McHugh workers came to Steamtown to disassemble the 1901 and take it to their restoration facility.

There is a lot of work to do, Tardogno said, but he thinks the 2025 completion date is realistic.

"I think we really hit the ball out of the park on this one," he said. "We were able to help the park service with the donation and preemptively get some parts and keep the process moving so they don't get delayed for extraneous reasons.

"It's a very quick process, which we are very glad about."

Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9132