LOGAN The 2755 Steam Locomotive Committee plans to refurbish the historic steam engine at Chief Logan State Park.

Logan County Office of Emergency Management Director Roger Bryant said the group wants to make sure the engine remains a landmark for future generations.

“I know for me, it’s been a staple in our community for so many years and so many people relate to it that we can’t just let it rust down and go away, so we’re going to try and preserve it, try to get it back in good shape and something the county can be proud of,” Bryant said.

Bryant said the committee is looking for volunteers with skills in restoration or construction to help restore the locomotive. On Monday’s “What’s Your Opinion,” he said the project will come in three phases.

“The first stage will be to try and stabilize it; there’s some ties that need to be replaced and that sort of stuff,” he said. “The next phase will be sandblasting and painting and getting the metal preparation and getting the thing painted, and then at the end of that, we’d like to build a cover of some sort over top of it, so anybody who’s set up to do that kind of work – or is qualified to do any phase of that, or all of it – I’d like to hear from you if you can give me a call at 304-896-1234.”

He is also asking for calls from anyone who has artifacts connected to the steam engine that could be contributed to the restoration effort.

The Chesapeake & Ohio Railway 2755 is a preserved class "K-4" Berkshire type steam locomotive built in 1947 by the Lima Locomotive Works for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. It was the 56th of ninety built between 1943 and 1947 by ALCO and Lima.

The locomotive spent its nine-year working life hauling coal on mine branches out of Logan, West Virginia, usually delivering to the Ohio River at Russell, Kentucky. Its last known run was from Handley, West Virginia, to Russell on January 18, 1956. After a refurbishment at the shops in Huntington in the fall of 1960, it was delivered to Chief Logan State Park in March 1961.

The 2755 was seriously vandalized in the late 1970s or early 1980s, with glass broken and gauges stolen or destroyed. Since then, repairs have been made, and a fence was installed for protection. The Island Creek Model Railroad Club currently serves as curators for the site.

The locomotive was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 28, 2006, under the name Chesapeake and Ohio 2755 Steam Locomotive.

PHOTO | A. M. Stone