USA: New York Central 3001 is expected to leave its longtime Elkhart display this fall for restoration at the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society’s New Haven shop.

New York Central 3001 steam locomotive on display in Elkhart, Indiana
New York Central L-3a “Mohawk” No. 3001 on display in Elkhart, Indiana, in June 2025. Photo: USRail1989 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

New York Central 3001 farewell planned in Elkhart

FWRHS and the National New York Central Railroad Museum will hold a farewell event on September 4 and 5. The precise date of the locomotive’s move has not been set.

No. 3001 is the largest surviving New York Central steam locomotive and the only member of the L-3a class to avoid scrapping. It has been under City of Elkhart care and displayed at the National New York Central Railroad Museum for decades. FWRHS launched the restoration effort in October 2024 with the goal of returning it to service on Indiana Rail Experience excursions.

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A $4.3 million return-to-service program

The Fort Wayne group owns three other steam locomotives, led by Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 No. 765, which it has operated since the 1970s. It also manages the Indiana Rail Experience on the Indiana Northeastern Railroad across Indiana, Ohio and Michigan. Because much of that route follows former New York Central trackage, No. 3001 would return to familiar territory.

The locomotive will also join seven streamlined Budd cars built in 1941 for the New York Central’s Empire State Express and acquired from the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum in 2023.

FMW Solutions has completed a mechanical evaluation with financial support from former Norfolk Southern CEO Wick Moorman. FWRHS estimates that returning the locomotive to operation will cost $4.3 million. Donations and pledges are being accepted online.

Context

Built by the American Locomotive Company in 1940, No. 3001 has not operated under steam since the 1950s and spent more than 70 years outdoors, FWRHS says. The relocation will allow the locomotive to be protected, dismantled, inspected and repaired. The organization expects work on the boiler, firebox, running gear, tender, appliances and other systems. The locomotive was retired in 1957 and has been displayed at the Elkhart museum since 1988.

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