Museum volunteer building replica of 1837 steam locomotive

LINDEN, Ind. (AP) - It was the early days of the railroad, and there were cleaner ways to travel than by train.

With no covering above their heads, ash and cinders rained down on passengers from a 12-foot smoke stack perched on the locomotive.

"They'd get on there with their dresses, their fancy clothes and their top hats," said Gary Vierk, president of the Linden Depot Museum. "By time they got where they were going, I tell you, they were pretty well burned up."

Vierk is building a replica of an 1837 steam engine that dominated the tracks in the mid-19th century, as the speed of train cars overtook leisurely trips by horse-and-buggy.

The model of the 4-2-0 steam locomotive - named for its six wheels - was one manufacturing company's answer to stopping trains from losing control on sharp turns. Pivoting wheels allowed the engine to maneuver tight curves and the entire weight was placed on a single axle for better traction.

As trains began carrying heavier equipment later in the century, the engine faded in to obscurity, long before Linden's depot opened in 1909.

"They got outdated pretty quickly, but at the time for three, four, five years, this engine was the best in the business," Vierk said.

After seeing a working replica at a Baltimore railroad museum, Vierk decided to build his own model to attract more visitors to the depot. Before the season began in April, staff laid a display track between the museum's buildings along U.S. 231 North. A firebox was attached to the boiler and the wheels were fabricated.

"People enjoy it. A lot of people know their history and the model trains and all that," said Chuck Ryan, train master for the Monon Railroad subdivision in Lafayette.

A longtime supporter of the depot, Ryan reviewed the designs and lined up the wheels and axle from a Danville, Illinois company.

Standing outside the museum recently, he watched as Vierk grabbed a hold of the 4,000-pound engine and gently pushed it along the track.

The finished product won't run on steam, but will have a small motor allowing it to be powered up on special occasions.

Vierk still has to build a coal car and top off the engine with a 12-foot high, 19-inch diameter smoke stack.

About 20 people have supported the project, which comes as the museum celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. The museum is open noon to 5 p.m. Friday-Sunday through the end of October.

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Source: Journal Review

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Information from: (Crawfordsville) Journal Review, http://www.journalreview.com