CSX Restores C30-7 for Kentucky Steam Heritage

Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief
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CSX’s Huntington, W.Va. locomotive shop has cosmetically restored former Louisville & Nashville Railroad (L&N) General Electric C30-7 No. 7067 for the Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation.

No. 7067, “a locomotive that ruled the rails in Appalachia more than four decades ago, was in danger of being scrapped just a year ago,” Kentucky Steam Heritage said. “But it emerged from the Huntington Shops on April 25 looking much like it did in 1980 when it was delivered  to CSX predecessor L&N. The transformation is thanks to an unlikely turn of events, highlighting a continued collaboration between CSX Transportation and the Irvine, Ky.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

In May 2021, Kentucky Steam negotiated the donation of 7067 from the Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society, which was liquidating some of its assets. “The locomotive, located in an industrial area of Huntington, was deemed as surplus,” said Historical Society President Skip Reinhard. “Because it was too costly to move for many rail preservation groups, we began soliciting bids for its disposal. Not having the facilities to restore it and knowing it was a rare locomotive, we looked for a group that had the means to restore it to its original appearance. We did not want to scrap it, knowing its history. Kentucky Steam was the organization we found that had the facilities to restore tit, and their leaders accepted our donation.”

Kentucky Steam President Chris Campbell said the donation “proved exciting yet challenging for our fledgling organization, still only in its sixth year of existence. The locomotive is exactly what anchored the ex-CSX shop facility that we now own in Appalachian Kentucky. But being in the midst of several resource-intense restoration projects, we viewed 7067 as an eyebrow-raiser. We wanted to save it, but didn’t know when we would have the means to make it worthy of displaying at our growing railroad campus.” 

But in late summer, 2021, 7067 was towed several miles from its display site to the Huntington shops, where it was stored until it could be readied to be shipped to Kentucky. Meanwhile, a plan was proposed to have the unit cosmetically restored to its as-built paint scheme, a livery that hasn’t been seen in some 30 years. 

“CSX worked 7067 into its busy paint shop schedule, and utilizing diagrams provided by the L&N Historical Society, turned out a shining example of what ruled the rails some 40 years ago,” noted Campbell. “CSX has been an excellent corporate partner over the years, and this is another example of how it has shown a commitment to helping us tell the story of railroading in Appalachia. We are grateful to all the employees who have contributed to this project. CSX has proven time and time again to be a first-class organization.”

Kentucky Steam said it “is no stranger to generosity from CSX. In 2019, we received two large donations from the railroading giant: A fully refurbished 1969 Chesapeake & Ohio Railway caboose as well as a similar-vintage operational L&N-heritage diesel locomotive, both of which are current stars for KSHC’s seasonal operations on our 40-acre campus in Estill County, Ky. 7067’s cosmetic revival is a significant accomplishment for the two organizations, as it is one of the last remaining of its kind in the U.S.”

7067 is one of many GE road switchers that operated on U.S. rails in the 1980s and 1990s. The L&N ordered 44 C30-7s between 1979 and 1980, though most of these units’ operating life was for CSX Transportation after the L&N was consolidated with numerous other railroad companies in the early 1980s.

After CSX retired 7067 in 1999, it was painted in Marshall University colors by the CSX Huntington Locomotive Shop and was used for years in the area at university functions. CSX donated it to the C.P. Huntington group in 2017. Meanwhile, nearly all other C30-7 engines in the U.S. had been disposed of. 

The Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation was founded in 2015 with the intent to restore and operate historic steam locomotive C&O 2716, which was leased on a long-term basis from the Kentucky Railway Museum in New Haven, Ky. In 2018, Kentucky Steam purchased a large portion of a former CSX railyard in Ravenna, Ky., and established a rail servicing facility in the former car shop complex. The complex itself once also housed a locomotive servicing station that was host to 7067 and similar locomotives. Kentucky Steam plans to make the locomotive an interactive display at its developing rail-based campus called “The Yard.”

“As we develop our attraction, we feel that it’s important to pay homage to the various eras of railroading that have been important to the Appalachian Region,” said Campbell. “This locomotive will honor a relatively recent era, one in which several of our members actually participated.”

Kentucky Steam will take delivery of 7067 later this spring. The locomotive itself will find a prominent display spot at the “The Yard” when the organization finalizes major renovations to its campus, partially thanks to a Federal EPA Brownfields Program award announced in 2021. 

A dedication ceremony is being planned for later this summer, and the locomotive will be prominently displayed during the group’s summer “Engineer U” program, which features an opportunity for visitors to learn how to operate a locomotive. Kentucky Steam also plans summer visitor hours that will provide the public the opportunity to see the continued progress on the restoration of C&O 2716 and other projects. Engineer U tickets will go on sale May 1. For more information, membership and sponsorship opportunities or to make a tax-deductible cash or in-kind contribution to the project, visit www.kentuckysteam.org.

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