Pittsburg Train Moving
By: Jeremiah Cook
Updated: August 17, 2012
PITTSBURG, KS.--- It may not look like much now, but Heart of the Heartlands Historian, John Chambers says in it's time, the Kansas City Southern 1023 was an important train.
"The locomotive was built for Kansas City Southern Railroad in 1906 by the American Locomotive Company in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania," states John Chambers, Historian.
For the past 7 decades, it's called Pittsburg's Schlanger Park home.
"It was retired in about 1953-54 and was brought down here to Pittsburg," states Chambers.
Earlier this week, a crew from "Tilton and Sons House Moving Company" in Carthage, began preparing the 1023 for the move to it's new home, about 20 miles away.
"Due to lack of funds and other things, it's going to become part of our display at the Carona Museum," states Larry Spahn, Heart of the Heartlands.
Derrick Tilton says he's never moved a locomotive.
"We've moved train cars and cabooses before, though," states Tilton.
So, he's confident they can handle it.
"We have most of the equipment on hand to move houses, and some houses we've moved have been bigger than this locomotive," states Tilton.
"Because the locomotive is so large, the trailer has to be built around it. One section has already been completed in front of the train, another will go behind it, and a third section will be built underneath it. Once that's completed, the 1023 will be able to move for the first time in 70 years," states Spahn.
Once that's done, they can begin the long trip to the train's new home.
"We're thinking it's probably going to take 3 quarters of a day," states Tilton.
"We're going to try to have it accessible, that means not build a fence around it, to the people that want to come see it," states Spahn.
The plan is to move the engine late next week, weather permitting. Once it's at the Carona Depot, it will take several years to finish fully restoring the locomotive.
"The locomotive was built for Kansas City Southern Railroad in 1906 by the American Locomotive Company in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania," states John Chambers, Historian.
For the past 7 decades, it's called Pittsburg's Schlanger Park home.
"It was retired in about 1953-54 and was brought down here to Pittsburg," states Chambers.
Earlier this week, a crew from "Tilton and Sons House Moving Company" in Carthage, began preparing the 1023 for the move to it's new home, about 20 miles away.
"Due to lack of funds and other things, it's going to become part of our display at the Carona Museum," states Larry Spahn, Heart of the Heartlands.
Derrick Tilton says he's never moved a locomotive.
"We've moved train cars and cabooses before, though," states Tilton.
So, he's confident they can handle it.
"We have most of the equipment on hand to move houses, and some houses we've moved have been bigger than this locomotive," states Tilton.
"Because the locomotive is so large, the trailer has to be built around it. One section has already been completed in front of the train, another will go behind it, and a third section will be built underneath it. Once that's completed, the 1023 will be able to move for the first time in 70 years," states Spahn.
Once that's done, they can begin the long trip to the train's new home.
"We're thinking it's probably going to take 3 quarters of a day," states Tilton.
"We're going to try to have it accessible, that means not build a fence around it, to the people that want to come see it," states Spahn.
The plan is to move the engine late next week, weather permitting. Once it's at the Carona Depot, it will take several years to finish fully restoring the locomotive.
