Fireball freight heads west. Wearing the fireball logo of the Western Maryland Railway, a heavy 2-8-0 heads west around Helmstetter's Curve with a freight consist on a bleak January morning. The locomotive seen here is, of course, the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad's Number 734. Although an excellent likeness of a Western Maryland 700-series Consolidation, this locomotive was actually built for the Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad back in 1916 as their Number 34. She was acquired by the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad from the Illinois Railway Museum in 1991 and was rebuilt to more closely resemble a Western Maryland engine. One of the more obvious modifications was the replacement of her LS&I Tender with a 6-axle, NYC Tender from a 2600-series 2-8-2. The locomotive also received a Chinese-built stoker, which certainly makes her easier to fire and contributes greatly to her ability to make the impressive plumes, which make her a photo charter favorite. The exhaust plume from the stoker engine is responsible for the steamy effect between the first several cars in the consist.
