2719 details on steamloco.info

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The 2719 was built in May, 1923. It was one of 6 H-23 Pacific class steam locomotives built for the Soo Line. It operated until the mid-1950s when it was overhauled and put into storage. It was brought out of retirement to haul the last steam trains on Soo Line tracks in 1959. It is estimated that the 2719 traveled more than 3 million miles during its time on the Soo. 2719 was then given to the City of Eau Claire, Wisconsin to be displayed in Carson Park. In 1997 restoration was undertaken by the Locomotive and Tower Preservation Fund, Ltd. After a very aggressive restoration schedule, the inaugural running was on September 19, 1998. The 2719 did not have a museum to constrain its operations and excursions occurred over different tracks belonging to different railroads. In June 2000, the 2719 was moved to the Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad in Spooner. It operated during the summers in Spooner until the purchase of the Wisconsin Central by Canadian National Railway in 2001. It always returned to the roundhouse in Altoona, Wisconsin, for the winters. With the last excursion run in 2003 and with the Altoona, Wisconsin, roundhouse being razed on June 1, 2004, the 2719 was forced to sit outside, exposed to the elements until the end of 2006. On December 17, 2006, the 2719 was moved to the Lake Superior Railroad Museum. The museum operates the North Shore Scenic Railroad and 2719. After extensive work during the summer of 2007, the engine was test fired on August 24, 2007, and made a successful round trip test run from Duluth to Two Harbors, Minnesota, on August 25, 2007. It was used on several Fall Foliage excursion runs for the North Shore Scenic in September 2007 and 2008. As of 2009, the locomotive is still owned by Locomotive and Tower Preservation Fund, Ltd. In 2019 it was soled to the Lake Superior Railroad Museum

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