Project 1228 Goal 1

The restoration of locomotive 1228 is underway!


Ever since the Milford-Bennington Railroad pulled her out of storage in Greenfield, NH to an undisclosed location back in 2019, a group of motivated individuals have already begun work.

Windows have been replaced, brake system sent out for repair, cab and electrical cabinet cleaned out, exterior painted, crankshaft freed up, and coolant system tested to name a few jobs done. 


However, we need your help!

Up to this point, the crew working on 1228 have dedicated much of their own time, resources, and funds towards saving the locomotive, but are now asking for a little help from you.
This fundraiser is focused on raising money to help acquire the replacement parts needed to get the engine block to run again. This will be the first major goal geared towards 1228 pulling trains again. 

Early on in the work, the engine block was closely inspected, barred over, and filled with water. The water revealed that most of the gaskets on the liners had failed and will need replacing. While freeing up the layshaft, a number of injectors were seized and in need of replacement. The engine block itself barred over fairly easily and the crankshaft showed little to no rust or corrosion. The crew working on 1228 continue to regularly rotate the engine by hand to keep thinks freed up.

The money from this fundraiser will be used to acquire replacement injectors, all new topdeck gaskets, all new handhole gaskets, engine oil, engine intake filters, and a number of other smaller missing or broken pieces in the rockerboxes. 
Once these parts are purchased, the remaining money will be used towards the tools and machines necessary to pull the powerpacks and complete the work.

Upon completion of the work, we will attempt to roll 1228 over (start up the engine) and observe operation.


If all goes well, and we successfully demonstrate the beating heart still works, we will proceed to the next step. 
In the meantime, the crew will continue to work on other systems in preparation for later steps.





The Locomotive:



1228 is an EMD SW-9 built in 1953.
She originally served on the Boston and Maine Railroad until the railroad was sold to Guilford Rail Systems.
While under Guilford, 1228 was re-lettered as Springfield Terminal # 1423. The number 1423 was retained right up to the locomotive being set on a siding in Greenfield, NH where she sat for nearly 20 years.
In the fall of 2019, MBRX moved her south to a siding where the project could begin to revive the locomotive without bothering the neighbors. 


The end goal is to get 1228 to pull revenue freight again and not be scrapped like so many of her sisters!