CONWAY, N.H. — Conway Scenic Railroad’s 0-6-0 steam locomotive No. 7470, Dwight Smith, was on display under steam on Father’s Day, Sunday, June 19, as part of the preparations for resuming regularly scheduled passenger moves with the locomotive later in the 2022 season.
The locomotive, built by Canada’s Grand Trunk Railway at its Point Saint Charles Shops in Montreal in 1921, had been test-fired on June 10; its appearance on the turntable at the North Conway roundhouse was its first time under steam outside the roundhouse since Dec. 29, 2021.
Over the following week, contractors and Conway Scenic shop forces completed a host of minor repairs, mostly restoring electrical circuits in the cab damaged in a minor fire in January believed to have been started by a faulty battery charger.
For its Father’s Day display, the locomotive was positioned on the middle track in the North Conway Yard near the freight house. Members of the public, especially fathers with children, were allowed to visit the cab, and every few minutes the whistle was sounded to attract attention to the 101-year old locomotive.
The exercise was part of Conway Scenic’s training and refresher for its crews to allow for the resumption of operations with No. 7470 later this season. Conway Scenic’s first locomotive, No. 7470 hauled its first excursions on the former Boston & Maine Conway Branch in 1974. As a result, it has a special place in the hearts of many people in the Mount Washington Valley.
More information on the Conway Scenic is available at its website.
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