C&NW #1385 Homecoming Celebration Details

After several years away, the Chicago & North Western #1385 steam locomotive is finally returning to Mid-Continent Railway Museum to complete the final steps of its restoration. To celebrate this monumental event, we will be hosting a #1385 Homecoming Ceremony for the locomotive at the museum. Starting at 4:30 PM on Saturday, July 12th you can…

🎉 Watch the #1385 arriving at our museum depot on its flatcar
🎤 Hear speeches from our museum project leaders
📸 Snap a group photo and witness the banner breakthrough
🍿 Enjoy snacks and drinks that will be provided throughout the event

PLUS… Bid in our silent auction for a “#1385 Cab Experience” ticket!

This ticket will allow the highest bidder to enjoy a private tour of the locomotive, fire it with coal, and blow the whistle during a future test run in the museum train yard! All proceeds will go to finishing the #1385’s restoration and eventual operation in 2026. The rules of the “C&NW #1385 Cab Experience” Auction are listed below.

We would also like to welcome everyone back to the museum on Monday, July 14th at 9:00 AM to witness the locomotive being lifted back onto the tracks and paired with its tender.

Rules of the “C&NW #1385 Cab Experience” Auction

The C&NW #1385 Cab Experience Auction will be a sealed-bid charity auction held at the 1385 Homecoming Celebration. Here’s what that means…

How to Bid:

Bids are entered by making a donation in support of the C&NW 1385 project. Regardless of whether you win the auction prize or not, you still get to enjoy the good feeling that 100% of your donation is directly supporting the goal of finishing 1385’s restoration back to operation.

Bids are made privately in a sealed envelope at the Homecoming event on July 12th or by using a bidding link/QR to be provided in person at the homecoming event. Credit/debit/PayPal bids will be made using the secure PayPal platform and do not require a PayPal account.

Only one bid is allowed per person – so make it your best offer! Bids cannot be combined or added to once submitted.

Bidding closes at 6:30 PM CDT on Saturday, July 12^th. At the close of the bidding period, the individual that submitted the highest bid/donation wins the 1385 Cab Experience prize.

Mid-Continent will not be listing the current high bid while bidding is open.

The sealed bids/donations will be reviewed and the winner notified within 48 hours of the close of bidding. The winner will remain confidential. The amount of the winning bid will be announced.

All bids/donations will receive a donation acknowledgement at the end of the year tax year, per Mid-Continent’s donation acknowledgement policy. The winning bidder will receive a donation acknowledgement for the amount of the donation less the Fair Market Value of the award. The Fair Market Value of this prize is $300.00

Additional terms and conditions:

There is no minimum bid.

In the event there is a tie for the highest bid, the names of the tied individuals will be placed into a hat and drawn to determine the winner of the auction.

The exact date for redeeming the prize is to-be-determined because the steam locomotive project is still in progress. We are working diligently to complete the necessary fundraising and work to reach the phase of #1385’s restoration where test runs can begin. Mid-Continent will work with the winner to arrange a date for the #1385 Cab Experience that works for both parties. If for any reason the prize cannot be awarded or a mutually agreeable date is not available, the winner will be provided a Mid-Continent Railway Museum gift card equal to the Fair Market Value and redeemable toward any publicly available tickets.

A Form 4 is a crucial document used by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to record detailed information about the boiler of a steam locomotive. The form includes data on the boiler’s construction, materials, and condition, as well as the results of various tests and inspections to demonstrate compliance with safety regulations.

The Form 4 has been completed and submitted to the FRA in Washington for the #1385. The FRA gave us approval to proceed with the FRA witnessed Hydrostatic test. This was done on October 10^th, 2024. All went as planned with no issues.  The engine passed the test and FRA Inspector Dave S’s final comment on the test was “Good work!”

Now we are waiting for Washington for the final approval of the Form 4. We have compiled a complete list of all the work to be done on the engine and have assessed who is doing each task. We will bring in the following labor to work on the completing the engine: volunteer museum members, paid staff, and third-party contractors including Spec Machine and FMW. This winter will be a very busy season for us. Some of the larger tasks left to complete are installing the air and steam lines, adding insulation and the sheet metal jacketing, installing the cab, ashpan installation, smokestack installation, and installing the pistons and rings. There are many other smaller items that need to be completed as well.

The #1385 Task Group and Management Committee are still meeting weekly and the items to get completed are getting smaller in number. Our plan is still to have the engine back at the museum in 2025 and at least begin testing. I want to thank our friends and supporters of this project. We could not have gotten to this point without your help, support and understanding. If you would like to give a gift to #1385, please click the button below to donate online. Your gift will ensure this work is completed in a timely manner and help with transportation costs to ship the engine back to the museum.

Thank you in advance for your positive help and support!

Andy S.

President

Mid-Continent Railway Museum