Fort Wayne, IN: Headwaters Junction and NKP 765

A Facebook posting indicates the The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society (FWRHS) is working with others to build a railroad tourist attraction in downtown Fort Wayne where they will store their 4-8-4 NKP 765 when it is not on the road pulling excursion trains.

FortWayneRailroad

You can use the link in the caption to access a much higher resolution (readable) picture. It looks like the plan is to buy a Pepsi plant and tear it down. It does include the former NYC depot and restores the tracks that were removed by Norfolk Southern just a decade or so ago. They must plan to restore the tracks that ran west of here along the south side of Polk Street until they turned south after passing Degroff Street to reconnect to the end of a remaining branch off the NS/NKP mainline. Otherwise they would not be able to get the NKP 765 in and out of the roundhouse for excursions.

They have a video that provides a virtual tour of the proposed roundhouse. I notice the facility includes a park south of the river that will tie it into Headquarters Park and, with another pedestrian crossing over the Maumee River, the Historic Old Fort. When my wife and I visited Headquarters Park, we had to wait until a wedding party was done taking pictures on the steps of the pedestrian bridge before we could walk over to see the fort.

They plan to use the former NYC route north to build a 15-24-inch gauge railroad to the Childrens Zoo. When our kids were young, we always enjoyed a trip to the zoo. It was quite impressive. By connecting the zoo with the fort and adding the railroad tourist attraction, all three facilities should see more foot traffic. If you continue north on the Rivergreenway along the St. Marys River and then the St. Joeseph River you will go to past the old City Utilities Power Plant, which is now Science Central. The Headwaters Junction would also provide the facilities needed to host Thomas the Tank Engine and Polar Express events.

The projected costs of the Headwaters Junction are:
• construct a 15-24-inch gauge railroad to the zoo ($3-5 million)
• acquire land and right-of-way, construct railroad, install turntable ($3-4 million)
• construct roundhouse and interpretive facility ($8-9 million)

NKP 765 was given the number board 767 and donated to Fort Wayne where it was put on static display in Lawton Park. The FWRHS removed the locomotive ten years later to restore it to operation with its original number of 756.

FWRHS

The reason Fort Wayne asked for 767 was that was the engine that was used in a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the elevated tracks across town in 1955. The reason they got 756 "disguised" as 767 is that 767 had been stored outside whereas 756 had been stored inside. 767 did not rust too badly between the storage date of July 1958 and the request for donation in 1963. The problem is that it was vandalized. Was it vandalized by railfans (adults) grabbing "souvenirs?" [ReturnOfThe767] Unfortunately, Historic Aerials does not have pictures between 1963 ad 1973. It jumps from 1962 to 1998. So I was not able to find where it was on display in Lawton Park. I do remember seeing it as a kid.

The NKP elevation removed 12 street crossings. This obstruction to traffic had stunted the growth on the north side of town. The track elevation enabled an explosive growth of housing on the north side to help house the births of the baby boomers. My parents bought one of the homes in the 1958 Parade of Homes, and I was able to watch the rest of the houses be built in the Brentwood Park. In third grade I had to go to Frances Slocum School before they got Brentwood School built. I was in the first graduation class of 1967 from R. Nelson Snider High School. Back then high school started in 10th grade, and we were in one story of Lane Middle School while the 7th grade was in the other story. We were supposed to be in the new high school building the next year when both schools would have 2 classes. But it wasn't ready, so we went to Lane in the morning while the middle school students went in the afternoon until about Spring of that school year. Our Senior year was in a real high school building.

Update: Headwaters Junction would be a better home for the popular Santa Train.

A Journal Gazette article with several photos on the 1953-55 elevation of the Nickle Plate.

Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana posted

Disguised as the 767, the 765 has been renumbered and a ceremony celebrating its installation in the park is being held on May 4th, 1963. That’s the North Side High school band playing at left.

As the 765-as-767 was installed in Lawton Park on May 4th, 1963 the original 767 was hauled to Chicago for scrapping, meeting its end sometime in 1964.

Becky Stearns Dearinger posted
Remember this steam engine displayed at Lawton Park?
[I wonder if it was restorable because it was surrounded by a barb-wire fence from its early days. Many static displays suffered from vandals, including so called railfans, taking "souvenirs."]

Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society added five photos with the comment:

It's pretty incredible what a few passionate citizens can accomplish. 45 years ago this weekend, our organization was officially formed with the goal of restoring and operating a historic steam locomotive on display in Downtown Fort Wayne. In two years, the engine would be removed from Lawton Park and by 1979, it would become the living, breathing time machine we all know and love today. Not bad for a bunch of dreamers.

1
The locomotive, disguised under a different number for ceremonial reasons, was first placed on display in 1964 to much fanfare as part of the gateway into Fort Wayne. For more on the number swap, read up on the engine's history here: https://fortwaynerailroad.org/nickel-plate-road-no-765/

2
The "moving crew" includes Gary Bensman (far left), Wayne York (lower left), Skip Sassmanshausen (third from left, standing), Vic Geckle (right below the number), Dick Yager (right of the coupler) and Glenn Brendel (far right.) In their early 20s when the FWRHS was formed, Gary and Wayne are still active in the organization.

3
The 765 was escorted over the old New York Central line at Cass Street and Wells Street. The run down station in the background has been beautifully restored and preserved as the Fort Wayne Outfitter's Bike Depot & Bike Hub. It was the first passenger station in Fort Wayne and briefly known as "Union Station."

4
The locomotive was relocated to the corner of Ryan and Edgerton Road in New Haven, where a sign proudly proclaimed it the future site of the "Fort Wayne Railroad Museum." While the museum plans were put on hold, the restoration effort would begin in a few months and the locomotive's original number - 765 - would be returned.

5
With her crew looking on, the 765 is under steam for the first time in two decades and spins the wheels of 21 years of rust from her drivers on September 4th, 1979. Five years to the month from when she was removed from the park and seven years after the founding of the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, the restoration effort has succeeded.

Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society

Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society

Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society

Trains Magazine News-Wire: Fort Wayne's Headwaters Junction project moves forward

Greg Michell posted
I was going through some old boxes of slides and found this one from July 1981. It's that old locomotive and caboose which used to sit at Swinney Park near the old homestead. If I'm not mistaken, the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society has this equipment now.
Karl Kolmer Wabash No 534. Here's a good site for current information. https://fortwaynerailroad.org/wabash-no-534/
Jim McKay I think Joslyn purchased it from the Wabash to haul scrap metal (aka #Lake Erie & Fort Wayne RR". Retired in 1957 and put on display. Later claimed by the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society and sits out at the old Casad Naval depot.
[I didn't realize that Fort Wayne had two steam locomotives on static display. The NKP that I knew about sat on Clinton Street.]

Adding coal to the NKP 765 tender


Before they can buy the land, pollution issues need to be resolved. But it is not the NYC's pollution, it is from OmniSource, which was an electronics recycling company.

May 2021: They have started work on Phase 1 at the Riverfront, which is a reconstruction of the depot that was in Craigville, IN. [HeadwatersJunction, source]