Eric Victor/photos by the author
Reading Company T1 No. 2100 began its modern restoration chapter in 2015, when the American Steam Railroad Preservation Association moved the locomotive to Cleveland, Ohio. Once in Cleveland, ASR undertook a long, volunteer-driven restoration at the former B&O roundhouse owned by the Midwest Railway Society. The project grew into a major mechanical rebuild, including boiler work, piping, running gear attention, and later, a conversion to burn oil rather than coal. In 2025, after roughly a decade of work, No. 2100 was fired up for the first time since the early 2000s, marking a major milestone in its return to operation.
No. 250 poses beneath a brooding Cleveland sky in its temporary American Freedom Train-inspired livery, flags flying from the pilot beam. The red, white, and blue scheme was applied following the locomotive’s successful FRA steam test in early 2026, marking the first public appearance in patriotic paint ahead of the country’s 250th anniversary.
The next major advance came in early 2026, when No. 2100 passed an FRA steam test. With that milestone complete, American Steam Railroad has painted it to temporarily wear an American Freedom Train-inspired red, white, and blue livery, and has been renumbered No. 250 in recognition of the United States’ 250th anniversary. Now the focus is on finishing the running gear and final assembly, and eventual break-in runs when the work is complete…