The Nickel Plate Road No. 767 was a steam locomotive built in September 1944 by the Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio. In 1951, the locomotive was severely damaged in a collision with a Wabash passenger train while pulling the freight nicknamed "The Flying Saucer." The locomotive was repaired and was later used to break the ribbon upon the completion of the "Elevate the Nickel Plate" project in Fort Wayne, IN.
History[]
In 1963, to commemorate the success of Fort Wayne's "Elevate the Nickel Plate" project, the city of Fort Wayne requested S-2 no. 767 for display in Lawton Park. The 767 had been stored outdoors since 1958, and had been subject to vandalism, and was in poor condition overall. No. 765, however, was a favorite among crews in Fort Wayne, and had been stored indoors since it's last steam in December 1958. The Nickel Plate quietly renumbered the 765 to 767, and even went as far as to renumber the 767 as 765. The 767, now 765, was sold for scrap in 1963 and was dismantled sometime in 1964.
The 765, now 767, was donated to the city of Fort Wayne on May 4, 1963, for display at 4th and Clinton Streets. A plaque commemorating the occasion read, "Nickel Plate Road Berkshire no. 767, used to break ribbon at dedication of track elevation on October 4th, 1955, donated by the New York, Chicago, and St. Louis Railroad company to the City of Fort Wayne as a monument to a great period in the development of our country -- the era of steam railroading".
Trivia[]
- Nickel Plate 765 masqueraded as 767 for the "Steam in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park 2016" event.
Gallery[]
