NESCo News
and restoration updates
2026 is not over yet, and New England Steam wants you to have one of the few remaining 2026 calendars. All we ask is that you pay for the shipping, which is usually $5.00.
There are some never seen before photos and information within that you don’t want to miss.
Help us sell out of these calendars. We’d rather give them away instead of having them sitting in a box.
Go to our Store page on this website and order yours today!
It is with sadness in our hearts, and tears in our eyes that we must inform everyone that the Touch A Train 2026 event is cancelled. Circumstances beyond our control have affected participation by our partners. The Downeast Scenic Railroad will not be operating any previously scheduled caboose rides, displays, or have any vendors for Touch A Train.
Though Touch A Train is cancelled, that does not mean we are closing. The Downeast Scenic Railroad will operate its regularly scheduled trains, and New England Steam Corporation will continue to work on No. 470 and offer tours of the 470 restoration shop.
We encourage you to visit the Downeast Scenic Railroad and New England Steam and see for yourself all of the progress that has been made on the railroad in Hancock Maine.
Early next year we will decide if Touch A Train will happen in the summer of 2027. So stay tuned to this News Page or visit www.touchatrain.org for more information.
Work on MEC 470 at New England Steam’s shop continues! Our volunteer crew has been grinding it out and our spirits are being lifted. Progress is being made on several tasks.
One project gaining momentum is 470’s cab. Years ago former President Richard Glueck donated a utility trailer to the project. Recently his dream of seeing the cab mounted on the trailer was realized. The trailer needed some work to make it suitable for placing the cab on it. 470’s cab is actually wider than the trailer, so a new deck had to be constructed across the frame width with heavy lumber. Once that was ready the cab was dismounted from the restoration cradle and lifted with the crane. The rebuilt trailer was rolled underneath, and the cab was set down on it. Interestingly, when the cab was lifted, we weighed it with a scale. The cab weighs 2000 lbs. just like it is.
Bob D. made some custom u-brackets in his home shop to hold the cab to the trailer. Bill A. made a set of armrests for the engineer and fireman’s windows. Brian H. went to work removing old brackets that supported the smoke deflector on the rear of the roof. Hours were spent grinding down old welds and rivets. Damaged angle iron, intended to deflect water dripping over the windows was removed as well.
Now that the cab is mobile, we can move it in and out of the shop. That allows us to get up close to the front of the boiler with the crane.
Perhaps with some prettying up the cab could be turned into a parade float! Or, hey! We could start selling cab rides!
Now that the cab can be moved out of the way, the front of 470’s boiler can be reached with the crane. Work commenced on removing the smokestack.
The base is in very poor condition. The stack has multiple breaks also that have welds of unknown quality. We believe these repairs were made when on display in Waterville and not during operation. The Petticoat is intact and has a few pieces of the stack base still attached.
With the smokestack out of the way, there is more headroom. Cody P. and John B. continued their efforts of grinding away the last remnants of the feedwater heater. When ready, patch panels will be fabricated and installed in the areas that were where the feedwater piping and shut off cocks were located.
Meanwhile work continues on cleaning up the Delta Trailing Truck. Paul VS has been tackling this project by himself, and he is making great progress. Soon, the big crane will be used to flip the truck upside down so his work can continue.
Other project developments have occurred including work being done to the trailing truck. The new wheels have been forged by McKees Rocks Forgings in Pennsylvania, and they have been shipped to Strasburg Railroad Shops for machining and assembly. We will have an in-depth report on their progress soon, so stay tuned!
Finally, we want to send out a huge THANK YOU! to all the volunteers and supporters who continue to contribute to this project. A lot of work happens behind the scenes that doesn’t get any recognition, and we want you to know that your efforts have not gone unnoticed. Without your generous help the effort to rebuild 470 would not happen. With your help, we are more than just a locomotive restoration.
Made some good progress on getting the last remnants of the Coffin Feedwater Heater removed from the smokebox. Probably one more plasma torch session to remove a few remaining steel strips. Then comes a bunch of cleanup grinding. Next will be making up some steel patches to fill in the holes. Sure did open up some real estate inside the smoke box!
While Bob D. was working in the smokebox, Paul VS was treating rusty steel. Paul uses Tannic Acid that he buys locally. Application is with a paintbrush and hours worth of The Karate Kid impersonations.
Moving from the trailing truck to the cab, Paul took photos to show the before and after conditions of the acid to the cab steel.
Rejoice and sing the news from the highest rooftops! New England Steam Corporation now has our 2026 - 2027 Memberships open. Be a part of the rebuild and show your support. Click on the Get Involved page tab above to get started.
New England Steam is proud to announce the award of a grant from Mass Bay RRE. The $3200 is being awarded to continued work on 470’s trailing truck. Support from friends like Mass Bay RRE is what drives this restoration project forward. Please join us in thanking Mass Bay!
Machine work for the wheels and axle is contracted to Strasburg Railroad Shops. The scope of the project requires a substantial fundraising effort. This years effort is off to a flying start thanks to Mass Bay RRE!
NESCo President Paul VanSteenburghe is keeping rust at bay during a recent work session in April 2026.
Maine winters haven’t stopped the NESCo shop crew who toiled on despite the cold. Multiple projects are being worked on at this time, and heavy work on the locomotive is planned for this summer. Our volunteers have gained ground on hard tasks with completion in sight.
Recent work weekends have produced more riveting of the tender body and the installation of the handrails around the tender water body. This can be a fickle task with trying to fish the handrail through the stanchions.
It took some time to accurately layout the 13/16” holes for the stanchion mounting bolts, taking care not to have interference issues with the interior structure. The crew used a mag base drill to make the holes.
New England Steam is beginning an exciting new fundraiser that you can participate in! There are hundreds of rivets to install on 470’s tender. Our team is selling the rivets to be stamped with your initials! This mark on the button head of the rivet will make your initials a permanent part of 470!
These special (collectable?) rivets show your support for the project. $50.00 is the requested amount and can be purchased on our website store, or in person at our shop. Mailed in checks with a filled out form will also be accepted.
Add multiple rivets, and you could even spell something out. It’s up to you. These rivets are a fun gift or would make a good memorial. All orders help pay for more projects and improve our daily work behind the scenes at our organization. Once our crew stamps the rivet, you will be invited to visit and see the stamp in person as well as get a tour of the project.
What are your initials?
Friends, The New England Steam Corporation Board of Directors want to inform everyone that our membership will be changing in 2026.
Usually, NESCo begins its membership drive for the following year in November and December. We will not be doing that anymore. Traditional style memberships will now begin in May and end in May to coincide with Railroaders Day on May 10th.
The reasons for the change are to eliminate conflict with the Holiday Season, and Year End Fundraising Appeals.
Current 2025 members of New England Steam are to be grandfathered, or carried over, up to May 10th 2026. From that date on the new membership will commence.
There will be some other changes as well, such as membership levels, and names. Lifetime Members will not be affected.
In addition, any person who volunteers to work “Hands On” the 470 locomotive, either in person or in cyberspace will be granted membership status for the remainder of that year. So, plan to save yourself some money by lending a hand with projects on the Old 470!
Stay tuned to this website and our social media pages for more information to be released concerning memberships.
Work continued on needle scaling rust and old paint off of 470’s boiler. Brian H, Paul VS, and John B all worked for several hours on the project. We have nearly reached the smokebox and will continue until 470’s boiler shell is clean.
Paul H worked for a while on NESCo archives, and Downeast Scenic Railroad crews spent the day winterizing shop buildings and train cars. As winter approaches, the work pace slows and projects move inside.
New England Steam Corporation will be manning a table at the Eastern Maine Model Railroad Club annual model train show in Brewer Maine on November 22nd, 2025. The show is located at Jeff’s Catering 53 Center Street. You are encouraged to visit the show and check out all the tables and vendors. We will be there from 10am - 3pm.
NESCo’s 2026 Calendars are selling like hotcakes! Go to our website store and order yourself one today. They make a great gift as well!
Get your hands on our new 2026 Calendar! They are jam packed with historical photos of MEC 470, recent restoration photos, artwork, and information. This calendar will look good in your office, train room, or workplace! Plus, it makes a great gift!
Go to our Store on our Website and order yours today!
NESCo had a work session on 10/25 that became a hot riveting party!
In attendance was Bob DW, Timm S, Paul VS, and John B. John is a new volunteer who has been to a number of work sessions now and is really enjoying the experience.
It was a challenge getting the tooling methods and motions dialed in, but we had great success driving and setting about 40, 5/8” shank round head rivets into the tender shell. Early in the run there were a couple of poor results that will become do overs. Other than those few the following rivets set very nicely with excellent formed heads on both sides of the structure.
Also, we want to thank DESRR for the awesome end of season pizza party held in one of the passenger cars. They even had some really yummy brownies!
If you are interested in helping and learning how to rivet hot rivets into steel, we will be having another rivet party on November 8th. Contact us at info@newenglandsteam.org to sign up and learn how you can help restore Maine Central 470.
New England Steam is proud to show off the latest part of 470 to be renewed. The Delta Trailing Truck Springs were recently received from our supplier Dendoff Springs of Surrey, British Columbia. The springs were funded in large part by a generous grant from the Mass Bay Railroad Enthusiasts. All of us at New England Steam Corp. wish to thank Mass Bay RRE for supporting our effort again. Without their cooperation and encouragement the rebuild of MEC 470 would be much farther behind. Thank you!
Touch A Train 2025 Photos
Let’s get ready for Touch A Train! Our annual event is this coming weekend on Saturday August 16th from 9am to 1:30pm. It will be hosted with our partners at Downeast Scenic Railroad at the railyard in Hancock Maine. This is a great event for families with free admission. Train rides on the Downeast Scenic will be at a reduced fare.
See all the details on our Touch A Train Website at www.touchatrain.org.
Also, don’t forget to enter our Calendar Photo Contest which ends this Saturday at the end of Touch A Train. We’ve had some good entries but want to see more. Send yours in today to bhebert@newenglandsteam.org.
Announcing New England Steam’s 2026 Calendar Photo Contest!
Calling all Maine Central 470 supporters, railroad history buffs, and photography enthusiasts! The 2026 New England Steam Corporation’s Calendar Photo Contest is here!
We’re looking for the most jaw-dropping photos of Maine Central 470’s history to fill our 2026 calendar and the cover. All winners will have their photos featured in the calendar along with the stories behind the winning shot. Plus, you’ll score a free copy of the 2026 New England Steam Corp. calendar.
Imagine seeing your shot celebrated all year long-and the bragging rights? Simply unbeatable! All submitted photos will be displayed in our gallery, and by entering, you’re giving us permission to showcase your photo in the calendar, website, and social media. Be sure to check out the rules before you submit-details below.
2026 Calendar Contest Rules:
Your photo must feature some part of steam locomotive 470’s world. It could be photos of the locomotive, current restoration, on display in Waterville,ME, stations the locomotive served, people who worked on the 470, or any other image of the rich history of the Maine Central #470.
Minor color corrections and cropping are fine. HDR is cool, but heavy editing and filters? Not so much.
Only submit photos that you personally own or have taken. Copying photos that someone else shot, or owns, and submitting them as yours is a copyright crime.
Include your name, the location of the photo, the date the photo was taken, and any other information.
Submit your photos digitally. You can send them all at once or one at a time - up to three photo entries per person. If you cannot scan an image, you could mail it to us with a return envelope.
Deadline: Submit your photos by 11:59 AM EST on Saturday, August 16th, 2025.
Horizontal Photos Only: All photos must be horizontal for our calendar format (11” x 8.5”).
No Panos Please: Panoramic photos don’t fit a calendar page format, so stick to the standard size.
Submit your photos in their original resolution - no downsizing, please.
The past few work sessions in November have centered around getting the trailing truck unloaded from the Downeast Scenic flatcar where it has lived since coming to Ellsworth and inside NESCo's shop for disassembly and rebuilding.
The leaf spring packs and hangers have been removed. The gear box cover was opened up for a peek inside.
The booster assembly is being removed in its entirety. 470 was originally delivered with a type C1 booster. We have discovered that what is now present is a C2.
The booster gearbox surrounds the axle of the Delta trailing truck. A section of the lower case was unbolted and dropped down to the ground. There is also a large vertical pin between the cylinders that mate the booster to the cross member of the truck. We were unable to remove the nut from the pin so the pin head was cut off.
The booster unit is now ready to be lifted from the trailing truck. Gearbox case will be put back together and the axle holes will be sealed up. Internals will be lubricated to preserve. Current plans are to store the booster unit long term.
Thanks to Ron, Al, Leverett, Bob and Tim for making this all happen.
Paul and Bob put everything away that was on display for Touch a Train and worked on some shop organization. Items were crated and stored. Rebuilt power reverser had its ports plugged and stored in on of our containers.
Leverett and his crew relocated our large pile of tubes and flues. Consolidated the footprint and made better use of yard space. Priority was better access to the spare rail stacks.
Paul started needle scaling the exterior of the boiler shell.
We had a few guests stop in for a shop tour.
Paul and Bob had work sessions on 7/20 and 7/27. More cab work and shop cleanup was accomplished!
We have another awesome vintage tool for the shop. Bob found us a 50's era Black and Decker drill press and stand with a 3/4” capacity. The drill motor is a beastie! No plastic bits to be found on this. It is right at home in a locomotive shop. We also got two vises, large and small, plus a cigar box full of drill bits.
The guys fabbed up some handles for the large tender hatch. These were drilled and bolted up, to be riveted later on. Some cab pieces were cut and fitted and drilled for rivets. Additionally, material was cut for the front cab widows, frames and mounting flanges.
Want to see the progress for yourself? Come to Touch a Train 2024. All details at www.touchatrain.org!
New England Steam Corp.
a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
P.O. Box 302
Winterport, ME 04496
Website by The Garbely Publishing Company
