The New York Central 3001 is a steam locomotive

The New York Central 3001 is a steam locomotive built in October 1940 by the American Locomotive Company in Schenectady, New York. Steam locomotives with four pilot wheels in front, eight drive wheels, and two trailing wheels—a 4-8-2—were called “Mountain engines” on other railroads. But the New York Central, which stressed it was the water level route in its advertising, didn’t want to be operating mountain engines on the water level route. So, on the New York Central, steam locomotives with the 4-8-2 wheel arrangement became known as “Mohawks,” taking their name from the railroad’s Mohawk division in New York State where they were first used. The 3001 was first assigned by the New York Central to operate out of Elkhart, given a model designation of L-3-A. The 3001 was designed for both passenger and freight work. Our Mohawk was retired on February 14, 1957 and was waiting on the scrap line in Cincinnati for the cutting torches when it was bought by the Texas and Pacific Railroad to replace one of their engines that had seriously deteriorated in a Dallas, Texas park. Cosmetically altered to approximate the appearance of a TMZ Locomotive, the 3001 remained in Texas until May 1984, when it was acquired by the Lakeshore Railroad Historical Foundation of Elkhart, and returned to the city where it started its service on the Central. Upon the formation of the NNYCRM here in 1987, it was leased to the museum for one hundred years.