6-11 Day: Restoring Lehigh & New England #611 To Service

6-11 Day is upon us! The restoration of the last surviving Lehigh & New England diesel locomotive is progressing. Volunteers are making headway on getting the prime mover (the "motor") running. The traction motors, which make the wheels turn, need professional cleaning and rehab. We still need over $5000 to add to our funding

just for that work.

And after that, we will need another $30K (at least) for work on the generator and other assemblies. And that's before we get to painting it back to the way it looked in 1948 when delivered to the LNE.

This is a well-organized, fiscally-responsible restoration of an artifact from Pennsylvania's rich slate, cement and anthracite coal heritage. The locomotive has a home on the Allentown & Auburn Railroad in Kutztown, PA where it is intended to run - less than 20 miles from original LNE routes.

In other words, your donations will go towards a project that has been carefully planned.

Finishing #611 will take two things: time and money. Our volunteers are doing everything they can on the "time" part of the equation (ask them about sweeping raccoon droppings out of the engine compartment - and all the mechanical work), but we can't complete the "money" part without your help.

You can make a difference by donating today to the non-profit Railroad & Industrial Preservation Society, Inc. which was formed in 2021 by a group of historians interested in preserving and providing stewardship for railroad and industrial artifacts. The team is currently restoring the historic 1948-built diesel locomotive Lehigh & New England #611.

www.riptrack.org