Corry RAILS

15/10/2026

Session 15 – 2026 – Oct. 16th, 17th, 18th

Corry RAILS WORK SESSION #15: Here we go Again... it is time for Rail Restoration Fans to gather... Our Volunteers will gather for the 15th time this year to work on tasks involved in the restoration of Climax A-313 built in 1902 for the Nome Alaska Gold Rush... This little locomotive is the only nearly complete Class A survivor known to exist.

Our Timber Trolley is done.... and it looks good, Thanks Bill.
Timbers are still in the squaring up stage as we figure this sawmill out... More parts were sand-blasted last week, so there will be primering to do on those... and paint on other parts that have been waiting. More work to be done on our Timber and Rail Tools Display.... and we will try to get to the threading that didn't get done last time.

Last week I was at the Erie County Historical Society and the Hagen History Center and spotted a copy of their annual magazine published under the title of the Triangle.... which references the triangular section of the state bordering Lake Erie... On the original layout of the State there was almost no lake frontage, just a tiny sliver at the Ohio line. The Triangular shaped North-west corner of the state was added later. Anyway in this years edition they have a nice article about the three Locomotive brands produced in Erie County over the years.... Climax, Heisler and GE.... and in the nicely done 5 page article there is a nice mention of our Project Climax A-313... Thank you Hagen Center!!!

We are always looking for Volunteers... It is not just about the mechanical and wood-working jobs, but we are still looking for people interested in learning about our project details to be able to act as Docents and Guides when we have visitors, and group tours, and to help staff displays at events.... volunteers to learn about writing Grant Applications and assist with our fund raising efforts... and other tasks... let us know what you would like to do... the sky is the limit... help build our community by volunteering... it helps everyone.

Our Work Weekend Session schedule has changed some from previous years to try to accommodate our Volunteer's availability... some can't come in on Sunday mornings.... some travel on Friday evening and want to be here Saturday and Sunday... some are off on Fridays...and want to be home on Sunday ...so... the new daily schedule is: Friday 9-5, Saturday 9-5, & Sunday 9-12... or 1pm, with lunch on Friday and Saturday. Let us know when you are available.

The lunch on Friday will be either Pizza or sub sandwiches and drinks, and we never know what the ladies may cook up for us on Saturday... last time it was meatball sub sandwiches... yummy... thanks ladies!

Google this address for our location... no numbers on the building, but hard to miss, as it is a pretty large steel building... 132 Mead Ave., Corry, PA. ...drop by and say “Hi!”

02/10/2026

It is Spring Down Under, and Climax B-1650 is running on the Glen Afton Line near Pukemiro, New Zealand (on the North Island)... this begins her second year of running since the extensive rebuild.... Here comes Summer and lots of fun!!!

01/10/2026

Session 14– 2026 – Oct. 2nd, 3rd & 4th
Corry RAILS WORK SESSION #14: Again it is time for Rail Restoration Fans to gather... Our Volunteers will gather for the 14th time this year to work on tasks involved in the restoration of Climax A-313 built in 1902 for the Nome Alaska Gold Rush... This little locomotive is the only nearly complete Class A survivor known to exist.

Last week we participated with a float in the Corry Homecoming Parade and threw out more than our share of candy along the route... It was fun seeing the reactions of the kids AND their parents recognizing Dolly Parton's “ Imagination Library's blue 'Little Train That Could' locomotive in the parade... they recognized it from the covers of the 21 book Series that Dolly did based on, and beginning with, Watty Piper's book written over 96 years ago, in 1930.... and kids still love the stories... and Dolly sure did love trains! That blue train is a hit when we show it. The little blue locomotive was actually built for Dolly in Erie, Pa.... LOCAL HISTORY!!!

Our Timber Trolley is nearly done.... some paint this weekend and it's ready for use. We have a couple of other projects for Welder Bill to work on beginning this weekend also.

Cpt. Dick managed to get our Side Sills sanded last session.... and with new blades on the mower he managed to get the lot mowed... it was getting a little deep. Ken is working on several patterns and I will be working on squaring up timbers, now that we have some of our Timber handling equipment in place. Also on the agenda is some work on one of our displays... a little bit at a time... pictures to come when it is done.... we will work that in with the small pipe threading that is needed.

We are always looking for Volunteers... It is not just about the mechanical and wood-working jobs, but we are still looking for people interested in learning about our project details to be able to act as Docents and Guides when we have visitors, and group tours, and to help staff displays at events.... volunteers to learn about writing Grant Applications and assist with our fund raising efforts... and other tasks... let us know what you would like to do... the sky is the limit... help build our community by volunteering... it helps everyone.

Our Work Weekend Session schedule has changed some from previous years to try to accommodate our Volunteer's availability... some can't come in on Sunday mornings.... some travel on Friday evening and want to be here Saturday and Sunday... some are off on Fridays...and want to be home on Sunday ...so... the new daily schedule is: Friday 9-5, Saturday 9-5, & Sunday 9-12... or 1pm, with lunch on Friday and Saturday. Let us know when you are available.

The lunch on Friday will be either Pizza or sub sandwiches and drinks, and we never know what the ladies may cook up for us on Saturday... last time it was meatball sub sandwiches... yummy... thanks ladies!

Google this address for our location... no numbers on the building, but hard to miss, as it is a pretty large steel building... 132 Mead Ave., Corry, PA. ...drop by and say “Hi!”

22/09/2026

Session 13 – 2026 – Sept. 25-27
Corry RAILS WORK SESSION #13: Here we go again Rail Restoration Fans... Our Volunteers will gather for the 13th time this year to work on tasks involved in the restoration of Climax A-313 built in 1902 for the Nome Alaska Gold Rush... This little locomotive is the only nearly complete Class A survivor.

Over the last couple of weeks we participated with a float in the Spartansburg Fair Parade, Class “A” and the Model “A” getting together... it was weird when I was researching it that out of the production of Model A's there are still at least 250,000 still existing today.... and our project is the ONLY Class “A” left... hmm!!! food for thought.

Last Work Session Welder Bill just about got our new Timber Trolley finished for moving timbers around the shop.... WESIII, or CADman Bill was busy working on more measuring and adjusting to drawings on the computer... Pattern Ken headed up doing the final planing on side sills... Cpt. Richard did a bit of everything including getting our big lawn, parking area mowed (all the rain has made it grow faster) and I worked on drawings of the handles for our engine's steam chest drain-down valves, so that Ken has them to make a Pattern for casting... and I chased parts and filled in wherever necessary.

Some Beltsanding is coming up this weekend... finishing the Timber Trolleys shouldn't take too long. We re-positioned some of the timber supports on the Sawmill last time, so hopefully we start playing with that this time and get some of the timbers squared up. We tested the new air-over-hydraulic jack cylinder on our hoist last time and that worked sweet. Maybe some painting of parts will take place... and some treading of small pipe to correct length is on the list.

We are always looking for Volunteers... It is not just about the mechanical and wood-working jobs, but we are still looking for people interested in learning about our project details to be able to act as Docents and Guides when we have visitors, and group tours, and to help staff displays at events.... volunteers to learn about writing Grant Applications and assist with our fund raising efforts... and other tasks... let us know what you would like to do... the sky is the limit... help build our community by volunteering... it helps everyone.

Our Work Weekend Session schedule has changed some from previous years to try to accommodate our Volunteer's availability... some can't come in on Sunday mornings.... some travel on Friday evening and want to be here Saturday and Sunday... some are off on Fridays...and want to be home on Sunday ...so... the new daily schedule is: Friday 9-5, Saturday 9-5, & Sunday 9-12... or 1pm, with lunch on Friday and Saturday. Let us know when you are available.

The lunch on Friday will be either Pizza or sub sandwiches and drinks, and we never know what the ladies may cook up for us on Saturday.

Google this address for our location... no numbers on the building, but hard to miss, as it is a pretty large steel building... 132 Mead Ave., Corry, PA. ...drop by and say “Hi!”

20/09/2026

17/09/2026

This is a GREAT VIDEO. We at Corry RAILS (Corry Rail And Industrial Legacy Society and Museum in Corry, Pa) can only hope that in the future we will be able to have an organization similar to the WW&F Rwy in Maine. Right now we don't have nearly the number or size of projects happening that they do. We have had people ask “...WHY we can't do something like what they have done here in Corry?”.... Let me give a bit of a not-so-short explanation... the short answer is.... WE CAN!!!

The Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway Museum has a well established volunteer organization that began forming 37 years ago in 1989. They began with the remnants of an historical local Railway dating back to 1894 that operated until 1933, 39 years, 2 miles of track to restore to operation, the historic railway station and the car shop, with several original-to-the-railroad pieces of historic rolling stock to restore ... and a ton of enthusiastic local community and area support. Their restoration efforts have been ongoing almost as long as the operation of the original railway, with a 56 year gap in-between.

Today they have 3.5 miles of track in operation which they constantly expand upon and maintain.... I believe there are 3 operating engines and 3 more stored, or in restoration, and a good number of cars, passenger, gondolas, flatcars, caboose and track maintenance equipment and etc. Additionally there have been several visiting locomotives over the years. Their volunteer crew has expanded over time to cover track maintenance, wood working on cars, Locomotive restoration and maintenance, as well as other construction projects. It is a wonderful attraction to the town and area generating a lot of tourist traffic... and it preserves and promotes the local history. The WW&FRwy is a great organization to emulate and to use as a guide. It is an outstanding example of what can be done with some local imagination and effort.

With our Corry RAILS organization, we only started in 2017 with just an IDEA, only
9 short years ago. In 2020 we achieved our first goal, the acquisition of the only complete Climax Class “A” locomotive to survive... the only example of what started Climax Manufacturing as a builder of Geared Locomotives designed for the Logging and Mining industries. Climax was the second largest of the builders of these specialty locomotives and they built three Classes of them (A, B & C) here in Corry for 40 years. Only 21 examples of these Steam Engines exist worldwide out of approximately 1050 built here, and two of them are now back home in Corry, Pa.... one of the 16 Class B's and the only complete Class “A”.

Today we are 6 years into literally a “ground-up-restoration” with no other example to look at to start with. It was 100% in pieces when we got it. I have often said that what we made four trips to Alaska to retrieve was a “Rusty old Erector set, in pieces, with a few parts missing, and no box, no parts-list or instruction book... along with a rotted and broken Lincoln Log kit, again with no box or instructions of how to assemble or play with it, and no living person who ever has worked on a Class “A” Climax” to ask for help from.

We began by reverse engineering and creating construction drawings that didn't exist, re-manufactured missing and worn-out parts, have had a wonderful shop donated to us, been gifted various pieces of needed used equipment, and continue to work on the project during Work Session Weekends. We have been lucky to have received a considerable amount of local financial help for our endeavors and there continues to be an ongoing need for funds. Volunteers these days are on the scarce side. And volunteers with specialized skill-sets are even more of a rarity... so we learn by doing, and move forward at a slow but steady pace. The work on this project moves only at the speed of the volunteers that come and join us and the donations of funds, materials, equipment and supplies that we receive. There are a few plans for future projects and additional Ideas for projects are always welcomed, but it is best when those ideas come with some willing and helping hands. We need people with all kinds of talents for now and in the future... and not just in building a locomotive.... so let us know you are interested and tell us about your ideas and abilities... maybe they can happen... There isn't any reason that in the future we can't have something similar to the WW&FRwy here in Corry, other than short-sighted people thinking that it can't happen. IMHO, CW, Pres.

Come and join us. Text to (814) 462-4394 or email to [email protected]
Congratulations to our friends at the WW&F Rwy on their accomplishments from your friends in Corry, Pa.

09/09/2026

Session 12 – 2026 – Sept. 11-13
Corry RAILS WORK SESSION #12: It's that time again Rail Resto Fans... This weekend Volunteers will gather for the 12th time this year to work on various tasks involved in the restoration of Climax A-313 built in 1902 for the Nome Alaska Gold Rush... This little locomotive is the only nearly complete Class A survivor.

Last Work Session we didn't get all of the preparatory work on the Side Sills done... a bit more work to go, and that should all be finished up this coming weekend.... got a bit more planing to do.... and we are experimenting with some stains to see what is going to work the best.

Bill, one of our welders, completed our lifting truss project.... and he has started the next project, building a single axle cart for moving beams around the shop.... my guess is that it should be done this weekend.

The Sawmill that we have been lent, although nearly brand new, had some issues from just sitting unused for a couple of years... Seems the mice on the farm seemed to like the accommodations. So, a few electrical repairs, change fuel, and then a carburetor rebuild on a terribly designed carb.... a nightmare. We are ready to begin cutting and squaring up cross-members.

We are always looking for Volunteers... It is not just about the mechanical and wood-working jobs, but we are still looking for people interested in learning about our project details to be able to act as Docents and Guides when we have visitors, and group tours, and to help staff displays at events.... volunteers to learn about writing Grant Applications and assist with our fund raising efforts... and other tasks... let us know what you would like to do... the sky is the limit... help build our community by volunteering... it helps everyone.

Our Work Weekend Session schedule has changed some from previous years to try to accommodate our Volunteer's availability... some can't come in on Sunday mornings.... some travel on Friday evening and want to be here Saturday and Sunday... some are off on Fridays...and want to be home on Sunday ...so... the new daily schedule is: Friday 9-5, Saturday 9-5, & Sunday 9-12... or 1pm, with lunch on Friday and Saturday. Let us know when you are available.

The lunch on Friday will be either Pizza or sub sandwiches and drinks, and we never know what the ladies may cook up for us on Saturday.

Google this address for our location... no numbers on the building, but hard to miss, as it is a pretty large steel building... 132 Mead Ave., Corry, PA. ...drop by and say “Hi!”

26/08/2026

25/08/2026

JOHN LEWIS - 5/2/1936 ~ 6/12/2022
A great and generous Climax Locomotive Historian
Rest in Peace, John.