How many of us remember America’s Bicentennial celebration in 1976? The special quarters, the fireworks, the American Freedom Train? The B&O Railroad Museum remembers and will begin a full cosmetic restoration of the American Freedom Train No. 1 (AFT No. 1) locomotive, which they expect to complete in December 2025, to be ready for the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026. The following year, 2027, marks the 200th anniversary of American railroading.
The AFT No. 1 was one of three locomotives used to pull the American Freedom Train of 1975 and 1976 as part of the Bicentennial Celebration of American Independence. It is the only locomotive of the three original steam locomotives that retain the original American Freedom Train paint scheme.
When the locomotive was moved from the B&O Railroad Museum’s parking lot to the Restoration Shop in Fall 2023, nearly 30,000 people watched the move online…