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Locomotive 202 volunteers press Hagerstown council for decision as train‑hub activity grows
Summary
Volunteers restoring Locomotive 202 and the City Park Train Hub told the Hagerstown Mayor and City Council they remain ready to maintain the artifact and asked the council to return the issue to the agenda for a formal decision.
Volunteers and nonprofit representatives told the Mayor and City Council on April 22 that work to restore Locomotive 202 and the City Park Train Hub is ongoing and urged the council to act soon on the locomotive’s future.
Karen Duns Wofford, president of the Hub City Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society and of Save Locomotive 202, said the group is "still awaiting a decision on locomotive 202," and pledged to appear at council meetings monthly until the council takes action. Wofford described recent volunteer work at the train hub — scraping, priming and painting park benches, clearing brush, power‑washing an 1885 caboose and preparing the inside of a museum for opening day — and said the group has partnered with the Boys & Girls Club to provide STEM‑oriented tours and programs.
Richard Roach, vice president of the Hub City Chapter and a representative of the Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum, told the council the volunteers have fulfilled promises and urged officials to "get this issue back on the agenda, sooner rather than later," saying each month without a formal decision delays care for the locomotive. Roach thanked Mayor McIntyre and Councilman Flaherty for visiting volunteer workdays and said volunteers remain ready to continue maintenance "free of charge to the city through our organizations."
Council members acknowledged the volunteers’ work and expressed appreciation. No formal action on Locomotive 202 was recorded during the April 22 meeting; the speakers asked the council to schedule the matter for future consideration so the volunteers and partner groups can move forward with restoration and programming.
The locomotive and the City Park Train Hub were cited by volunteers as active community education sites: events referenced in the meeting included an Easter event that drew more than 75 children and planned living‑history demonstrations. Volunteers said they would continue monthly appearances before the council until they receive a formal agenda item or decision.
