On Track to Revive No. 5: Local team revamps historic locomotive

Five train enthusiasts are choo-choosing to restore a Jackson icon to full operation.

Steam Team members Billy Mikoliza, Nathan Beasley, Aspen Welker, Matthew Terlunen and Lucas Smith are taking the first steps to restore the No. 5 locomotive at the St. Louis Iron Mountain Railway Station in Jackson.

Restoring the steam locomotive can help bridge a gap between those who have memories of No. 5 and a newer generation of train enthusiasts, “Conductor Billy” Mikoliza says.

“They have all these stories of No. 5, different things that happened on the railroad when it first started,” he says. “Unfortunately, other than maybe watching some videos, we don’t have those memories.”

The team of five Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois residents — all under the age of 25 — began in 2019, Welker says. What started with conversations between Mikoliza and Welker soon grew into concrete plans and applications to begin the restoration process.

Fast-forward two years, No. 5’s restoration project is now in the beginning active stages, which includes historical research and project expense evaluations. Welker says while it is too early to provide an exact number, they estimate the full restoral to cost in the ballpark of $1 million and include at least five years of restoration work.

The Steam Team sees something special in Number Five — something they’d like to share with the Jackson community.

For those not familiar with differentiations between types of trains, Mikoliza breaks it down into terms of a beloved children’s television show. The No. 5 locomotive in Jackson is very similar to the character Percy in “Thomas the Tank Engine,” another steam engine, Mikoliza says.

Built in the mid-1940s in Pennsylvania as a tank engine, Mikoliza says it was originally intended to be utilized in rail yards. Years later, it was converted into a passenger train for use by the Iron Mountain Railway at the depot in Jackson.

The first step in the restoration process is locating those original parts for the steam engine, Mikoliza says. The train’s last run was in 1999, he says, after which it was decommissioned for failing an inspection due to damaged steam flue pipes. An estimated $200,000 is needed to restore the steam portion of the train, Mikoliza says.

A lack of funds to restore those pipes in 1999 resulted in the locomotive being deconstructed, with parts scattered at the train depot in Jackson. The team dove into researching the construction of locomotives similar to No. 5, Welker says, and are consulting the National Museum of Transportation for more information.

Now, the team is trying to put together all the pieces of a 75-year-old puzzle.

As many of the mechanical parts of No. 5 are aging, Mikoliza says specialists in this type of locomotive are difficult to find, and replacement part prices are increasing. They intend to use as many original parts as possible and are salvaging as many facets of the original locomotive as they can.

While the aesthetic of the locomotive is kept as original as possible, Mikoliza adds the team intends to research more environmentally-friendly energy to fuel the engine. It will also be utilized to educate visitors at the Iron Mountain Railway Station.

The train will connect Jackson residents with a forgotten bit of the town’s history.

“The public has amnesia,” Mikoliza says. “When No. 5 was shoved to the rear and put out of the spotlight, a lot of people in town forgot that we even had a steam engine.”

He notes the locomotive could also attract tourists to the area, generating more traffic for local businesses.

Another challenge to tackle is refurbishing the track, Welker says. The team is currently marking ties on the track that need to be replaced. No. 5 runs to Gordonville, Mikoliza says, resulting in about a two-hour trip for the locomotive. At the same time as No. 5’s restoration, the team is also restoring a mini train that will run on the depot’s property.

Many of the members of the Steam Team cite a lifelong interest in locomotives as their motivation for restoring the steam engine. Welker says he began volunteering with his grandmother at Iron Mountain Railway at five years old, while Mikoliza joined him later in 2010.

“As a kid, we always had train sets somewhere around the house,” Welker says. “I guess for me, it’s the fact that I never grew out of that, really. As I got older, the trains just got bigger and bigger.”

Beasley and Terlunen grew up in Marion, Ill., around the Crab Orchard and Egyptian Railroad. Throughout the restoration project planning on No. 5, they have lent their knowledge from growing up with the Southern Illinois railroad.

The team is currently fundraising for restoration of the locomotive and has generated some $2,500 in donations during the past two years, Mikoliza says.

“It’s the objective of bringing back this learning experience and showing the world what they’ve been missing out on,” Welker says.

To stay updated on the Locomotive No. 5 Conservation Project, or to donate, visit number5project.com or their page on Facebook.