Another news update for followers and members: We have received the agreed-upon contract from Waterville, granting us two years to purchase #470 and another year to remove it from the park. Thanks to the great numbers of you who have stood by us, we are well on our way! Ultimately, you power the incentive to rebuild and preserve Maine Central’s last operable steam locomotive. Please continue to spread the word throughout 2014.

We have arranged for a table next to Downeast Scenic Railroad's table for the Springfield, Massachusetts Train Show on January 25-26th. We continue to submit grant and funding proposals to agencies seeking submissions.

We are currently working with the Maine Eastern Railroad to host a “Touch-a-Train” event at Rockland Station sometime in the spring. Children, accompanied by parents and grandparents, will be able to explore real railroad trains under the guidance of MERR professionals. We are also working with the Owls Head Transportation Museum to bring some historic vehicles as well. Who doesn’t want to sit in the engineer’s seat of a former New Haven Railroad FL9 diesel locomotive or have their picture taken in a great antique truck? This event is being further developed over the winter - stay tuned for further updates!

“Keep Calm and Steam On” shirts are ready this week in sizes S thru XXL. Sorry, they won’t be out for Christmas, but we can send them out to arrive before year’s end! Pay for them by check at our mailing address or online by PayPal under our STORE tab.

We are seeking a licensed asbestos abatement contractor to remove the remaining offensive material from #470. We can make this a tax deduction for the donor of services, and it can significantly lower our projected expense level for this phase of restoration. As 2013 comes to a close, this is a corporate tax deduction that you can still take. Interested? Please contact us at newenglandsteamcorp@gmail.com.

As more news comes to pass, we’ll present it right here. Please enjoy a safe, happy, warm, holiday season.