At about 2 p.m. Saturday, volunteers at the Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad Association got the 1919 Baldwin locomotive running on its own for a short trip.

Joe Minick, engineer in charge of the steam engine, had a big smile and gave a “thumbs up” when asked what the accomplishment meant. “Yeah.” Minutes earlier as he watched the large locomotive get ready to move he said “It’s there, it’s there.”

In final preparations, he noted there were minor leaks that needed fixed before the train could roll down the tracks.

“You expect to find a few leaks,” said Rodney Bates, Wichita, a retired computer science teacher at Wichita State University.

Black smoke could be seen from a long ways away as the engine was fired up and as the Baldwin had been eased out to the east of the restoration barn in the southern part of Abilene. The black smoke drew curious onlookers. For about an hour the volunteers meticulously tightened and adjusted valves for a maiden voyage.

As the engine prepared to move, the synchronization kicked in and the thumping noises were heard as if the old steam engine was being awakened from its lengthy slumber. And it had been a 50-plus year nap. Each passing minute the sounds kept telling a more positive story, the sounds beating like a heart in the locomotive.

Once the steam generated train rolled down the track for the first time, about 120 feet and rolled back on its own, a loud ovation erupted with more than 15 sets of hands clapping loudly as they had an appreciation for what had been accomplished.

“We still have some little problems to fix,” Minick said. “We’ll need to make some adjustments and it’s not done yet, but we’re almost there.”

The engine will need to be inspected by the Federal Railroad Administration, Minick said, which is expected to be in early December. The Abilene and Smoky Valley Roadroad Association has plans to operate the steam engine as part of its excursion train operation. Plans are not finalized, but officials have indicated they would like to run the engine on a special schedule.

Since the restoration of the train started in the late 1990s when it was moved from Eisenhower Park, tourism officials say that the addition of a steam engine to Abilene’s tourism arsenal will be a major asset in attracting visitors here.

For the volunteers the day was exciting. Physician Steve Schwarting traded in his doctor’s skills because he has always had a fascination with farm machinery and how it operates.

“I like the mechanical things on the farm,” he said, then smiled. “This is a biggest thing I’ve ever worked on.”

He has enjoyed meeting the other volunteers, all of whom have different backgrounds, but are fascinated by the large steam engine.

“From the human side it is a lot of fun and a neat thing to work around these guys,” Schwarting said. “If it wasn’t for the diversity of the other guys I’m not sure I might have stayed with it.”

He noted there were volunteers who travel from Manhattan, Glasco, Wichita, Junction City as well as local men and women who all have contributed.

Bates took some gentle ribbing from Minick, who said Bates had the distinction of getting hurt by falling off the engine earlier.

Bates quipped that did not stop him from returning.

“I wanted to be involved in the restoring of the engine,” he said.

While he was a computer science teacher, Bates said his interest in steam engine trains dates back to the early 1970s.

“You have be kind of crazy to want to do it, but it is very rewarding and a lot of fun,” Bates said.

Schwarting has been involved with the steam engine restoration project for about four years.

Schwarting arrived at 5:30 a.m. Saturday to begin the process of heating the steam engine.

“To get to the point where we can make steam and hold it, that’s great,” he said. “It is a pretty exciting day for all of us.”’

The physician took great delight in blowing the whistle, which had not occurred since 1954. Minick said he never lost faith in the lengthy restoration process.

“We never thought we could not make it although we’ve have some setbacks, which was to be expected,” Minick said.

The train set in Eisenhower Park for more than 40 years, he said, plus the association did not have any blue prints, as it depended heavily on ingenuity.