For the first time in about 50 years, the House of David steam-powered locomotive 902 has been fired up and operated at the Michigan Flywheelers Museum in South Haven. Museum President Pat Ingalls tells us a crowd of about 80 people turned out Thursday to see the mini locomotive take a trip of about a quarter mile.
“They loved it,” Ingalls said. “They were running and driving golf carts beside it to watch it go the full length and back. There was a lot of people who had worked on the train, they were here to see it. It was quite an event.”
The Michigan Flywheelers Museum received the historic House of David train thanks to Merlin Hanson, who obtained House of David trains 902 and 903 after they were shut down in the 1970s. 902 is now at the Flywheelers Museum, and 903 is at Lake Michigan College. Now that the train has been operated again, Ingalls says they plan to lay the remaining three quarters of a mile of track at the museum next year and then seek a state license to operate the train as an amusement ride for the public. Anyone who wants to help lay more track for the train can keep an eye on the Michigan Flywheelers Museum Facebook page for volunteer opportunities.
