This was the first time an articulated locomotive operated in the Eastern United States since the retirement of Norfolk and Western 1218 in November 1991.

Additionally, it is one of only two surviving H-6's, the other of which is Chesapeake and Ohio 1308, which is on static display at the Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society.

1309 was based on a 40-year-old design, with mechanical lubricators, stoker, and superheater, the last of a series of 2-6-6-2s that the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) began in 1911.

While compound locomotives are more efficient than single-expansion machines, the complexity of the design led to very few United States railroads using them after the turn of the century.

[3] The additional length of two sets of cylinders required the engines to be articulated to enable operation on tight radius turns common in mountainous areas in West Virginia and Kentucky coal country, adding even more complexity.

When coal production dramatically fell due to labor unrest in 1949, the order was revised to just ten locomotives (Nos.

1309 was retired from revenue service in 1956, after which it was stored for nearly twenty years by the C&O's roundhouse at Peach Creek, West Virginia.

[6][13] In early January 2017, the railroad stated that the reassembly process at the Ridgeley shop would begin that month and announced that the inaugural trip of the restored locomotive would take place on July 1, 2017; it began selling tickets for the excursion.

[16] $400,000 provided by the state of Maryland had been spent and the railroad estimated it would take at least $530,000 more to complete the restoration, including $120,000 for the running gear and $115,000 for the boiler.

The railroad was soliciting donations from individuals, seeking additional grants, and raising money with "freight photo charters".

[17] In January 2018, Maryland state senator Wayne Norman proposed that Allegany County provide $530,000 to complete the restoration.

[18] In February 2018, the restoration project suffered another setback when the railroad learned that an employee had stolen parts, including bronze bearings and wear plates, and sold them for scrap at a salvage yard.

The WMSR estimated they were still around $200,000 short of completing the work and started developing a fund to cover initial operating expenses and facilities for fuel, water, and ash removal to name a few items.

[28] On December 31, 2020, the restoration was completed and the locomotive moved under its own power for the first time in sixty-four years as part of a series of test runs to return it to operating condition.

1309 locomotive finally entered excursion service on December 17, 2021, pulling the annual Polar Express train.

1309's cab, honoring former Trains Magazine editor Jim Wrinn, who died earlier in 2022 and had been deeply involved in the restoration project.

1309's cab, honoring the late Jack Showalter, who originally ran the Allegany Central Railroad between 1988 and 1991 on the same line that the WMSR operated today.

1309 pulled a fundraiser excursion in partnership with the Railroaders Memorial Museum to benefit the restoration project of the PRR No.

1309 suffered some more running gear issues caused by a faulty lubricator, so the locomotive had to be taken out of service again to undergo further maintenance.