Petition for B&M 3713
The Issue
The United States government started restoring Boston & Maine steam locomotive No. 3713 in 1995. I wasn’t even alive yet.
Kids who visited this locomotive on school field trips in the mid-90s are now adults with careers and children of their own, and this train is still completely dismantled. The older generation of mechanics who originally dreamed of hearing its whistle echo through the valley are passing away. If the government keeps moving at its current bureaucratic pace, an entire generation of Americans will have lived and died without ever seeing this piece of history breathe.
My name is Lucas , and I am an almost 16-year-old steam railfan from New England. While my peers are playing video games, I am spending my time trying to figure out how to get the President of the United States to look at a steam engine. I can’t vote, and I don't have a single dollar to my name. I cannot buy the steel, and I cannot hire the mechanics. But I refuse to sit back and watch our history be forgotten.
This locomotive isn't just a machine. It is named "The Constitution." Built in 1934, it is a rolling monument to American grit and New England industrial pride. It carried our grandparents to work, hauled vital supplies through harsh winters, and roared through our hometowns. It belongs to our history. Today, it sits stripped to the bone, a hollowed-out steel boiler locked inside a dark workshop in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
This is a failure of federal priority, and it has to stop.
We are demanding that the President, the Department of the Interior, and Congress intervene to save this American icon. We aren't asking for a miracle; we are asking for action.
By signing this petition, you are demanding that the federal government:
Allocate targeted federal funding to break the 31-year backlog on No. 3713.
Force the National Park Service to cut the red tape holding up its boiler and firebox certification.
Outsource the heavy staybolting and fabrication directly to elite, private American steam contractors who can finish the job in months, not decades.
I am doing everything a 15-year-old can do to fight for this engine. Now, I need the adults to step up. Please sign this petition, share it with your friends, and help me bring "The Constitution" back to lif
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The Issue
The United States government started restoring Boston & Maine steam locomotive No. 3713 in 1995. I wasn’t even alive yet.
Kids who visited this locomotive on school field trips in the mid-90s are now adults with careers and children of their own, and this train is still completely dismantled. The older generation of mechanics who originally dreamed of hearing its whistle echo through the valley are passing away. If the government keeps moving at its current bureaucratic pace, an entire generation of Americans will have lived and died without ever seeing this piece of history breathe.
My name is Lucas , and I am an almost 16-year-old steam railfan from New England. While my peers are playing video games, I am spending my time trying to figure out how to get the President of the United States to look at a steam engine. I can’t vote, and I don't have a single dollar to my name. I cannot buy the steel, and I cannot hire the mechanics. But I refuse to sit back and watch our history be forgotten.
This locomotive isn't just a machine. It is named "The Constitution." Built in 1934, it is a rolling monument to American grit and New England industrial pride. It carried our grandparents to work, hauled vital supplies through harsh winters, and roared through our hometowns. It belongs to our history. Today, it sits stripped to the bone, a hollowed-out steel boiler locked inside a dark workshop in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
This is a failure of federal priority, and it has to stop.
We are demanding that the President, the Department of the Interior, and Congress intervene to save this American icon. We aren't asking for a miracle; we are asking for action.
By signing this petition, you are demanding that the federal government:
Allocate targeted federal funding to break the 31-year backlog on No. 3713.
Force the National Park Service to cut the red tape holding up its boiler and firebox certification.
Outsource the heavy staybolting and fabrication directly to elite, private American steam contractors who can finish the job in months, not decades.
I am doing everything a 15-year-old can do to fight for this engine. Now, I need the adults to step up. Please sign this petition, share it with your friends, and help me bring "The Constitution" back to lif
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Petition created on September 7, 2026