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Old Steam Locomotive #12, at Depot Park, 110 Charlotte Ave., in downtown Sanford, has been badly in need of repair. The city and Central Carolina Community College formed a partnership to have welding students at the Lee County Campus perform some of the repair work. From September through mid-December, the nine students in the inert gas welding class put in 107 man-hours patching, grinding, and welding not only to improve the appearance of the train but also to make it safer for visitors. The class members, shown inside the engine are (from left) Pedro Gomez and David Holland, both of Sanford; Eric Buckner, of Raleigh; Donnie Fore, of Swanns Station; T.J. Laubach, of Sanford; Brad Powers, of Bear Creek; and Heath Tatum and Timothy Baldwin, both of Sanford. Student Jason Terrell, of Broadway, worked on the train, but is not pictured.

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