After being put in service, the _Pioneer_ continued to perform well and
was credited as able to move a 4-car passenger train along smartly at 40
mph.[8] This tranquility was shattered in October 1862 by a raiding
party led by Confederate General J. E. B. Stuart which burned the
Chambersburg shops of the Cumberland Valley Railroad. The _Pioneer_,
_Jenny Lind_, and _Utility_ were partially destroyed. The Cumberland
Valley Railroad in its report for 1862 stated:
The Wood-shop, Machine-shop, Black-smith-shop, Engine-house,
Wood-sheds, and Passenger Depot were totally consumed, and with
the Engine-house three second-class Engines were much injured by
the fire, but not so destroyed but that they may be restored to
usefulness.
However, no record can be found of the extent or exact nature of the
damage. The shops and a number of cars were burned so it is reasonable
to assume that the cab and other wooden parts of the locomotive were
damaged. One unverified report in the files of the Pennsylvania Railroad
states that part of the roof and brick wall fell on the _Pioneer_ during
the fire causing considerable damage. In June 1864 the Chambersburg
shops were again burned by the Confederates, but on this occasion the
railroad managed to remove all its locomotives before the raid. During
the Civil War, the Cumberland Valley Railroad was obliged to operate
longer passenger trains to satisfy the enlarged traffic. The _Pioneer_
and its sister single-axle engines were found too light for these trains
and were used only on work and special trains. Reference to table 1 will
show that the mileage of the _Pioneer_ fell off sharply for the years
1860-1865.