“Light it, Howell!”

Video of Southern Railway’s steam crew replacing a driver tire. No. 722 can be seen in the back of the shop, no. 4501 is over the drop pit (with most of the locomotive outside). Visible are Bill Purdie, Doug Karhan, Howell Edmunds, Ronald Norman, and Steve Wickersham of the American Freedom Train crew. The time is early 1976, when Ross Rowlands’ AFT no. 1 (Reading 2101) was in Irondale getting repairs.

Film by Tom Atkinson and Don Sharpe, posted to YouTube by Cary Atkinson.

 
 
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Southern 2-8-0 154 makes its debut

The newest addition to the Three Rivers Rambler stable is ex-Southern Railway 2-8-0 154, gleaming after a two-year overhaul. From southern154.com:

The locomotive was delivered in 1890 to the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia (ETV&G) as locomotive #466 (builder’s #3114). In 1894 the ETV&G and the Richmond and Danville Railroad merged to form the Southern Railway. After the merger the locomotive became Southern Railway #154 and served in the East Tennessee area until it was given to the City of Knoxville to be put on display in August 1953. In the last few years of its active career for the Southern Railway the locomotive was leased to the Smoky Mountain Railroad between Knoxville and Sevierville, TN.

Since 1953 the locomotive has been on public display at Chilhowee Park in Knoxville. In 1989 the locomotive was given to the Old Smoky Railway Museum which donated the locomotive to the Gulf and Ohio Railways in August 2008.

Ken Marsh photographs no. 154 for the second time. (The first time was when the locomotive was stored on the Southern prior to being donated to the City of Knoxville.)

Gulf & Ohio President Pete Claussen toasts no. 154 with the assembled crowd of invited guests prior to the inaugural run at the Volunteer Landing Park loading site. The Park is a terrific example of urban design.

No. 154 passes Riverside Park on its first run.

It’s great to have Southern steam back in service, and this is the first of what may be three Southern 2-8-0s returning to service in 2010.


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