Great Smoky Mountains Railroad 1702 is an S160 class 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type steam locomotive built in September 1942 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, originally for the U.S. Army Transportation Corps during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. After the war ended, the No. 1702 locomotive worked on three different railroads in

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

and

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

. In late 1991, the No. 1702 locomotive was purchased by the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (GSMR) in Bryson City, North Carolina, where it hauled

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

train excursions on the half of the former Southern Railway Murphy Branch, which spans of track between Dillsboro and

Nantahala, North Carolina Nantahala Township ()
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

firebox Firebox may refer to: *Firebox (steam engine), the area where the fuel is burned in a steam engine *Firebox (architecture), the part of a fireplace where fuel is combusted *Firebox Records Firebox Records was a Finnish record label based in S ...

issues but was later restored back to operating condition and returned to service in 2016. No. 1702 is currently one of twenty-six S160 steam locomotives preserved in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and abroad.

History

No. 1702 is an S160 steam locomotive built in September 1942 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally for the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

Transportation Corps, where it was stationed for

training Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. I ...

purposes at the Fort Bragg

military base A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base always provides accommodations for ...

in Fayetteville, North Carolina during World War II.. In 1946, a year after the war ended, the No. 1702 locomotive was sold to the Warren and Saline River Railroad (WSR) in

Warren, Arkansas Warren is a city in and the county seat of Bradley County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 6,003. History When settlers from the east began to arrive in south Arkansas, the land was inhabited by the indigenou ...

, where it was assigned to haul

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...

trains. Additionally, its firebox was modified to burn fuel oil as opposed to coal. When the WSR was dieselized in 1961, the No. 1702 locomotive was sold to the Reader Railroad (RERX) in

Hot Springs, Arkansas Hot Springs is a resort city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Garland County. The city is located in the Ouachita Mountains among the U.S. Interior Highlands, and is set among several natural hot springs for which the city is n ...

in 1964, where it was given a new tender that was originally used behind a Rock Island steam locomotive and holds of fuel and of water. Afterwards, the No. 1702 locomotive served tourist operations on the RERX. In 1985, it was sold again to the

Fremont and Elkhorn Valley Railroad The Fremont and Elkhorn Valley Railroad was a 17-mile (27 km) heritage railroad headquartered in Dodge County, Nebraska and, offered excursion services on the line. Its equipment is now owned by the Nebraska Railroad Museum. The FEVR lin ...

(FEVR) in

Fremont, Nebraska Fremont is a city and county seat of Dodge County in the eastern portion of the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. The population was 27,141 at the 2020 census. Fremont is the home of Midland University. History From the 1830 ...

, where the No. 1702 locomotive ran tourist trains on the former Chicago and North Western line between Fremont and

Hooper, Nebraska Hooper is a city in Dodge County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 830 at the 2010 census. History Hooper got its start in the year 1871, following construction of the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad through the territo ...

. In late 1991, the No. 1702 locomotive was purchased by the

Great Smoky Mountains Railroad The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad is a freight and heritage railroad based in Bryson City, North Carolina, United States. Since late 1999, the railroad is currently owned and operated by American Heritage Railways, Inc., which also owns and ...

(GSMR) in Bryson City, North Carolina, where it was significantly altered with a taller

smokestack A chimney is an architectural ventilation structure made of masonry, clay or metal that isolates hot toxic exhaust gases or smoke produced by a boiler, stove, furnace, incinerator, or fireplace from human living areas. Chimneys are typ ...

, a larger sand dome, and a wider cab to resemble a typical American steam locomotive. Afterwards, in 1992, the GSMR operated the No. 1702 locomotive with the ''

Nantahala Gorge The Nantahala River ()
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

Tuckasegee River The Tuckasegee River (variant spellings include Tuckaseegee and Tuckaseigee) flows entirely within western North Carolina. It begins its course in Jackson County above Cullowhee at the confluence of Panthertown and Greenland creeks. It flows ...

'' tourist excursions on the half of the former Southern Railway Murphy Branch, which spans of track between Dillsboro and Nantahala, North Carolina. When working on these excursions, No. 1702 uses of fuel and of water every round trip. In 2005, the No. 1702 locomotive was sidelined due to firebox issues and became disassembled outside the GSMR's

workshop Beginning with the Industrial Revolution era, a workshop may be a room, rooms or building which provides both the area and tools (or machinery) that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods. Workshops were the on ...

area in Dillsboro, North Carolina, exposed to the elements.. In April 2012, the GSMR made an agreement with the Swain County of North Carolina, who donated $700,000 to construct a new steam locomotive workshop for the restoration of No. 1702 and installing a new

turntable A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

in Bryson City for the locomotive to be turned around. Afterwards, the restoration work of No. 1702 began in May 2014 and completed on July 21, 2016 with the locomotive beginning its inaugural excursion run five days later.

Appearances in media

*No. 1702 made its first

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...

in the 1966 film '' This Property Is Condemned''. *In 1972, No. 1702 made its second cameo appearance in the film ''

Boxcar Bertha ''Boxcar Bertha'' is a 1972 American romantic crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and produced by Roger Corman, from a screenplay by Joyce H. Corrington and John William Corrington, Made on a low budget, the film is loose adaptation o ...

''.

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links