Southern Railway 542 is a

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

built in 1903 by the

Baldwin Locomotive Works The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railroad locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, in the early 20th century. The company was for decades t ...

for Southern Railway. It is a

2-8-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels. ...

Consolidation of Southern's J class.

History

542 first operated in North Carolina on the Southern Railway in 1903, between the cities of Statesville and Winston-Salem. It was one of twenty-five similar locomotives built by

in 1903 for the Southern to haul freight. Between April 3–6, and August 23 - 24th, 1937, the locomotive was leased to the

Atlantic and Yadkin Railway The Atlantic and Yadkin Railway was a short line railroad within North Carolina from 1899 to 1950. It ran from Mount Airy southeast to Sanford, primarily serving the Piedmont region. Some of the rails are still in use as of 2006 as parts of t ...

(A&Y), a subsidiary company of Southern Railroad. In June 1946, the A&Y requested #542 once more, this time in replacement of its sibling locomotive #531, a locomotive leased to the A&Y by Southern. Although 542 needed $6,000.00 in boiler work, the A&Y convinced Southern, after several weeks of negotiations, to lease the locomotive. 542 was delivered a second time to the A&Y on June 14, 1946 and was transferred to lease in place of 531. After the A&Y ceased operations in 1950, #542 returned to the Southern. After returning to Southern, 542's final assignment was being rostered in Spencer as a yard goat. 542 stayed on the job until July 1953 when it was retired from a revenue life of 50 years. In 1954, the Southern donated the locomotive to the

Tanglewood Park Tanglewood Park is a recreation center and park in Clemmons, Forsyth County, North Carolina, USA. It is located on the Yadkin River between Clemmons and Bermuda Run. It is home to the annual "Tanglewood Festival of Lights," a display of lights ...

Clemmons, North Carolina Clemmons is a village in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States and a suburb of Winston-Salem. The population was 21,177 at the 2020 census, with an estimated population of 21,517 in 2021. Geography Clemmons is located in southwestern For ...

for static display. 542 remained in Clemmons until 1991, when it was traded for the ex-

Illinois Central The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, was a railroad in the Central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. A line also co ...

0-8-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and no trailing wheels. Locomotives of this type are also referre ...

#1894 by the North Carolina Transportation Museum. The locomotive was eventually given a cosmetic restoration, in order to be presentable to the general public at the N.C. Transportation Museum (NCTM) in Spencer, North Carolina. In 2007, the locomotive was renumbered to 604 while using a tender from a Buffalo Creek and Gauley 2-8-0, in order to appear for the movie

Leatherheads ''Leatherheads'' is a 2008 American sports comedy film from Universal Pictures directed by and starring George Clooney. The film also stars Renée Zellweger, Jonathan Pryce, and John Krasinski and focuses on the early years of professional American ...

. As of 2022, the locomotive has been renumbered back to 542, and is on static display in Spencer, NC.

References

External links

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Individual locomotives of the United States 2-8-0 locomotives Steam locomotives of Southern Railway (U.S.) Baldwin locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1903 Standard gauge locomotives of the United States Preserved steam locomotives of North Carolina {{US-train-stub