Southern Railway 630 is a 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type
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 February 1904 by the
American Locomotive Company
The American Locomotive Company (often shortened to ALCO, ALCo or Alco) was an American manufacturer of locomotives, diesel generators, steel, and tanks that operated from 1901 to 1969. The company was formed by the merger of seven smaller locomo ...
(ALCO) of
Richmond, Virginia
(Thus do we reach the stars)
, image_map =
, mapsize = 250 px
, map_caption = Location within Virginia
, pushpin_map = Virginia#USA
, pushpin_label = Richmond
, pushpin_m ...
for the Southern Railway as a member of the Ks-1 class. It is currently owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) in
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...
where it resides today for use on
excursion train
An excursion train is a chartered train run for a special event or purpose. Examples are trains to major sporting event, trains run for railfans or tourists, and special trains operated by the railway company for employees and prominent customer ...
s.
History
Design and upgrades
Built in 1904 by the American Locomotive Company's (ALCO) Richmond Works as one of 32 "K" class locomotives for the Southern Railway, No. 630 was standardized with driving wheels and rated at of tractive effort.
It was originally built with Stephenson valve gear,
sliding valves, alligator
crossheads, and a saturated
boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, central h ...
.
In 1917, the locomotive was upgraded with Southern valve gear,
piston valves
Piston valves are one form of valve used to control the flow of steam within a steam engine or locomotive. They control the admission of steam into the cylinders and its subsequent exhausting, enabling a locomotive to move under its own power ...
, and
superheaters, which reclassified No. 630 as a "Ks" type.
In the 1920s, it had more upgrades added such as new cylinders and valve assemblies, which allow the locomotive to develop of tractive effort and reclassified again as a "Ks-1" type.
Sometimes during the 1940s, No. 630 was re-equipped with multiple-bearing crossheads.
[.]
Revenue service
No. 630 was first assigned to local and
branch line
A branch line is a phrase used in railway terminology to denote a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line.
Industrial spur
An industr ...
service in the
Knoxville
Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state's ...
division by the Southern Railway, before it was moved to the
Asheville
Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous ci ...
division to run on the
Murphy
Murphy () ( ga, Ua Murchadha) is an Irish surname and the most common surname in the Republic of Ireland.
Origins and variants
The surname is a variant of two Irish surnames: "Ó Murchadha"/"Ó Murchadh" (descendant of "Murchadh"), and "Mac ...
and
Lake Toxaway branch lines, until it was retired from revenue freight service in August 1952.
[.] In November 1952, No. 630 and sister locomotive
No. 722 were both sold to the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (ET&WNC), where they were served as
switcher
A switcher, shunter, yard pilot, switch engine, yard goat, or shifter is a small railroad locomotive used for manoeuvring railroad cars inside a rail yard in a process known as ''switching'' (US) or ''shunting'' (UK). Switchers are not inten ...
s around
Johnson City and
Elizabethton, Tennessee
Elizabethton is a city in, and the county seat of Carter County, Tennessee, United States. Elizabethton is the historical site of the first independent American government (known as the Watauga Association, created in 1772) located west of both t ...
.
[.][.] After the ET&WNC's acquirement, Nos. 630 and 722 were renumbered to 207 and 208, respectively and had their
tender coal bunker cut down to give the
engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...
a clear view during numerous switching moves and reverse operation.
First excursion service
In late 1967, Nos. 207 and 208 were both traded back to the
Southern Railway for use in their steam excursion program in return for a pair of former
Central of Georgia
The Central of Georgia Railway started as the Central Rail Road and Canal Company in 1833. As a way to better attract investment capital, the railroad changed its name to Central Rail Road and Banking Company of Georgia. This railroad was cons ...
ALCO RS-3
The ALCO RS-3 is a , B-B diesel-electric locomotive manufactured from May 1950 to August 1956 by American Locomotive Company (ALCO) and its subsidiary Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW). A total of 1,418 were produced: 1,265 for American railroads, ...
s.
[.] Retrieving their old numbers, No. 630 had been given minor repairs and began excursion service in February 1968,
[.] while No. 722 had its
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 ...
repaired and returned to operating service in August 1970.
[.][.]
Nos. 630 and 722 pulled many
main line
Mainline, ''Main line'', or ''Main Line'' may refer to:
Transportation
Railway
* Main line (railway), the principal artery of a railway system
* Main line railway preservation, the practice of operating preserved trains on an operational railw ...
excursion trains for the Southern steam program until they were both loaned to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) in 1978 and 1980, respectively to make way for larger
superpower
A superpower is a state with a dominant position characterized by its extensive ability to exert influence or project power on a global scale. This is done through the combined means of economic, military, technological, political and cultural s ...
steam locomotives such as
Canadian Pacific 2839,
Texas and Pacific 610
Texas and Pacific 610 is a class "I-1a" 2-10-4 "Texas" type steam locomotive that was originally operated by the Texas and Pacific Railway (T&P). It served the T&P from 1927 to 1951 before being donated to the city of Fort Worth. It was briefly ...
and
Chesapeake and Ohio 2716 to pull the longer and heavier excursions.
[.]
In November 1985, No. 722 was taken out of service for its
boiler ticket certificate and was moved by Southern's successor,
Norfolk Southern
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway (U.S.), Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the ...
(NS) to be on display in Asheville, North Carolina, in 1992.
In November 1989, No. 630 was taken out of service and put in storage when TVRM was restored another 2-8-0 steam locomotive ex-
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 ...
No. 610 at the time.
Second excursion service
In 1999, Norfolk Southern donated No. 630 to TVRM, and over the next 12 years, the locomotive was overhauled and restored at a cost of almost
$700,000.
This was one of the most extensive steam locomotive overhauls as it required massive repairs to its
frame
A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent.
Frame and FRAME may also refer to:
Physical objects
In building construction
*Framing (con ...
,
running gear
In railway terminology the term running gear refers to those components of a railway vehicle that run passively on the rails, unlike those of the driving gear. Traditionally these are the wheels, axles, axle boxes, springs and vehicle frame o ...
, and boiler along with the
flue
A flue is a duct, pipe, or opening in a chimney for conveying exhaust gases from a fireplace, furnace, water heater, boiler, or generator to the outdoors. Historically the term flue meant the chimney itself. In the United States, they are ...
s and
superheaters replaced.
No. 630 was also given a newly welded
smokebox
A smokebox is one of the major basic parts of a steam locomotive exhaust system. Smoke and hot gases pass from the firebox through tubes where they pass heat to the surrounding water in the boiler. The smoke then enters the smokebox, and is e ...
and a new tender, which was originally behind Southern Railway No. 4501 and replaced No. 630's original tender, which was in very poor condition to be rebuilt.
The locomotive returned to operating service on March 14, 2011, and kicked off the
21st Century Steam program instituted by Norfolk Southern.
For four years, No. 630 has pulled many public and private excursions throughout the
eastern United States
The Eastern United States, commonly referred to as the American East, Eastern America, or simply the East, is the region of the United States to the east of the Mississippi River. In some cases the term may refer to a smaller area or the East C ...
for the 21st Century Steam program in
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
,
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
,
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
,
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
,
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
,
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
, and
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
.
It also visited the
North Carolina Transportation Museum
The North Carolina Transportation Museum is a museum in Spencer, North Carolina. It is a collection of automobiles, aircraft, and railway vehicles. The museum is located at the former Southern Railway's 1896-era Spencer Shops and devotes much ...
in
Spencer, North Carolina
Spencer is a town in Rowan County, North Carolina, United States, incorporated in 1905. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 3,267.
History
The town was named for Samuel Spencer, first president of the Southern Railway, who is credi ...
, two times in 2012 and 2013.
By late 2015, Norfolk Southern had officially discontinued their steam program,
although No. 630 continues regular operations, hauling the ''Missionary Ridge Local'' excursions at TVRM on weekends and occasionally double heads with
No. 4501 for the ''Summerville Steam Special'' to
Summerville, Georgia
Summerville is a city and the county seat of Chattooga County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,534 at the 2010 census.
History
Summerville was founded in 1838 as the seat of the newly formed Chattooga County. It was incorporated as ...
.
Gallery
File:SOU630 in TVRM shop nov 2010.jpg, No. 630 being restored to operating condition in late 2010.
File:Southern630OnTheTurntableAtTVRM.jpg, No. 630 on the 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 March 2011.
File:TVR Consolidation passes NS 2594 in Chattanooga (16429963515).jpg, No. 630 approaching TVRM's Grand Junction Station with the ''Missionary Ridge Local'' in November 2014.
See also
*
Great Smoky Mountains Railroad 1702
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, originally for the U.S. Army Transportation Corps during Worl ...
*
McCloud Railway 25
McCloud Railway No. 25 is a 2-6-2 "Prairie" type steam locomotive that worked on the McCloud River Railroad. It was purchased new from the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in 1925. Shortly after retirement, on July 3, 1955, the No. 25 ceremo ...
*
Norfolk and Western 475
*
Polson Logging Co. 2
*
Southern Railway 154
*
Southern Railway 385
*
Southern Railway 401
*
W. Graham Claytor Jr.
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
External links
Southern 630 Steam Engine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Southern Railway 0630
Individual locomotives of the United States
2-8-0 locomotives
Steam locomotives of Southern Railway (U.S.)
ALCO locomotives
Railway locomotives introduced in 1904
Standard gauge locomotives of the United States
Preserved steam locomotives of Tennessee