Tennessee Valley Railroad No. 610 is a coal-burning S160 Class 2-8-0 " Consolidation" type steam locomotive built by the

Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton 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 ...

Corporation 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 ...

in March 1952. It is one of the last steam locomotives built for service in the United States and the last new steam locomotive acquired by the U.S. Army. As of 2021, No. 610 is out of service awaiting a major overhaul and whether or not it will run again is still yet to be determined.

History

No. 610 was one of eight steam locomotives for use on the Army railroad and was used to train soldiers in railroad operation in maintenance. It also was used for transport on the 31-mile long

Fort Eustis Military Railroad The Fort Eustis Military Railroad is an intra-plant United States Army rail transportation system existing entirely within the post boundaries of the United States Army Transportation Center and Fort Eustis (USATCFE), Fort Eustis, Virginia. It ...

to an interchange with the U.S. railroad at a junction in at

Lee Hall, Virginia Lee Hall is an unincorporated town located in the extreme western portion of the independent city of Newport News in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. History Lee Hall, located in the former Warwick County, was named for nearb ...

. When the Fort Eustis Military Railroad decommissioned steam operations in 1972, No. 610 was obtained by the Wiregrass Heritage Chapter of the

National Railway Historical Society The National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) is a non-profit organization established in 1935 in the United States to promote interest in, and appreciation for the historical development of railroads. It is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsyl ...

Dothan, Alabama Dothan () is a city in Dale, Henry, and Houston counties and the Houston county seat in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is Alabama's eighth-largest city, with a population of 71,072 at the 2020 census. It is near the state's southeastern corner ...

. In 1978, it was donated to the

Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is a railroad museum and heritage railroad in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum was founded as a chapter of the National Railway Historical Society in 1960 by Paul H. Merriman an ...

were it was placed into storage for nine years. In 1987, it was pulled from storage were restoration to return it back to operation officially began. The restoration lasted for three years until 1990 when it returned to service for the first time in eighteen years, it noticeably changed its cosmetic appearance, it was allowed by the

Norfolk Southern The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31, ...

to operate on their trackage as part of their steam program. No. 610 served as pulling power on the TVRM's excursions until it was taken out of service for its

Federal Railroad Administration The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is an agency in the United States Department of Transportation (DOT). The agency was created by the Department of Transportation Act of 1966. The purpose of the FRA is to promulgate and enforce rail saf ...

(FRA) mandated 1,472-day inspection in December 2010. In 2018, following the completion of the restoration of Southern Railway 630 in 2011 and

Southern Railway 4501 Southern Railway 4501 is a preserved Ms class 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotive built in October 1911 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as the first of its wheel arrangement type for the Southern Railway (SOU). In 1 ...

in 2014, No. 610 was moved to the facilities' Soule Shops, where it currently awaits a major overhaul, although the restoration progress has currently been put on hold until further notice.

References

External links

US Army 610 Steam Engine
Steam locomotives of the United States USATC S160 Class 2-8-0 locomotives Individual locomotives of the United States United States Army locomotives Standard gauge locomotives of the United States Railway locomotives introduced in 1952 Baldwin locomotives {{US-train-stub Preserved steam locomotives of Tennessee

History

See also

References

External links