Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum Steam Locomotives

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Our Story

Most of the attention at TVRM is focused on our collection of steam locomotives. We currently own six locomotives, of which two are operational, one is being evaluated for restoration, two are on public display, and one is stored out of service.

Southern Railway 4501: Built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1911 for the Southern Railway, the 4501 was the first of its class on that railroad. The wheel arrangement is a 2-8-2, known as a Mikado, which is Japanese for "Emperor" since the first of this type were sold to Japan. 4501 served the Southern until 1948 when the railroad sold the locomotive to the Kentucky & Tennessee Railway and renumbered it to 12. When the small Kentucky railroad put the 4501 up for sale for scrap value in the early 1960s, TVRM’s first president, Paul Merriman, purchased the locomotive, brought it to Chattanooga and returned it to service. Since the mid-1960s, 4501 has pulled countless passenger excursion trains across the Southern (later Norfolk Southern) Railway. The 4501 ended its service in 1999 due to rising maintenance costs but was selected for service in the "21st Century Steam" program, being restored to service between 2011 and 2014. The 4501 is the sole survivor of 435 Mikado locomotives on the Southern Railway. 4501 is listed on the National Register of Historic Places(#79002440).

Southern Railway 630: The American Locomotive Company, also known as ALCO, built the 630 for the Southern Railway in 1904. The wheel arrangement of this engine is a 2-8-0, known as a Consolidation. 630 spent many years in service out of Asheville, North Carolina serving on the Murphy and Lake Toxaway Branches until sold to the East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad in 1952. The engine came to TVRM in 1978 and operated until 1989 when removed from service, being in need of a major overhaul. The engine was restored over a period of ten years, at a cost of almost $700,000. This restoration was completed in 2011 and has been called one of the most extensive overhauls on a steam locomotive since the end of the steam era.

United States Army 610: The Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton Corporation built the 610 in 1952 for the U.S. Army. It was the last steam locomotive built for service in this country by a commercial builder. The Army used the 610 as a training locomotive, preparing crews to operate on European railroads if the need arose, and they retired it in the early 1970s. After coming to TVRM in 1978, the locomotive was restored to operation and it was in nearly continuous service since 1991. The 610 is currently out of service awaiting a major overhaul after which it will re-enter service at TVRM.

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