Southern Railway 630
Encyclopedia
Southern Railway 630 is a steam locomotive
built in 1904 by the American Locomotive Company (Richmond Works)
for the Southern Railway
. It is a 2-8-0
Consolidation of Southern's Ks-1 class.
The 630 was used on Southern in regular freight service until her retirement in 1952. December of that year, the 630 and sister locomotive, 722
, were purchased by the East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad and numbered 207 and 208 appropriately. In December 1967, both locomotives were traded back to the Southern for use in their steam excursion program and restored to their former identities in return for a pair of former Central of Georgia Alco RS3's. The steam locomotives headed main line excursion trains over the entire Southern system until 1983 when both were retired again from the Southern in favor of larger power. They both were leased to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum
. 722 was later loaned by Southern's successor NS to the Asheville Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society of Asheville, NC. TVRM ran the 630 until 1989 when she was yet again retired. 630 was donated to TVRM in 1999 by NS. Shortly thereafter, 630 entered TVRM's restoration shop (now Soule Shops) and underwent a thorough ten-year restoration -- one of the most thorough restorations performed on a steam locomotive in the U.S. in recent years, including frame work and complete running gear overhaul. 630 returned to regular service on TVRM in March 2011 and may participate in the upcoming "21st Century Steam" program being developed by Norfolk Southern.
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
built in 1904 by the American Locomotive Company (Richmond Works)
American Locomotive Company
The American Locomotive Company, often shortened to ALCO or Alco , was a builder of railroad locomotives in the United States.-Early history:...
for the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (US)
The Southern Railway is a former United States railroad. It was the product of nearly 150 predecessor lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894...
. It is a 2-8-0
2-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
Consolidation of Southern's Ks-1 class.
The 630 was used on Southern in regular freight service until her retirement in 1952. December of that year, the 630 and sister locomotive, 722
Southern Railway 722
Southern Railway 722 is a steam locomotive built in 1904 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Southern Railway. It is a 2-8-0 Consolidation of Southern's Ks-1 class.The 722 was used on Southern until her retirement in 1952...
, were purchased by the East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad and numbered 207 and 208 appropriately. In December 1967, both locomotives were traded back to the Southern for use in their steam excursion program and restored to their former identities in return for a pair of former Central of Georgia Alco RS3's. The steam locomotives headed main line excursion trains over the entire Southern system until 1983 when both were retired again from the Southern in favor of larger power. They both were leased to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum
Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum
The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is a railroad museum 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 and Robert M. Soule, Jr...
. 722 was later loaned by Southern's successor NS to the Asheville Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society of Asheville, NC. TVRM ran the 630 until 1989 when she was yet again retired. 630 was donated to TVRM in 1999 by NS. Shortly thereafter, 630 entered TVRM's restoration shop (now Soule Shops) and underwent a thorough ten-year restoration -- one of the most thorough restorations performed on a steam locomotive in the U.S. in recent years, including frame work and complete running gear overhaul. 630 returned to regular service on TVRM in March 2011 and may participate in the upcoming "21st Century Steam" program being developed by Norfolk Southern.