Railroad Equipment

In October of 1911, the proud men of the Baldwin Locomotive Works turned out a locomotive with builders number 37085. This 2-8-2 locomotive, also known as a Mikado, was sold to the Southern Railway, as the first of 485 locomotives of varying designs. Leading a rather unremarkable career, this locomotive operated for the Southern in East Tennessee, Central Kentucky, and later in Southern Indiana.

The American Locomotive Company, also known as ALCO, built the 630 as a Class K for the Southern Railway in 1904. The wheel arrangement of this locomotive is a 2-8-0, also known as a Consolidation. When new, the 630 lacked superheaters, and also featured Stephenson valve gear and flat valves. In 1917, the locomotive was upgraded with superheaters, piston valves, and Southern Valve Gear.

The 610 is a 2-8-0, also known as a consolidation, built by the Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton Corporation in March 1952 for the U.S. Army. The locomotive was the final steam locomotive manufactured for domestic use by a commercial builder in the United States.

Built in May of 1920 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, this locomotive originally operated on the Kentucky & Tennessee Railway, a shortline constructed to serve the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company in Stearns, Kentucky. The K&T once boasted over 25 miles of track and 12 steam locomotives.

The oldest piece of equipment in TVRM’s collection, this 4-4-0 “American” was built in 1891 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Savannah & Western Railway as their 557. The locomotive became Central of Georgia 1587 in 1894. It was renumbered to 1581 in 1912, and finally renumbered 349 in 1926.

General Motors Corporation’s Electro-Motive Division built the 6914 for the Southern Railway in 1953. It is known as an E8A diesel-electric locomotive, producing 2,250 horsepower. Passengers loved the streamlined design of this and similar locomotives which convey a sense of speed and modernity.

Built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division in 1968, this locomotive was the first high-hood GP38 produced, developing 2,000 horsepower. It was built for the Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia Railway. The locomotive was named “The John A. Chambliss” in honor of the railroad’s vice president, and was dedicated on his 80th birthday, hence being numbered 80.

General Motors Electro-Motive Division built the 710 in 1950 for the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis (NC&St.L) Railway. The 710 was built as a GP7, developing 1,500 horsepower. The NC&St.L 710 later became Louisville and Nashville (L&N) 478. The 478 was sold to Amtrak in 1978, being again renumbered 772.

These diesel-electric locomotives, built by EMD in 1951 for the U.S. Army, would have switched freight cars at the Holston Army Ammunition Plant in Kingsport, Tennessee. They are GP7L type locomotives, developing 1,500 horsepower. The 1824 and 1829 differ from most GP7 models, in that they have AAR type A switcher trucks.

General Motors Corporation’s Electro-Motive Division built 2594 in 1962 for the Southern Railway. Leased from the Southeastern Railway Museum, it is known as a GP-30 and produces over 2,000 horsepower. The engine would have been used in tandem with other diesel-electric locomotives to haul long freight trains across the country. Today, 2594 hauls TVRM’s excursion trains and wears the same historic Southern Railway paint scheme as when it was new.

Built in 1972, this locomotive was the first of 257 2,000 horsepower GP38-2 locomotive purchased by the Southern Railway. The locomotive operated on the Southern and Norfolk Southern Railway until 2016 when sold at auction to TVRM, at which time it was restored to the same paint scheme it wore when new.

These GP38-2 units were built in 1973 & 1974 by General Motors for the Southern Railway. They were both purchased at auction by TVRM in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

Built in 1954 by General Motors for the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (The Milwaukee Road), this SW-1200 was used for switching on many parts of the Milwaukee’s vast system. The locomotive is equipped with a 12 cylinder, 1,200 horsepower diesel engine, and was acquired by TVRM from the United States Navy in Crane, Indiana in late 2015.

This locomotive was manufactured by General Motors in April, 1971 for the Southern Railway as the class unit in a series of 31 SD40 locomotives. Equipped with a 3,000 horsepower, turbocharged diesel engine, the 3170 served the Southern and later the Norfolk Southern Railway companies until retired in 2007 and placed in storage at Altoona, Pennsylvania.

The American Locomotive Company (ALCO) built this RS-1 in 1945 for service in the U.S. Army. It served later with the U.S. Air Force at Eglin Air Force base when TVRM acquired it in the late 1970s. This diesel-electric locomotive is a long-time veteran of TVRM’s passenger trains hauling the Missionary Ridge Local as well as longer excursion trains. This locomotive is currently out of service in need of electrical and mechanical work before being returned to service.

This sturdy locomotive was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia, PA in 1943. It is powered by a six-cylinder DeLavergne diesel engine producing 1,000 horsepower. Designated as a VO-1000, the unit last saw service with the United States Air Force at the Arnold Air Research Facility in Tullahoma, Tennessee.

109 was built in September 1950 for the Central of Georgia Railway, this RS-3 was operated on many parts of the Central of Georgia’s system until sold in December 1967. It was then sold to the East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad as their number 210. It was sold to that railroad (along with locomotive 108) in order for the Southern Railway to re-acquire locomotives 630 and 722 for excursion service. Today, this locomotive is stored at TVRM with no current plans for restoration.

913 was built in 1950 by the American Locomotive Company as part of an order of ten RS-1 units for the Atlanta & St. Andrews Bay Railroad (Bay Line). It was later sold to the Hartford and Slocomb Railroad, who donated it to TVRM in 1992 when that railroad was largely abandoned. The unit operated briefly at TVRM before mechanical issues forced its retirement. The unit today remains on display in TVRM’s display yard at Grand Junction.

Built in 1941 for the St. Louis-San Francisco (Frisco) Railroad by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, this VO-1000 was the very first diesel locomotive ever acquired by that company. The 200 was later repowered with an EMD prime mover, and reclassified as a VO-1000RP, indicating it was a repowered unit. This diesel switching locomotive was acquired in 2015 from the U.S. Navy in Crane, Indiana.

This American Locomotive Company (Alco) S2, producing 1,000 horsepower, was built for the United States Army. It was delivered to the Volunteer Ordinance Works in Chattanooga in September 1943. The 7100 was used by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) after being retired by the army. It was acquired by the Southern Appalachia Railway Museum (SARM) in 1999. TVRM acquired the 7100 in a trade with SARM in 2019. The locomotive is currently stored out of service.

Built in 1958, this is a Fairbanks-Morse model H-16-66, known as the “Baby” Trainmaster. The locomotive was a 1600 horsepower version of the 2400 H-24-66 Trainmaster, at that time the most powerful single unit locomotive being built. The locomotive is one of the few surviving locomotives from this short lived locomotive supplier.

The 576 & 578 are EMD F7 locomotives built in 1949 for the Chicago Northwestern Railroad as the 4073C and 4087C respectively.  TVRM acquired these locomotives in 2021 from the United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey.

The 390 was built in 1947 by the American Car & Foundry for the Central of Georgia Railroad. It is unique among the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum’s collection in that it is a lightweight coach-baggage combine car, meaning it is part coach and part baggage car. The car was used on the “Nancy Hanks II”, a passenger train running between Atlanta, GA and Savannah, GA, along with coaches 661, 662, and 907, also in the TVRM collection.

This 56 seat lightweight coach was built by American Car & Foundry in 1947 for the Central of Georgia Railroad. The car was the 2nd in a class of cars built for use on the “Nancy Hanks II”, a passenger train running between Atlanta, GA and Savannah, GA, along with coaches 390, 662, and 907, also in the TVRM collection. The 661 saw many years of service for the Central of Georgia Railroad and successor Southern Railway before ownership was transferred to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum.

This 56 seat lightweight coach was built by American Car & Foundry in 1947 for the Central of Georgia Railroad. The car was the 3rd in a class of cars built for use on the “Nancy Hanks II”, a passenger train running between Atlanta, GA and Savannah, GA, along with coaches 390, 661, and 907, also in the TVRM collection. The 662 saw many years of service for the Central of Georgia Railroad and successor Southern Railway. The car would then be donated to the Southeastern Railway Museum in 1980. The car is on lease from the Southeastern Railway Museum for use on our Hiwassee River Rail Adventure trains.

This 52 seat lightweight coach was built by the Budd Company in 1949 for the Southern Railway. The car was used on trains such as The Southerner, The Tennessean, The Royal Palm, and The Crescent. The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum would acquire the car in 2011. The 832 is currently undergoing a complete restoration to bring the car back into service.

This 52 seat lightweight coach was constructed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1947 by the Budd Company for the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad. It was used primarily in New York-Florida service in such trains as the “Silver Meteor,” the “Havana Special,” and the “West Coast Champion” until the 1970s, when it was sold to Amtrak. Amtrak sold the 857 in 1984 to the Bluewater Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society in Saginaw, Michigan. They operated the car for several years until transferring ownership to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in 2011.

This car is unique from others in the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum’s collection, in that it is known as a Grill Car. This lightweight car was built in 1948 by American Car & Foundry for the Missouri Pacific Railroad, later being sold to the Detroit & Mackinac Railroad for use in their corporate office train. The car was restored to service in 2009. It is painted to match coach 3101, which it is paired with on the Hiwassee River Railroad out of Etowah, TN.

This heavyweight coach was built in 1924 by the Pullman Company for the Central of Georgia Railroad. Originally numbered 528, it was used on passenger trains such as the Man ‘O War and the Seminole. It would have originally resembled coach 1683, having been built with adjustable windows that could be opened and a clerestory roof, before being modernized in 1937.

This lightweight coach was built in 1947 by the American Car and Foundry for the Central of Georgia Railroad, where it was originally numbered 543. It was used on the “Nancy Hanks II”, a passenger train running between Atlanta, GA and Savannah, GA.

This heavyweight coach was built in 1925 by the Pullman Company for the Southern Railway, originally numbered 1653. It was built with adjustable windows that could be opened and no air conditioning. However, the Southern Railway had the car rebuilt in 1940, sealing the windows and adding air conditioning. Today, the car has been reverted to open windows with the air conditioning removed.

This 52 seat heavyweight coach was built in 1911 by the Pullman Company for the Southern Railway. It was originally  built as a sleeping car before being rebuilt in 1954 to its present configuration as a coach. The car was restored to operating condition in 2005. The 1037 is the oldest passenger car on TVRM’s active roster.

The 1486 was originally built in 1949 by the Budd Company for the Norfolk and Western Railway as a S1 class, lightweight, 10-6 sleeping car. As a 10-6 sleeper, it had 10 roomettes (single passenger rooms) and 6 double-bedrooms (two passenger rooms). No longer a sleeping car, it was eventually converted to a commuter car. It also saw service with the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Maryland Area Regional Commuter. TVRM acquired the car from the Western Maryland Scenic Railway in 2019.

The 1488 was originally built in 1949 by the Budd Company for the Norfolk and Western Railway as a S1 class, lightweight, 10-6 sleeping car. As a 10-6 sleeper, it had 10 roomettes (single passenger rooms) and 6 double-bedrooms (two passenger rooms). No longer a sleeping car, it was eventually converted to a commuter car. It also saw service with the Pennsylvania Railroad, Maryland Area Regional Commuter, and Mid America Railcar. The 1488 went into service at TVRM in 2020.

This heavyweight coach was built in 1925 by the Pullman Company for the Southern Railway. It was built with adjustable windows that could be opened, 72 walkover seats, and a clerestory roof. The car was modernized in 1948, adding air conditioning, adding large washroom lounges, replacing the 72 walkover seats with 48 standard coach seats, but the clerestory roof and adjustable windows were retained.

This 60 seat lightweight coach was built in 1946 by American Car & Foundry for the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. It was use on their premier train, The Hummingbird, which ran between Cincinnati, OH and New Orleans, LA. The coach was later owned by the Friends of the 261 and based in the Twin Cities area, and then sold to the Hardin & Southern Railroad in Kentucky.

Built in 1954 by the Pullman-Standard Company for the Grand Trunk Western Railroad s a Parlour-Buffet car. This lightweight dining car was later owned by the Bluewater Michigan Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society who would convert it to a full dining car in the mid 1980s. They would lease and later donate the car to TVRM for our Dinner on the Diner and trips into Northwest Georgia.

This heavyweight dining car was built in 1930 by the American Car and Foundry. It was delivered to the Louisville and Nashville Railroad in October 1930. The car was used on famous L&N passenger trains, such as the “Pan-American” and the “Humming Bird.”

The 3158, a heavyweight dining car, was built by the Pullman Company in 1924 for the Southern Railway. It served the Southern Railway until 1968, when they donated the car to TVRM. When first built, the car featured open windows, a clerestory roof, ornate fixtures reminiscent of the early 1920s, and two-person tables along one side and four-person tables along the other side.

This heavyweight dining car was built in 1924 by the Pullman Company for the Southern Railway. When first built, the car featured open windows, a clerestory roof, ornate fixtures reminiscent of the early 1920s, and two-person tables along one side and four-person tables along the other side.

The Pullman Company built car number 98 in 1917 as a private car for the president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. It features a kitchen, crews’ quarters, dining room, three staterooms, and a lounge. The car also features mahogany paneling, brass fixtures, leaded glass interior windows, and an observation platform. Air conditioning was added in 1936, and the railroad updated the 98 in the 1955 to include sealed windows, improved climate control, an arch roof, and current interior alterations. The 98 is currently undergoing a restoration to restore it to operating condition. Once completed, the car will be available to the public for charter on TVRM’s various excursions. The 98 is TVRM’s most luxurious car, and allows its passengers to ride in a true first-class style reminiscent of a bygone era.

This car was manufactured by the Budd Company in 1955 for use on the Great Northern’s premier train known as the “Empire Builder” (named after James J. Hill who was known as the Empire Builder, and who had served as chief executive of the GN since 1901). The car is a vista dome/coach, and has a capacity for 46 passengers between the upper and lower levels. It was purchased by TVRM in 2018 while in service on the Orlando & Northwestern Railway in Tavares, Florida and shipped to Delano, Tennessee where it can be found on all of our departures into the beautiful Hiwassee River Gorge. 

The Pullman Company built the Clover Colony in 1920. It is a sleeping car from the company whose name is synonymous with railroad sleeping accommodations. It is known as an “8-5,” because there are eight open section-type sleeping accommodations (akin to bunk beds) and five compartment-type sleeping accommodations (more private, similar to a small bedroom). While TVRM does not offer overnight trips in which the Clover Colony could be put to its original use, the car often travels on our longer excursions, offering first class seating options for passengers. The interior of the car is decorated in its 1940s decor, transporting passengers to the decade when the Pullman Company was at its height, and passengers traveling overnight could travel in Pullman safety and comfort.

This car was manufactured by the Budd Company in 1954 for the Canadian Pacific.  This series of Dome-Observation were named after a Canadian national or provincial park.  The Algonquin Park was named after the Algonquin Indian tribe. These cars would feature three bedrooms, a lounge area, the observation area, and the upper dome area. Both the dome and observation area allow for spectacular views of the passing scenery.  It was used on the transcontinental train, “The Canadian,” which operated over Kicking Horse Pass and Rogers Pass.  It was transferred to Via Rail in 1978.  It was later sold into private ownership, and is currently leased to TVRM.

The Chesapeake & Ohio No. 1877 dome car, a gem from the mid-20th century, has been lavishly restored, offering passengers a chance to indulge in vintage luxury on the rails. Originally built in 1947, this car was intended for the “Chessie” streamliner that never came to fruition. Despite this, No. 1877 saw a rich service life, transitioning from the Rio Grande’s dome car fleet to various other roles, including time with Amtrak and as a feature at the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel. Now, under private care and sporting its distinct slanted windows and restored classic features, it stands ready to provide a first-class journey through North Georgia’s scenic vistas. Alongside its restored siblings, No. 1877 invites travelers to step back in time and enjoy the romance of rail travel from a bygone era, soon to be available for booking.