Mission Statement

The mission of the NASHVILLE STEAM PRESERVATION SOCIETY is to preserve our history by restoring and operating relevant historic railroad equipment for the purposes of education, tourism, and goodwill to and for METRO NASHVILLE.

Goals

The restoration of Locomotive 576 to operation will serve as a visceral link to the history of Nashville and honor those who make the region great. The locomotive was designed in Nashville and has called the Music City home since delivery from the factory in 1942.

The rebuilding of Locomotive 576 to operation is influenced by a variety of important key goals:

RESTORE the locomotive to operation for the general publics enjoyment

PARTNER with Metro Parks to provide excursion train tickets for sponsored underprivileged children’s programs

BOLSTER the Entertainment Industry to utilize the locomotive in films, videos, and television production

PROVIDE a transparent, visitor-and family- friendly environment during the restoration and operation of the locomotive (including when stored at its shop while not in use)

CREATE and grow public support and awareness

• EDUCATE about the important role No. 576 played for Nashville and the Nation during WWII

OPERATE special trains in connection with Nashville, Metro Parks, and other local venues as well as creating special events utilizing the locomotive in operation and display

ENGAGE the community through outreach to encourage volunteers and to provide hands on technical trade training for welding, machining, and mechanical comprehension

Board of Directors

Shane Meador, President

Born and raised in Nashville, TN and graduated from Nashville Christian School as a member of the National Honor Society, Shane began his railroad carrier as a summer steam locomotive fireman at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) in 1994 and qualified as a locomotive engineer in 1996 on both steam and diesel locomotives.

After being honorably discharged from the United States Navy, Shane began working for Norfolk Southern as a Machinist Gang Leader in Chattanooga as well as continuing part time duties at TVRM coordinating the restoration of Southern Railway steam locomotive No. 630. Starting in 2010, he was given the opportunity for a 3-year leave of absence from Norfolk Southern to manage the steam locomotive projects for use on Norfolk Southern’s 21st Century Steam program at TVRM. During that time, he successfully led the extensive restorations of Southern steam locomotives No. 630 and No. 4501 and return them to mainline service. By creating a safe, positive, and educational atmosphere, he was able to recruit and retain volunteers throughout the project which helped to significantly reduce labor costs. Shane has operated all 4 steam locomotives that participated in Norfolk Southern’s 21st Century Steam program on 6 Railroad Divisions traversing thousands of miles on mainline track. Most recently, he has co-founded FMW Solutions, a Railroad professional services company which he holds the title of Vice President Mechanical.

Shane’s background, leadership, and experience in locomotive management, personnel management, restoration project management, maintenance, and safely operating these unique and historic machines will prove to be a valuable asset to NSPS and the projects it will take on.

Joey Bryan, Vice President

Joey Bryan is a native of Franklin, Tennessee and spent his adolescence visiting No. 576 in Centennial Park. Joey is a preservationist, historian, and writer with a passion for saving America’s industrial heritage. He earned a B.A. in History from the University of Alabama in 2012 and a M.A. in Public History from Middle Tennessee State University in 2015. While at MTSU, he worked as a research assistant at the Center for Historic Preservation.

In the summer of 2013, Joey interned at the Virginia Museum of Transportation during the kickoff of the “Fire Up 611!” fundraising campaign. He worked for the museum the following year as Assistant Communications Manager assisting with social media, marketing, and media relations during Norfolk & Western 611’s first excursion season. Because of his involvement with the 611 restoration effort, Joey wrote his master’s thesis on the economic and interpretive benefits of collaborative partnerships between railroads and non-profit organizations for the operation of steam-powered excursions.

Joey’s ties to Nashville railroading date back to his great-grandfather who worked for the Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis Railway as a clerk in the general office building on Broadway. Joey also serves as Historian & Communications Manager for Nashville Steam.

Bill Webster, CPA, Treasurer

A Nashville native, Bill earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from Memphis State University and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Fraud Examiner in Tennessee. He currently lives in West Memphis, Arkansas with his wife, Charlotte and two cats. Bill has more than 38 years of experience in tax and accounting services, including federal and state tax consulting for corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies, estates and trusts, and exempt organizations. At an early age, Bill began acquiring mechanical skills that later served to fund his education. As an ardent “gearhead”, Bill has broad mechanical and electrical experience covering automotive, agricultural, and industrial fields.

Bill has a lifelong passion for railroads – large and small. When Frisco #1351 was moved from Memphis Libertyland Park, he assisted with the relocation effort. He also assisted the Memphis Transportation Museum with their stainless-steel passenger car fleet including conversion to 480V HEP. Bill is also an avid scale modeler and has associated with several model railroad groups. He currently focuses on authentic restoration of American Flyer S gauge trains.

 

Roy J. Wullich II, CGMA, CPA, Secretary

Mr. Wullich is a native of Batavia, NY and is a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) and a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in New York and Virginia. An Eagle Scout and graduate of St. Bonaventure University, he has owned over 26 pieces of historic rail equipment throughout his preservation efforts.

Like many people, Roy’s interests with trains began with a Lionel train set around the Christmas tree. Mr. Wullich started working with the Western New York Railway Historical Society in Buffalo, NY with railcar preservation and excursion operations in 1982. Roy has continued working with various excursion, charter and special trains; historical preservation projects; as well as various roles in both museum and operations management. He has also been a contractor to several Class One railroads including eight years with Canadian Pacific’s 2816 steam program and Holiday Train. Roy is a member and has served, and continues to serve, as an advisor; Officer of; and on the Boards of several non-profit organizations, private Foundations and railroad preservation organizations.

Mr. Wullich has also held various senior management positions at several international companies including Intel, KPMG and Price Waterhouse. A member of the Railroad Passenger Car Alliance (RPCA) since 1988, Mr. Wullich was President from January 2008-January 2012 and continues to serve as an active RPCA Board Member for over 25 years. During his tenure as President he significantly increased the visibility of the Organization at the national level within the rail industry and has added several Class One railroads and key suppliers to the membership through his personal and professional relationships.

Additionally, Mr. Wullich serves both as Corporate Secretary and as a Board Member of the Tom E. Dailey Foundation. The Foundation, awards grants in several eligible categories including rail preservation. Since it’s creation in 2013, the Foundation has awarded over $1m in grants.

Brian Barton, Director

Brian began his railroad carrier with Plasser American Corporation in 1991 as a contract representative traveling the country as a crew member on a ballast cleaning machine providing track/ballast maintenance services to different railroads.

In December of 1994, Brian was hired by Norfolk Southern as a Brakeman, promoted to Conductor, and then to Locomotive Engineer. During his employment at NS, he was elected as President and Local Chairman in the United Transportation Union. In August of 1999, he was offered a position with Amtrak as a Locomotive Engineer and operated Amtrak trains south of Washington, DC, including operations over Amtrak, CSX, NS, and the BB. During the first five years he was a union representative for the BLET. After resigning from the union position, Brian was offered a position as Road Foreman of Engines, DSLE.

In August of 2008, he took an assignment with the Buckingham Branch Railroad in Virginia, where he provided instruction and management over operations, and provided training to all departments, as well as safety classes to customers. In 2012, he accepted a position with CSX Transportation as a Trainmaster of Passenger Operations where he currently works as an operational liaison between CSX and passenger/commuter agencies, as well as state and federal government entities.

In addition to his CSX duties, Brian also is a member of the steam locomotive 611 crew and was the liaison between the BB to NS and CSX for the movement of steam locomotive 614 to the C&O Railway Heritage Center in Clifton Forge, Virginia.

Dana Brisendine, Director

Dana Brisendine is the President of HMS Capital Management, LLC and is the Managing Member of the 576 Family of Hedged Equity Funds who has been in the investment management field for over twenty-five years. She started her career as a portfolio manager at the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System, where she was part of a team managing the State of Tennessee Pension Fund.  While at the state, she was one of the first female portfolio managers.

A Nashville native, Dana graduated from Belmont University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and Finance.  She also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.  Dana is actively involved in the Downtown Rotary, and has served on the boards of the National Association of Women Business Owners and the National Association of Women MBAs.

Dana developed a love of No. 576 as a small child when she visited Centennial Park with her father. The two of them spent many of weekends climbing on the locomotive and exploring Nashville’s history. She happened to marry a rail enthusiast and the two of them have spent many hours visiting historic railroad sites and riding along behind vintage locomotives. Dana also serves as Chair for the Fundraising Committee.

Dr. Jack Fisher, Director

NSPS Director Dr. Jack Fisher is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon who has practiced in Nashville for 30 years. His medical training was at Emory University in Atlanta. He has a passion for trains of all sizes and has sponsored the yearly train exhibit at the Adventure Science Center for 29 years. He and a friend built the toy train displays at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, which has brought countless hours of pleasure to the children for over a decade.

In his home, over 1000 square feet are devoted to an elaborate scale layout of Lionel trains, as well as a garden railroad, which has been featured on TV and in magazines. His passion began at birth.

He is recognized both nationally and internationally for his expertise in Plastic Surgery. He was President of The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, and is Associate Clinical Professor of Plastic Surgery at Vanderbilt University and previous Chief of Plastic Surgery at Centennial Medical Center.

Alex Joyce, Director

Alex Joyce joins NSPS with a lifelong passion for steam technology and railroading inherited to him from his family with deep railroad ties. His great-grandfather was on the Board of Directors for the NC&StL Railway. His great uncle wrote numerous books on railroading and was the senior lobbyist for the railroad industry serving for years as the Vice President of the Association of American Railroads.

Alex collected working model steam engines as a child and first fired locomotives when 18 at Opryland during its first summer of operation. Since then he has restored 2 Stanley steam powered cars driving them some 30,000 miles in the US, Canada, and the UK. He has also restored a 1934 coal fired, steam powered Sentinel truck and rallied it in the US and the UK. He has fired and driven mainline steam in regular revenue service in South Africa and Poland and hitched footplate rides in the UK, Ireland, southern Africa and the US: notably as a boy on The General, then as a teen on the Clinchfield’s #1 in the early 1970’s, and while a student at GaTech on N&W 611.

Alex is a retired teacher and mechanical engineer, and organizes vintage car tours around the US. His experience and knowledge coupled with his life’s passion will prove to be a valuable asset to NSPS.

Jerry McFarland, Director

After serving 33 years in the U.S. Army and National Guard, Jerry retired with the rank of Colonel. During his time in the National Guard, Jerry also served for 4 years as the Director for the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and sat on the panel that created the Federal Emergency Management Agency. After retiring from the military, Jerry served as the Director for the Wilson County Emergency Management Agency. He has been a Wilson County Commissioner for 14 years and has served as the Wilson County Historian for 4 years. Throughout this time, Jerry has farmed on the McFarland family farm where he and his wife raise beef cattle.

Jerry has been a history buff his entire life and particularly enjoys history related to the Middle Tennessee area. From the Civil War to the Tennessee Maneuvers in World War II to steamboats and trains, Jerry is an avid reader, researcher, and promoter of Middle Tennessee’s history. The Nashville Steam Preservation mission is also important to Jerry as his grandfather, John W. Moss, spent much of his working life as a dispatcher for the Norfolk-Southern Railroad in Tuscumbia, Alabama.

Harry Stinson, Director

Harry is a Nashville born drummer, vocalist, writer, and producer who has achieved number one chart status with all four of those skills. He is also a Grammy nominee and member of the Musicians Hall of Fame. He has served on the board of SAG/AFTRA and is a life member of Nashville Musicians Local 257. For the past 22 years, he has lent his talents as a member of Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives.

During his long musical career, he has worked with such artists as America, Peter Frampton, Bob Dylan, Bob Seger, Donovan, Etta James, Earl Scruggs, George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Neil Diamond, Bette Midler, Dolly Parton, Jimmy Buffett, Leon Russell, Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett, Brooks and Dunn, and many more. His TV and film recording credits include Silent Rage, The Rose, Cheers, and Fox and the Hound 2.

Harry has had a long interest in the rails. His first steam ride was on The General in the railyard at Nashville’s Union Station during the historic engine’s 1960’s Centennial Tour. He was like so many other Nashville children as he climbed aboard NC&StL’s 576 on static display at Centennial Park, sitting in the engineer’s seat, dreaming of high balling down the rails.

Becoming interested in the restoration of 576, he enlisted Marty Stuart to help in raising public awareness for the project. Harry named the engine “The Duchess,” and together he and Marty wrote her theme song, “The Duchess, Queen of the Dixie Line.” Today Harry’s dream is helping to realize the reality of seeing once again, Nashville’s 576, “The Duchess” steaming the rails, inspiring countless souls, and communicating, in a kinetic, inspiring way, Nashville’s rail history in a permanent home for generations to come

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Jeff Syracuse, Director

Jeff Syracuse is Associate Director, Customer Relations for Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) and serves on the board of the Nashville and Eastern Rail Authority. He is the former Nashville Metro Council Member for District 15.

Jeff has called Nashville home since 1998, moving here to complete his music degree at Middle Tennessee State University. He went on to complete his MBA in Technology Management from the Nashville campus of University of Phoenix, located in Donelson. Jeff was a first-time homebuyer in Donelson Hills in 2002 and soon became involved in his neighborhood and community.

Jeff was born in Buffalo, New York. Jeff’s Dad retired from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel while stationed at Fort McPherson, Georgia after serving 20 years of Active and more than 11 years of Reserve service in Buffalo, NY, St Louis, MO and Atlanta, GA. He served as President of the Georgia Department of the Reserve Officer’s Association and stays involved in neighborhood and civic organizations. Jeff’s brother, Dave, is an Emergency Room physician here in Nashville. Jeff has one son, Joey, who attends Hume-Fogg High School.

Jeff has been very active in the Donelson community for almost two decades and has a deep appreciation and understanding of its rich history and a strong vision for a bright future.

Terry Bebout

Terry began his Railroad career in 1989 operating excursion trains on the Nashville and Eastern Railroad. He also worked for the Broadway Dinner Train from 1989-1999 as Brakeman and Conductor. Terry is currently president of the Tennessee Central Railway Museum (TCRM), a position he has held since 1991. At the TCRM, he manages operations and the volunteer work force, ensuring excursion trains operate safely and successfully.

His full time profession is serving as the General Manager of the Music City Star commuter train that operates between Lebanon (Tennessee) and Nashville. In addition to his managerial duties, Terry is a qualified Conductor, Engineer, Dispatcher and Supervisor of Locomotive Engineers on the Nashville and Eastern Railroad.