Join Us On November 13th for the
Nashville Steam Fall Open House!
Last Opportunity for the Public to See Steam Locomotive No. 576 This Year
The Nashville Steam Preservation Society announces the Fall 2021 Open House to be held on Saturday November 13th from 9am to 3pm. Steam locomotive No. 576, formerly on display in Nashville’s Centennial Park for more than 60 years, has been undergoing a complete mechanical overhaul at the Tennessee Central Railway Museum since March 2019.
Nashville Steam is planning some new activities for the Fall Open House, “This year in addition to seeing the progress on the locomotive, our volunteers will be doing a demonstration on the riveting process on the firebox.,” said Joey Bryan Communications Manager for Nashville Steam. Riveting is a forging process where metal rivets are heated, installed, and pounded to fasten two pieces of metal together. There will be two demonstrations at 10:30am and 1:30pm, weather depending. A whistle simulator will also be available where guests can sit in the brand-new locomotive cab and blow a digital version of No. 576’s whistle.
The COVID-19 pandemic prevented public access to the locomotive restoration throughout 2020. Storm damage to the shop in March of this year further limited public access. “We’ve made significant progress since our last open house in May,” Bryan said, “the last time people were here, there was still a large hole in the wall of the shop from the storm and the locomotive had wheels.” In June, NSPS lifted the 220,000-pound steam engine approximately 15 feet in the air so the wheels could be removed for inspections and repairs. “This event is a unique, behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to completely restore these massive machines and how we are turning a local Nashville treasure into what will be a major attraction for Middle Tennessee.”
The Open House is open to the public and admission is free. Volunteers will be on site to answer questions and point out what’s been done to the locomotive. From 11am to 1pm the Tennessee Central Railway Museum dining car will be open for snack and lunch service. The address for TCRM is:
TN Central Railway Museum
220 Willow St.
Nashville, TN 3210
