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As we prepare to usher the steam era back to Music City, passengers will be able to enjoy the sights and sounds of No. 576 from our very own open-air baggage car. This Santa Fe survivor was donated to us by the Fort Wayne Railroad and under lease to our southern neighbors at @sugarexpressfl, where they restored the car and have racked up hundreds of miles behind US Sugar No. 148! A new open-air car with seats and retail space is destined to join the sugar cane railroad in Florida, and Open Air Car no. 3674, formerly known as "Miami Locks," has just arrived in Nashville safe and sound to prepare for the next chapter in its excursion career.
BEHIND THE FIRE UP: Let's go behind the scenes of the first fire-up of Nashville's 576 and learn what's next for the project!
Congratulations to our friends at the Fort Wayne Railroad on relocating New York Central No. 3001 and beginning its journey toward restoration! We're proud that folks from our team were on hand throughout the prep and relocation to lend a hand.This event recalls the path Nashville Steam embarked upon with NC&StL No. 576 in 2019 when we moved an irreplaceable Nashville icon, assembled a dedicated team, and began the meticulous process of returning a landmark of American steam power to operation.Built only two years apart by the American Locomotive Company, these engines are fascinating counterparts. No. 3001 is a 1940 New York Central L3a 4-8-2 Mohawk, while No. 576 is a 1942 Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis J3 4-8-4. Both were advanced dual-service locomotives with 250-pound boiler pressure, nearly identical cylinder dimensions, roller bearings, cast-steel frames, and driving wheels at both 69 and 70 inches in diameter, respectively. Each reflected its home territory. The 69-inch-drivered Mohawk combined freight-engine adhesion with the balance and horsepower needed for fast passenger service across the New York Central system. The 70-inch-drivered 576 used the larger firebox afforded by its four-wheel trailing truck to sustain both heavy freight and passenger schedules across the grades and curves of the Dixie Line.No. 3001 produced slightly greater starting tractive effort; No. 576 became renowned for reliability and extraordinary availability. Together, they represent two compelling solutions to the same challenge: building one locomotive capable of doing almost anything. And in their era, they did it fast. Both were formidable high-speed locomotives: The NYC L3a class was engineered for 80-mph passenger service, while the NC&StL’s J3s sometimes reached 90 mph — and one was recorded at an extraordinary 110 mph.Nashville Steam knows just how much patience, precision, skill, and perseverance lie ahead, but it's also not Fort Wayne's first ride at the rodeo! Highball to the Fort Wayne team on this tremendous first step. We will no doubt be busy with 576, but we look forward to watching another remarkable ALCO locomotive return to life.Here’s to the long road ahead and to the day when Nos. 3001 and 576 can once again speak for the ingenuity of American steam.
