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On June 1st, 2024, I would venture out to the Tennessee Valley Railroad with C Henderson Rail Productions & Lane's Trains. This was a last minute decision to join these 2 on this adventure to chase the first Summerville Steam Special Doubleheader of 2024 with Southern Railway 630 & 4501 As I was originally planning on the November run, this seemed to work with my schedule. We managed to chase roundtrip from Chattanooga TN - Summerville GA. While chasing we saw SmokyMtnSteam again, & met ravenhawk6910 & his son which it was a pleasure meeting them both. It was great to see Dossett Yard Productions was riding he'd be riding with his good friend Delay In Block Productions, which I would later get to meet at dinner, and also reunite with The Nooga Railfan & The Big Banana Railfan.
SR #630 2-8-0 "Consolidation" Type Steam Locomotive built in February 1904 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) as a member of the Ks-1 class in Febraury of 1904. It was retired in 1952. The same year 630 was sold to the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (ET&WNC), and was renumbered to 207. In 1967, 207 and 208 were both traded back to the SOU for use in their steam excursion program in return for a pair of former Central of Georgia ALCO RS-3s. Retrieving their old numbers, No. 630 had been given minor repairs and began excursion service in February 1968. 630 was one of the stars of Southern Railway Steam Program until they were being loaned to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) in 1978 & 1980. In November 1989, No. 630 was taken out of service and put in storage. In 1999, Norfolk Southern donated 630 to the TVRM, where restoration started. In 2011, the 630 would return for the 21st Century Steam Program as a running mate with Nickel Plate Road #765 up until 2015, when another excursion star made a comeback.
SR #4501 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotive built in October 1911 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as a member of the "Ms class". Also it was the first of its wheel arrangement type for the Southern Railway (SOU). It was retired in 1948, sold to the Kentucky and Tennessee Railway (K&T). When the K&T was dieselized in 1964, 4501 was purchased by Paul H. Merriman with $5,000 and brought to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Shortly thereafter, it was returned to steam for the Southern's Steam Program in 1966. Southern's Passenger Green and Gold paint scheme was applied to 4501, as it operated until 1985. Then returned to mainline in 1990 until 1994, when the NS Steam Program was cancelled. 4501 was converted from personal property to museum property to operate for the TVRM . Repainted into its original freight black livery in 1996, its boiler ticket certificate expired in 1998. It's last run would be on a doubleheader with TVRM S160 "2-8-0" Type Steam Locomotive #610 on the Autumn Leaf Special (the name for the Fall Summerville Trips , where the regular season trips were called the Summerville Daylight, before the rebrand to the Summerville Steam Special). It's comeback in the fall of 2014, it would perform a doubleheader on the Summerville Steam Special with 630. Then in 2015, it would be the stable mate with newly restored Norfolk & Western #611, alongside NKP 765. 1 season it would operate for the NS Steam Program as their contracts abruptly ended when Wick Mooreman left as CEO. N&W 611 would continue to operate excursions up until 2017. The 630 & 4501 would continue to operate at TVRM.
In 2020, the Summerville Steam Special would be cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, as TVRM had to resort to Chickamauga Turns with 4501 as the Summerville Depot was closed by the city. Then in 2021, nothing could run on that trackage as Track Work & a bridge that needed work, as NS stated it could not run passenger trains over it due to liability, just freight. Well finally in 2023, the Summerville Steam Special returned!
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C Henderson Rail Productions KZfaq Channel Link:
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Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum KZfaq Channel Link:
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