Nickel Plate Road No. 759 is a S-2 class 2-8-4 "Berkshire" type steam locomotive built by the Lima Locomotive Works of Lima, OH in 1944 for the Nickel Plate Road.
The locomotive worked mainly hauling freight trains on the Nickel Plate Road until May 1958, when #759 was the last steam locomotive the NKP overhauled, and later retired soon afterwards in 1960.
F. Nelson Blount bought No. 759 in 1962 for his collection in Bellows Falls, VT. Ross Rowland, Jr., then carried out a full restoration to working order and on 17 August 1968, it made several trial runs. Then it hauled his Golden Spike Centennial Limited, a special commemorative train that celebrated the 100th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1969. Two weeks later, it began an excursion career that lasted until 1973.
No. 759 was meant to pull the American Freedom Train. However, when it was stored by the D&H, they didn't properly drain the water from its tubes, therefore they froze up in the winter. As settlement for the damage, the D&H had some repairs made to the 759 and after some follow-up work back at Steamtown, No. 759 was test fired in 1975.
Briefly fired up at Steamtown in 1977, work was to begin on reflueing, but sponsorship fell through and the locomotive has stood cold ever since.
Today the locomotive is still at Steamtown but it is now a static display.
Trivia[]
- No. 759 is one of six preserved NKP S-2s.
- Its tender was relettered "Norfolk & Western" on April 30, 1971 when the N&W announced the end of passenger service on their railroad and The High Iron Co and the Norfolk and Western teamed up to pull the very last Pocahontas before Amtrak took over the next day and 759 was chosen to pull it.
- Sister engine No. 765 visited No. 759 in 2015.
- Although the 759 wasn't actually meant to be used for the American freedom train she is pictured on the "American Freedom Train Promotional Buttons" which were used from a High Iron Company excursion back in 1973. But she is still one of the original choices to pull the American Freedom Train.
- The locomotive can be seen in Herron Rail Video's 4 volume Steam & Diesel on NKP series even footage when it hauled the Golden Spike Limited train.