4501 Departing Chicago On A Round Trip To Bureau, Illinois On June 24th, 1973.
Southern Railway No. 4501 is a 2-8-2 Mikado type steam locomotive and the first of the Ms class 2-8-2s.
Operational history[]
Southern Railway 2-8-2 No. 4501 was built in October 1911 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (serial number 37085) at the price of $23,182.00 (more than half of $1,000,000.00 today). The locomotive was built as the first engine for the railway's MS Class 'Mikado' locomotives. Once entering service, the 4501 was first assigned to a division in Bulls Gap, Tennessee, where it hauled coal, lumber, and freight. The engine when then based in Knoxville from 1917 - 1926, and then in Somerset, Kentucky from 1926 - 1935. The locomotive would eventually be assigned to numerous divisions on the system, finally on the St. Louis Division in Indiana. Once retired in July 1948, the 4501 was put up for sale, and was purchased by L.C. Bruce, the head mechanic of the Kentucky and Tennessee Railway for $8,225.75. On October 7, 1948, the locomotive was brought to Stearns under her own steam and was renumbered as the K&T's #12. The locomotive then continued service along with the K&T's other 2-8-2s, #10 (Baldwin, 1920) and #11 (ALCO, 1922) hauling coal down from the mines of Oz, Kentucky to the Southern Railway interchange at Stearns. In February 1964, the K&T purchased 3 ALCO S-4 diesels from the Denver & Rio Grande Western and the engine was retired, completing over 52 years of revenue service.
Preservation[]
The fate of the locomotive seemed dim until a railfan named Paul H. Merriman purchased the 2-8-2 for $5,000 of his own money with intentions to restore it and run it on excursion trains on private tracks (non-Southern). His goal became a reality when the locomotive's restoration was completed on June 6, 1964, and following it's completion it made an historic test-run from the K&T Railway's shops in Stearns, Kentucky, to Chattanooga, Tennessee. What followed was the very first (and at the time only) public excursion the 4501 pulled. As thousands of people tuned out to see the 4501, Southern Railway management (Brosnan & Claytor) took notice of the wonderful public relations. After 4501's flue time ran out, things again seemed dim. Lucy Boiler of Chattanooga donated space and the Southern helped get things along, welcoming 4501 onto their rails once again, marking the beginning of the Southern Railway Steam Program. In 1966, the 4501 was painted up in the Virginian Green and Gold livery of the Southern and became the first locomotive to haul excursion trains for the steam program. In 1969, her original tender was replaced by a former Central of Georgia tender from MoW service. 4501 operated into the late 1970's when her age started to catch up, and more and more problems (such as a collapsed dry pipe, caught up with her). In 1973, the 4501 hauled the Circus World Museum Train throughout Wisconsin. She was finally shopped in the early 1980's, returning in 1984 with an all welded tender body (which she carries to this day), a lighter shade of Sylvan green (Irondale shop painting it), and graphite grey smokebox. After spending some time on the sidelines, as N&W 611 and 1218 represented the N&W portion of the now Norfolk Southern excursions. Eventually 4501 returned to service in the late 1980s and early 1990's, working a triple header for the Steam Program 25th anniversary trip piloting 611 and 1218. 4501 continued in service, after the end of NS steam on TVRM trips until October 1996, when she was repainted black (with shed markings). 4501 continued out service on the trips to Summerville, and a final trip on the Missionary Ridge Local in November 1998, before being put away.
The Southern 2-8-2 4501 hauled excursions for the historic program for the majority of the time it operated. In 1994, the locomotive went back to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum for museum duties, and ran until September 20, 1998, when it was sidelined for major repairs and an overhaul. In 2011, the 2-8-2 'Mikado' had it's boiler evaluated for possible repair, and the same year it's restoration began. Some of the major milestones of the restoration are below:
In 2008, #4501 was stripped for a boiler inspection, and passed for restoration.
In January 2014, #4501 passed its FRA Hydro Test, and the locomotive's wheels were installed again.
The same month in 2014, #4501 committed a static steam test, and passed all FRA certification.
In September 2014, the #4501 returned to service and made its first public run on the Missionary Ridge Local train at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum's 2014 'Railfest' on September 6 and 7.
In 2015, Norfolk Southern ran excursions with the Southern 2-8-2 4501 for it's 21st Century Steam Program, which has been 'operating' since 2010 and already has a large stable of locomotives that have/will operate excursions.
Pop Culture[]
- Southern Railway No. 4501 made quite a few appearances in popular culture. For example, in 1974, 4501 made an appearance in Ridin' The Rails: The Great American Story, a clip of Johnny Cash driving the steam locomotive would be reused in his music video, Hurt, in 2003.
- In 1999, 4501 made an appearance in the film "October Sky", dressed as Norfolk & Western No. 4501 with O. Winston Link as the engineer in the film. One interesting fact was that the Norfolk & Western never owned any 2-8-2s, they preferred 4-8-0 Twelve Wheelers (called Mollies or Mastodons by the N&W) because of their adhesive weight.
- 4501 also starred in the 1971 movie "Fools Parade" as Baltimore & Ohio #4501.
- 4501 cameoed in the opening of the 1978 film "Summer of my German Soldier" bringing some German POWs to a POW camp in Louisiana.
- 4501 appeared in other titles: the majestic Mikado, Chattanooga steam reunion, 4501: 25th anniversary, reflections, 4501 to Summerville, southern steam variety, southern doubleheaders, mainline steam spectacular, southern steam in the 1970s, 4501: 3 decades of excursions, steam to Chicago, silver steam, 70s & 80s Steam celebration, reflections of the 70s & 80s: Tennessee steam excursions, in search of steam 2, Steamin’ in 2016, Steamin’ in 2017, Steamin’ in 2018, southern steam, steam in the summer, great scenic railway journeys: the east, highlights of southern steam, the Rock Island line, Summerville steam special, & Chicago steam celebration.
Trivia[]
- In June 2010, Norfolk Southern announced that they would run excursions with No. 4501 and 2-8-0 "Consolidation" No. 630 with their new 21st Century Steam program.
- The sound of No. 4501's 3-chime whistle was used in the Thomas & Friends thirteenth series episode "Toby's New Whistle". The sound was also used in other TV shows, movies, commercials, and medias as well.
- Southern Railway 4501's Princeton Steptop 3-chime whistle is used for the character Hiro at a deeper pitch.
- The whistle was later reused at a higher pitch for The Big Mean Engine and at an even higher pitch for Rajinda.
- In September 2019, No. 4501 was dressed up as Louisville & Nashville steam locomotive J-3 class No. 1593 for the L&N Historical Society annual convention.