Steam & Excursion > TVRM's Southern #630

The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum will be putting 2-8-0 #630 into service in the very near future. A few things are left to finish, but the tender was filled with coal today. Isn't she a pretty sight?

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Even though I personally prefer an engine that looks like it has been in service for awhile, this is a beautiful paint job! Thanks to everyone who helped accomplish so much. I look forward to see it in operation.

Steve Mitchell
http://www.yardgoatimages.com

Any functioning steam engine, regardless of beauty, is better than one that is "stuffed and mounted". That is why we are excited about recent rebuilding activities on SP #18 in Independence , CA

Gosh, she looks good! Will be looking forward to hearing TVRM and NS' excursion plans for this engine soon!

Whooowee! You could brush your teeth in front of every part of that locomotive!! Superior job TVRM! She is so pretty, she needs to be on the point of a doubleheader with SR 4501 for the locomotives 100th birthday party!

Boy she is indeed a beautiful locomotive! I need to get over there one of these days..think you guys could use a fireman?

Txhighballer Wrote:
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> Boy she is indeed a beautiful locomotive! I need
> to get over there one of these days..think you
> guys could use a fireman?


Sure do: Volunteers are always welcome! (Tennessee is the volunteer state after all.)

srfreer Wrote:
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> Txhighballer Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Boy she is indeed a beautiful locomotive! I
> need
> > to get over there one of these days..think you
> > guys could use a fireman?
>
>
> Sure do: Volunteers are always welcome!
> (Tennessee is the volunteer state after all.)

Hmm, I may need to make a trip out there myself to test the waters with coal... oil burners are fun but coal sure would be a fun challenge!

Macster Wrote:
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> srfreer Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Txhighballer Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Boy she is indeed a beautiful locomotive! I
> > need
> > > to get over there one of these days..think
> you
> > > guys could use a fireman?
> >
> >
> > Sure do: Volunteers are always welcome!
> > (Tennessee is the volunteer state after all.)
>
> Hmm, I may need to make a trip out there myself to
> test the waters with coal... oil burners are fun
> but coal sure would be a fun challenge!


Allright...been a long time sice I fired with coal...who do I need to talk to?

Txhighballer Wrote:

> Allright...been a long time sice I fired with
> coal...who do I need to talk to?

http://tvrail.com/pages/explore/membership.php

Those photos sure bring back memories. I first made 630's acquaintence on a doubleheader with 722 from Alexandria to Warrenton, VA back in 1977. In those days, 722 wore a green scheme very much like 630's new paint job, and 630 was back. I always liked those little Consolidations. At 40 MPH they sounded like they were doing about 70.

A year or so later 722 went to the Wilmington & Northern in exchange for 2839. I got to watch 722 deadhead past L'Enfant Plaza (where I worked at the time), and got to ride behind 2839's inagural trip out of Alexandria. Ah, the memories!

shoretower Wrote:
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> I first made 630's acquaintence on a doubleheader with 722
> from Alexandria to Warrenton, VA back in 1977.

Do you have any dates and details?

One of 722's steam delivery pipes (from superheater to cylinder) had failed in April 1976, and the April 30 reference is its next appearance, after which it doesn't appear again until December.

There were trips to Warrenton with 4501 in 1976 (maybe that's what you remember?), but other than two times in 1970, there's no record 630 and 722 doubleheaded again on the Southern. But the records are thin and full of errors and omissions.

Here's what shows up in the printed schedules from that period:

March 19 Alexandria-Front Royal RT 630
March 26 Alexandria-Front Royal RT 630
March 27 Alexandria-Charlottesville RT 630
April 2 Alexandria-Front Royal RT 630
April 3 Alexandria-Charlottesville RT 630
April 2, 3 Birmingham-Chattanooga RT 4449
April 16, 17 Atlanta-Gordon RT via Macon 4501
April 23, 24 Chattanooga-Huntsville RT 4501
April 30 Atlanta-Toccoa RT 722
May 1 Atlanta-Gainesville RT 722

That's it for 630 - those were her last public trips.

She looks Brand New !! Is the 4501 next in the shop !!

Well, I wish I had kept better notes, but I recall the trip to Warrenton was in March of 1977. We may have had one of the Consols by itself (not a double-header) but I'm pretty sure of the timing.

The 2839 inaugural was in April of 1978, as I recall.

The double-header to Front Royal was in the summer of 1977 -- don't remember th month for sure -- but it was raining on the way up Manassas Gap, and there was a lot of slipping.

My first Southern steam trip was also to Front Royal, in June 1976 behind 4501. That was ny only 4501 trip out of Alexandria. We didn't see 4501 once the "big engines" started running (2839, 610).

Wolfman Wrote:
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> She looks Brand New !! Is the 4501 next in the
> shop !!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=81452692547&aid=160892#!/photo.php?fbid=10150111574917548&set=a.378480492547.160892.81452692547&theater

shoretower Wrote:
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> Well, I wish I had kept better notes, but I recall
> the trip to Warrenton was in March of 1977. We
> may have had one of the Consols by itself (not a
> double-header) but I'm pretty sure of the timing.

Thanks.


> The 2839 inaugural was in April of 1978, as I recall.

March 3-4, 1979.

JAC

johnacraft Wrote:
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>
> Here's what shows up in the printed schedules from
> that period:
>
> March 19 Alexandria-Front Royal RT 630
> March 26 Alexandria-Front Royal RT 630
> March 27 Alexandria-Charlottesville RT 630
> April 2 Alexandria-Front Royal RT 630
> April 3 Alexandria-Charlottesville RT 630
> April 2, 3 Birmingham-Chattanooga RT 4449
> April 16, 17 Atlanta-Gordon RT via Macon 4501
> April 23, 24 Chattanooga-Huntsville RT 4501
> April 30 Atlanta-Toccoa RT 722
> May 1 Atlanta-Gainesville RT 722
>
> That's it for 630 - those were her last public
> trips.
With all due respect, Mr. Craft, that's incorrect.
630's last excursions were NOT in April 1977. She filled in for T&P 610 on an August 28, 1977, excursion to Charlottesville with a pair of FP7's. 630 was removed at Calverton on the inbound trip because it limited the train to 40 mph, and the diesels powered the rest of the trip alone.
There's a video on Youtube confirming this. Look up "Southern Steam August 1977."
There may have been some other missed trips with 630 before it was retired from Southern excursions. Who knows? Maybe there were a few with 722...

DRGWMark Wrote:
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> 630's last excursions were NOT in April 1977. She
> filled in for T&P 610 on an August 28, 1977,
> excursion to Charlottesville with a pair of FP7's.
> 630 was removed at Calverton on the inbound trip
> because it limited the train to 40 mph, and the
> diesels powered the rest of the trip alone.
> There's a video on Youtube confirming this. Look
> up "Southern Steam August 1977."

Oops, you're right. I've seen that - August 28, the weekend after the dynamometer test.


> There may have been some other missed trips with
> 630 before it was retired from Southern
> excursions. Who knows? Maybe there were a few with
> 722...

That's why I asked.

Thanks for the correction on 2839. I remembered it being a cool, early spring day, so April of 1979 certainly fits. I also remember L. Stanley Crane, in hat and dress raincoat, was on the platform to check out his engine. Nice touch.

I also was able to confirm that 722 spent the summer of 1979 operating on Wilmington & Northern, I guess in trade for 2839, so everything fits together. I really should have kept notes of these trips.

I knew the trip was before 1980 because I rode to Lynchburg and returned to Alexandria on Amtrak's "Hilltopper", which ran for about another year and a half until December 1980. It had just replaced the "Mountaineer"..

shoretower Wrote:
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> I also was able to confirm that 722 spent the
> summer of 1979 operating on Wilmington & Northern,
> I guess in trade for 2839, so everything fits
> together.

The 722 lease and the 2839 lease weren't connected - just a coincidence of timing.

2839 was was owned by 3 individuals, and was overhauled in Northampton, PA prior to the lease. It moved from Northampton to Alexandria on Feb. 5-6, overnighting in Philadelphia.

722 was leased to Historic Red Clay Valley, Inc., and as you say operated Memorial Day weekend 1979 on the W&N, then on the Wilmington & Western for a while.