Souther Rwy Steam Excursions...

Mike W.

No excursions with a Crescent Limited Ps-4. The only surviving Ps-4 decorated in the famous green 'n gold paint is the 1401 residing in the Transportation Wing of the Smithsonian in Washington[photo* underway below]. It did not carry the Crescent Limited markings--markings that were pretty much gone from the Limited engines by the early 1930s Great Depression anyway.

Ps-4 1401 was a lead engine through one Southern Division pulling President Roosevelt's Funeral Train from Warm Springs, Ga. to Washington.

The restored 2-8-2 Mikado #4501 was decorated in green 'n gold passenger livery and used often as power in the Southern Excursion program.

* photo of a painting called "Three Times a Lady".

By the time you added up the costs of keeping everything running, the Southern (later NS) basically broke even.  The local NRHS chapters, which sponsored the excursions, would turn a small profit from food/souvenier sales.  Program lasted from 1966-94, with about 20 engines used at one time or another.  Norfolk Southern restarted the program in 2011 as the 21st Century Steam Program.

Kevin

I saw 4501 pass through my hometown in Florida on a rare ferry move to Jacksonville when I was 4 years old. I still recall it like it was yesterday.

I didn't ride any of the SRR (NS by then) steam program trips until the 80s but I made up for some time. Sadly, most of the SRR stuff was out of the program by then. But I did get a cab ride on 630 (which my parents saw daily in their original hometown in Tennessee as ET&WNC # 207) when I was 11. I have a soft spot for 630 for those two reasons, and was glad to see her again in 2012, though not running at the time:

I later saw 611 and 1218 in steam as well. I'll never forget leaning out the tool car at night, on the NS main from Valdosta, GA to Jacksonville at track speeds and listening to that N&W hooter whistle and the roar of the engine. You could see people run out of their trackside houses, to see what was making all that noise. I swear it felt like I was in an O Winston Link photo!

I even got a photo somewhere of myself in the cab of 1218 under steam, I need to dig that up and scan it someday.

As for a PS pacific on the SRR program, Southern tried to lease former heavy USRA Grand Trunk RR # 5629 to stand in as a PS Pacific.

Sadly, the owner wanted a crazy lease fee from SRR, so it never came to pass. Bullheadedness prevailed on the owner's part, and the locomotive was scrapped in the 1980s when he refused to move it, even removing the brasses so it couldn't be rolled on its own wheels!

If you have any interest in the SRR/NS steam program, you must read this book! http://www.amazon.com/Steams-C...rsions/dp/1883089565

According to this Richard Young's post here, http://www.rypn.org/forums/vie...=19993&start=15, (see the first post on that page) that isn't entirely correct.

A very sad situation, hopefully to never happen again.

Kevin

When was the green Mikado used for excursions?

Between 1966 and 2008 (I think.  The dates may be a little elastic.)

Rusty

1966-94, with some years (like the majority of the 1980s) out of service.  Used at Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum until retired in 1998.  Back in service September 2014, and hopefully to be seen on a mainline near you next year!

Earlier in 2014, my wife and I rode out of Chattanooga, up the Rathole, on what was supposed to have been the 630's first trip out of the shop.  However, the engine could not be made ready in time and ran its first trip the following week.  NS gave us the best they had available, and provided the Southern Ry. commemorative diesel for our trip.  In spite of the absence of steam, we had a fine day on the train (in a classy Budd observation car), over very smooth track, with very professional service and excellent train handling.

NS knows how to put on a really fine excursion train trip, and I would recommend buying a ticket, even if you don't live along the NS.  We traveled from Texas and it was worth it.

Dewey, really like the painting.  But I have not been able to find any evidence that the Crescent Limited ran any baggage cars.  Do you have any info?  Now they did run mail between DC and Atlanta.  I have request MTH look into a Crescent Limited RPO car.

Ron 

I'll believe people who were there and personally knew Jensen at the time and I'll stand by my comment.

Well Mr.Bishop, I have known both Rich Young and his dad, Dick Young for many decades, and since Dick Young was Dick Jenson's "right hand man" on most of his 5629 operations, I will defiantly side with Dick's son, i.e. Rich Young.

Kgdjpubs:  your note that Southern/NS used about 20 steam locomotives in their excursion program prompted me to wrack my memory - - what is the list?  I come up with 2-10-4 #610, 2-8-2 #4501, 2-8-0 #630, "Royal" 4-6-4 #2839, 2-8-4#2716 (or was that 765 as an imposter and was that perhaps a CSX operation?), Daylight 4-8-4 #4449, 4-8-4 #611, 2-6-6-4 #1218. What locomotives did I overlook?

     Southern/NS ran a marvelous steam program. But my personal favorite, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, including subsidiaries C&S and FW&D, ran the most steam locomotives (25) in excursion service. These included 4-6-0's, a 2-6-2, a 4-6-2, 4-6-4's, 2-8-0's, 2-8-2's, 4-8-4's, 2-10-2's, and a 2-10-4. The first excursion was in 1937, employing stainless steel streamlined 4-6-4 #4000!

      Oh, and Dick Jensen also lost CB&Q 4-8-4 #5632 to the scrapper's torch. People should not be too hard on Mr. Jensen....he was a bread delivery route man, not Warren Buffett. Additionally he fell from a second story window, helping to move a refrigerator for a friend, and was seriously injured, which left him impaired in the struggle to save #5629. Love the tales of him moving a locomotive compound air compressor in his Edsel station wagon, bottomed out on it's springs!

Mark,

Here's the complete list (somewhat in order of use)....

Savannah & Atlanta 4-6-2 #750

Kentucky & Tennessee 2-8-2 #10 (as Southern 6910)....operates one trip in 1965

Southern 2-8-2 #4501

Southern 2-8-0 #630

Southern 2-8-0 #722

Mississippian 2-8-0 #77...several trips in early 1970s

Southern Pacific 4-8-4 #4449....several trips in 1976-77

Texas & Pacific 2-10-4 #610

Canadian Pacific 4-6-4 #2839

Canadian Pacific 4-6-2 #1238....operates for movie, and a few trips out of Alexandria, VA in 1981

Chesapeake & Ohio 2-8-4 #2716...operates Nov 1981-July 1982.

Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 #765....leased by NS for Fall 1982 season to cover 2716 schedule.  Also 1993.

Norfolk & Western 4-8-4 #611

Norfolk & Western 2-6-6-4 #1218

Louisville & Nashville 4-6-2 #152.....leased by NS early 1987

Nickel Plate Road 2-8-2 #587...leased by NS 1989, used sparingly through 1993

Frisco 4-8-2 #1522...operates on various trips 1988-94

Atlanta & West Point 4-6-2 #290...operates on several trips 1991

Tennessee Valley 2-8-0 #610...subs for 1218 and 4501 occasionally 1990-94

There's more than that if you count steam ops on SR/N&W that weren't officially part of the Steam Program (GTW 5629 in 1966 on the N&W, Hi Iron trips with NKP 759, LNER 4472, Clinchfield 1, New Georgia Railroad, American Freedom Train, 765 trips in 1980s, etc).

You can also add Southern 2-8-0 #154 if you count the 21st Century Steam Program, as it was used in November 2011 on a trip between Knoxville and Alcoa, TN.

Kevin

Kevin - Wow!  What a great list, with wide ranging variety of locomotives. We aren't likely to see anything approaching that period again, in our lifetimes. Sadly, Britain probably has run upwards of a 100 steam locomotives in recent years. Also glad to see my hometown road was not unseated by SRy/NS........but awfully close!  

I posted our ride on the 630 here in TN back in April of 2014. Nice trip if you ever get a chance.

https://ogrforum.com/t...630-tennessee-valley

Larry

Kevin, the reference to CP in 1981 triggered a great memory.  I recall taking my then wife and 4 or 5 year old daughter on an excursion out of Alexandria to Charlottesville about that time.  I was no railfan and I don't recall why we did the trip other than it was an unusual, for us, family activity after recently moving to Alexandria from Atlanta.

The memory that is most vivid is my then wife and I bathing our young daughter in a public fountain to remove the cinders we had all accumulated in an un-air conditioned coach with the windows open.

I haven't checked the loco numbers you supplied, but I'm very sure that the loco we rode was a "Royal" Hudson.

In any case, thanks for triggering a great memory from 30+ years ago.

610 passes right by my office during longer excursions.  I'd know that whistle anywhere.  

I remember those June '81 trips out of Alexandria with the 1238. We rode one to Front Royal. The 1238 was assisted by an FP7. The trips had been scheduled to run with the 4501 but it wasn't available due to a mechanical problem. That was my second time riding behind the 1238. The first was a High Iron Company trip over the CNJ from Elizabeth to Green Pond doubleheader with the 1286 way back in '67. Those CP G-5s were good locomotives.

Bob