Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis 576

Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis 576
NC&StL No. 576 on static display at the Centennial Park in December 2008
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
DesignerClarence M. Darden
BuilderAmerican Locomotive Company (Schenectady Works)
Serial number69786
Build dateAugust 1942
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte4-8-4
Gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Driver dia.70 in (1,778 mm)
Minimum curve19°
WheelbaseOverall: 86 ft 6 in (26,365 mm)
Height15 ft 5 in (4.70 m)
Axle load66,622.5 lb (30,219.5 kilograms; 30.2195 metric tons)
Adhesive weight228,000 lb (103,000 kg)
Loco weight400,500 lb (181,700 kg)
Tender weight285,000 lb (129,000 kg)
Total weight685,500 lb (310,900 kg)
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity36,000 lb (16 tonnes)
Water cap.15,000 US gal (57,000 L; 12,000 imp gal)
Fuel consumption4 t (3.9 long tons; 4.4 short tons) of coal per hour
7,000 US gallons (26,000 L) of water per hour
Firebox:​
 • Grate area77.30 sq ft (7.2 m2)
Boiler pressure250 psi (1.72 MPa)
Feedwater heaterWorthington Type SA
9,000 US gal/hr cap
SuperheaterElesco Type E
CylindersTwo, outside
Cylinder size25 in × 30 in (635 mm × 762 mm)
Valve gearWalschaerts
Performance figures
Maximum speed90–110 mph (145–177 km/h)
Power outputEstimated 4,000 hp (3,000 kW)
Tractive effort57,000 lbf (253.5 kN)
Factor of adh.4.01
Career
Operators
Class
  • J3-57
Number in class7 of 20
Numbers
  • NC&StL 576
Nicknames
  • Yellow Jacket
  • The Stripe
LocaleMiddle Tennessee
First runAugust 18, 1942
RetiredSeptember 2, 1952
PreservedSeptember 20, 1953
Current owner
DispositionUndergoing restoration to operating condition
References:[1][2][3]

Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis 576 is a 4-8-4 "Dixie" (Northern) type steam locomotive, built in August 1942 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of Schenectady, New York, for the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway (NC&StL). The locomotive is part of the technologically advanced J3 class.

During World War II, the J3s hauled heavy freight and troop trains. After the war, they were used in dual freight and passenger service until the early 1950s, when dwindling traffic and the onset of dieselization led to their retirement and scrapping around 1952. No. 576, the only surviving mainline NC&StL steam locomotive, was donated to the city of Nashville, Tennessee, and put on display at the Centennial Park.

In 2019, No. 576 was moved to the Tennessee Central Railway Museum (TCRM), where it is being restored to operating condition by the Nashville Steam Preservation Society (NSPS) for use in excursion service on the shortline Nashville and Eastern Railroad. The restoration work is expected to be complete around 2026.

History

Design and appearance

During World War II, the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway (NC&StL) found itself unable to order more diesel locomotives to handle the increased passenger traffic.[2] Officials decided to go for steam power; they accepted a proposal by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) for a streamlined 4-8-4 J3 locomotive similar to the Norfolk and Western J class locomotives, (a design rejected by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N) as too expensive).[2] The NC&StL's Superintendent of Machinery, Clarence M. Darden, designed ten J3 (Nos. 570-579) locomotives delivered between July and August 1942 from ALCO in a semi-streamlined design with yellow skirting panels, a bullet nose cone, boxpok drivers, and a large semi-Vanderbilt tender holding 16 tonnes (16,000 kg) of coal and 15,000 US gallons (57,000 L) of water.[2][4] Although other railroads called their 4-8-4s the Northerns, the J3s were nicknamed Dixies.[2] They each consumed 4 short tons (8,000 lb) of coal and 7,000 US gallons (26,000 L) of water per hour.[1] The NC&StL locomotive crews nicknamed the J3s as the Yellow Jackets after their yellow skirting.[2][5]

In 1943, ALCO built ten more J3s (Nos. 580-589); wartime restrictions prevented applying the yellow skirting, so their running board edges were painted yellow and these locomotives were dubbed Stripes.[4][6] After the war ended, the skirting was removed from the 1942 J3 locomotives for easier maintenance, and the bullet nose cones were removed on all of the J3s.[2][7] All of the J3s were originally equipped with a Commonwealth style pilot, which has a retractable coupler that could horizontally swing out.[2][7] This was eventually replaced by a standard cast-steel pilot with exposed coupler in response to the locomotive crew getting tired of extracting the coupler multiple times.[2][7] The J3s were all equipped with one-piece cast-steel frames with integral cylinders and Timken roller bearings on all axles.[4][8]

Revenue service and retirement

No. 576 was built at a cost of $166,500 and delivered to the NC&StL Railway, which put it into revenue service on August 18, 1942.[1] Along with the other J3s, No. 576 helped move arms, materiel, and troops during the rapid buildup and mobilization of the American war effort during World War II.[2] They initially ran only between Nashville and Chattanooga, Tennessee, because at 100 feet long, they could not fit on the 90-foot turntables in Atlanta, Georgia until 110-foot ones were installed.[2][4] After the war ended in 1945, the J3s were reassigned to dual freight and passenger service, in which they were capable enough to pull passenger trains such as the Dixie Flagler,[9] the Dixie Flyer,[10] and the Dixie Limited,[11] between Nashville and Atlanta.[4] They also have the chance to run between Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee, via Bruceton and Martin.[4][12] The J3s even worked in Cowan, Tennessee, banking trains up in the Cumberland Mountains and also do considerable service on work train duties.[4][13] The J3s ran up to 11,000 miles (18,000 km) per month.[2]

As the NC&StL began to dieselize, the first two J3s, Nos. 570 and 571, were retired and scrapped on December 6, 1951, while No. 576 and the other J3s remained in service until September 2, 1952.[3][14] After retirement, No. 576 was chosen for preservation and donated to the City of Nashville, where it was put on outdoor display at the Centennial Park on September 20, 1953.[15][16] The locomotive subsequently slowly deteriorated from constant exposure to outdoor weather.[17][18]

Attempted restoration

Attempts to restore No. 576 to operating condition were first made in the early 1970s, when it was one of the locomotive candidates for the American Freedom Train project before Reading 2101 was chosen because it had larger 4-8-4 dimensions than the former.[19] In late 1978, the Clinchfield Railroad (CRR) hosted a steam excursion program, using 4-6-0 No. 1, and they were in search of a larger locomotive to expand the program at the request of the Family Lines.[20][21] The CRR's general manager, Thomas D. Moore Jr., and L&N executive Colonel Philip Hooper negotiated with the Nashville Board of Parks and Recreation to lease and restore No. 576, but the board decided against their proposal.[20][21][22] In late May 1979, the Nashville board members changed their minds, and they re-entered negotiations with the CRR to lease and restore No. 576, but to no avail; by that time, the Family Lines had cancelled the steam program after Thomas Moore was accused of participating in a scandal.[21][23] The Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) once had plans to lease No. 576 for use in running for their steam program during the 1980s, but shifting priorities led to NS ending the program in late 1994.[19][24]

In February 2001, the Tennessee Central Railway Museum (TCRM) proposed to obtain ownership of No. 576 and to restore it for excursion service, citing them doing so would end the locomotive's exposure to the weather.[17][18] The director of the Nashville Board of Parks and Recreation at the time, Jim Fyke, was reluctant to relinquish ownership of the locomotive to the museum without additional knowledge of their plans, and the board quickly denied the proposal.[1][17][18] In 2004, a shelter shed was built over the No. 576 locomotive to protect it from the weather.[25]

Full restoration

In April 2016, the newly-formed Nashville Steam Preservation Society (NSPS) made their own proposal to restore No. 576 and run it on the shortline Nashville and Eastern Railroad (NERR), pulling the Tennessee Central Railway Museum's excursions.[1][26] Two months later, the Nashville Board of Parks and Recreation approved the lease of No. 576 to the NSPS.[27] In April 2017, the NSPS volunteers inspected No. 576's boiler and found it to be in good condition.[28] By October 2018, the NSPS had raised $500,000 to move No. 576 to the TCRM's restoration facility[29] and begin a restoration effort projected to cost a total of $2.5 million.[30]

On January 13, 2019, the No. 576 locomotive was moved from Centennial Park on a flatbed truck.[31] It was placed on the Nashville & Western rails on February 6, where it was prepared to be moved to CSX trackage.[32][33] The No. 576 locomotive made its final public appearance at the former Nashville Union Station on March 9, 2019, and the next day, moved to the TCRM's workshop where restoration work began.[34][35] In June 2019, the NSPS received two boxcars from CSX to store restoration equipment and materials.[36] During the work, a new cab was fabricated from scratch to replace the deteriorated original.[37][a]

On March 25, 2021, a storm damaged the TCRM restoration facility, but No. 576 was found to be undamaged.[39][40] The workshop was quickly rebuilt, and the restoration work resumed.[41] On April 15, Trains magazine donated $600,000 to the NSPS to renovate No. 576's driving wheels and trucks. The boiler required hydrostatic testing.[42] On June 17, 2021, No. 576's boiler and frame were removed from its wheels and running gear.[43][44] The driving wheels were repaired at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) in Chattanooga, Tennessee.[43] On July 12, 2023, the reassembly of No. 576 began.[45] In October 2023, TVRM donated a former NC&STL tender to NSPS, which would be restored and converted to an auxiliary water tender for use behind No. 576.[46] In September 2025, No. 576's boiler successfully passed its FRA-required hydrostatic test, where it was pressurized for the first time in 73 years.[47] The remaining restoration and reassembly work is expected to take an additional six to nine months, placing the locomotive's return to operation around 2026.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ No. 576's whistle was temporarily used on the Nickel Plate Road 765 locomotive twice in 2019 and 2022.[38]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Ibata, David (April 26, 2016). "Team to restore a 'Dixie' 4-8-4". Trains. Kalmbach Media. Archived from the original on August 14, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Morgan, David P. (December 1963). "Gliders, Yellow Jackets, and Stripes". Nashville Steam Preservation Society. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Prince (2001), p. 119.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Prince (2001), pp. 123–125.
  5. ^ Schult (2002), p. 150.
  6. ^ Drury (2015), p. 228.
  7. ^ a b c Schult (2002), pp. 174–176.
  8. ^ Keefe, Kevin P. (January 11, 2024). "The South's ultimate 4-8-4: Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Dixies". Classic Trains. Firecrown Media. Archived from the original on October 11, 2025. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  9. ^ Prince (2001), p. 165.
  10. ^ Prince (2001), p. 187.
  11. ^ Schult (2002), p. 182.
  12. ^ "A Brief History Of #576". NC&StL Preservation Society. Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  13. ^ Prince (2001), pp. 185–186.
  14. ^ Schult (2002), p. 177.
  15. ^ "Challenge Coin, Centennial Park Commemorative". Nashville Steam Preservation Society. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  16. ^ Huddleston, Edwin (September 28, 1953). "Rails Now Lead To Memory Land, But Engine 576, Pilot Still Are Going Strong". Nashville Banner. p. 17. Retrieved December 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ a b c Paine, Anne (February 12, 2001). "New life for locomotive?". The Tennessean. p. 1. Retrieved December 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ a b c "All aboard on preservation". The Tennessean. February 20, 2001. p. 8. Retrieved December 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ a b Schult (2002), p. 213.
  20. ^ a b "News & Editorial Comment - Tom's new engine". Trains. Vol. 39, no. 8. Kalmbach Publishing. June 1979. p. 12. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  21. ^ a b c "News & Editorial Comment - The Clinchfield Conclusion". Trains. Vol. 39, no. 12. Kalmbach Publishing. October 1979. pp. 3–4. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  22. ^ "News & Editorial Comment - NC&StL 576…another miracle?". Trains. Vol. 39, no. 3. Kalmbach Publishing. January 1979. pp. 3–4, 7. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  23. ^ "Arrivals & Departures - Clinchfield Commotion". Trains. Vol. 39, no. 10. Kalmbach Publishing. August 1979. p. 12. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  24. ^ Philips, Don (October 29, 1994). "Norfolk Southern plans to end nostalgic steam locomotive program". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 30, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  25. ^ Moriarty, Megan (January 30, 2004). "Park Train To Get Protection". The Nashville City Paper. Archived from the original on July 26, 2008. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  26. ^ Wrinn, Jim (April 15, 2016). "NC&StL No. 576 Proposed Restoration Announcement". Nashville Steam Preservation Society. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  27. ^ "Park Board Approves Lease of No. 576". Nashville Steam Preservation Society. June 7, 2016. Archived from the original on September 26, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  28. ^ Bryan, Joey (April 2, 2017). "NSPS Performs Boiler Inspection, Pleased with Condition". Nashville Steam Preservation Society. Archived from the original on September 28, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  29. ^ Bryan, Joey (October 11, 2018). "NSPS Steam Reaches Initial Fundraising Goal". Nashville Steam Preservation Society. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  30. ^ "Nashville, Chattanooga, & St. Louis Number 576". Tennessee Central Railway Museum. Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  31. ^ "The renovation of Nashville's locomotive No. 576". The Tennessean. January 13, 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  32. ^ Bryan, Joey (December 13, 2018). "No. 576 to Leave Centennial Park on January 13th!". Nashville Steam Preservation Society. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  33. ^ Bryan, Joey (February 6, 2019). "No. 576 Move Out of Centennial Park A Success!". Nashville Steam Preservation Society. Archived from the original on November 26, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  34. ^ Hilt, Eric (March 10, 2019). "Locomotive No. 576 moves to old home". WTVF. Archived from the original on June 21, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  35. ^ "Historic steam train arrives at Nashville museum for restoration". WKRN-TV. March 11, 2019. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  36. ^ Bryan, Joey (June 17, 2019). "CSX Donates Two Boxcars for 576 Restoration". Nashville Steam Preservation Society. Archived from the original on September 26, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  37. ^ Bryan, Joey (March 2021). "Nashville Steam Preservation Society - NSPS - 576 Update" (PDF). The Order Board. Vol. 41, no. 3. Tennessee Central Railway Museum. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  38. ^ Bryan, Joey (November 2021). "Nashville Steam Preservation Society NSPS - 576 Update" (PDF). The Order Board. Vol. 41, no. 11. Tennessee Central Railway Museum & Model Railroad Club Nashville Chapter NRHS. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 17, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  39. ^ "Nashville Steam facility, museum damaged by violent storm". Trains. Kalmbach Media. March 26, 2021. Archived from the original on March 26, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  40. ^ Overdeep, Meghan (March 30, 2021). "Steam Shop Restoring Historic Nashville Train Suffers Serious Damage in Storm". Southern Living. Archived from the original on March 31, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  41. ^ Nolan, Davis (April 21, 2021). "Restoration of Old Locomotive 576 resumes after March storm damage". WKRN-TV. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  42. ^ Bryan, Joey (April 15, 2021). "Trains Magazine Announces Nashville Steam as the Next Preservation Partner". Nashville Steam Preservation Society. Archived from the original on June 27, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  43. ^ a b Bryan, Joey (June 17, 2021). "NSPS Completes Engine Lift and Wheel Removal". Nashville Steam Preservation Society. Archived from the original on June 20, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  44. ^ Freeman, WaTeasa (June 18, 2021). "Progress continues to restore former Centennial Park locomotive to operation". The Tennessean. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  45. ^ "Nashville Steam Begins to Reassemble NC&StL 576". Railfan & Railroad. White River Productions. July 12, 2023. Archived from the original on July 13, 2023. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  46. ^ "Bestowing a Legacy: Gifting the NC&STL Tender from Our Collection". Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. October 18, 2023. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  47. ^ "Successful Boiler Test Paves Path to Steam for Nashville Locomotive". Nashville Steam Preservation Society. September 20, 2025. Archived from the original on September 23, 2025. Retrieved September 23, 2025.

Bibliography

  • Drury, George H. (2015). Guide to North American Steam Locomotives (2nd ed.). Kalmbach Media. ISBN 978-1-62700-259-2.
  • Prince, Richard E. (2001). Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway: History and Steam Locomotives (2nd ed.). Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-33927-0.
  • Schult, Dain L. (2002). Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway: A History of "The Dixie Line" (1st ed.). TLC Publishing Inc. ISBN 1-883089-74-3.
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