Builder's photo of this many-ownered 0-8-0, now pretending to be a Southern Railway locomotive. I think at one time, it even belonged briefly to Johnny Cash.

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/ic/ic-s3525ajg.jpg

Bob:

One thing I have never seen is a photo of her after she was "Southernized." Anyone got one?

Les

I know that the people involved in the Southwest Virginia Scenic Railway bought this engine from Stone Mountain Scenic RR in the 1970s and had it moved to Johnson City, TN. When the Sw Va disolved, the BC&G 2-8-0 and the 0-8-0 both went to Spencer. So did Cash supposedly own it before Stone Mountain? Just curious.

Matt Helton

My understanding was that Carter/Cash Enterprises was involved with the Southwest Virginia operation. Perhaps someone can elaborate more.

Bob, I know one of the investors, Kenny Fannon of Duffield, and he told me that the Carter/Cash family never got involved in the operation. The investors tried to get them involved but they were not interested.

I've been working on writing an article about the Southwest Virginia Scenic and it has a very interesting history. I'll post the finished article when I get it done.

Matt Helton

I recall seeing it once in the late 80s, but I don't think I have a photo.

As I recall it was just the typical big number on the tender and Spencer Division cab styling. If they renumbered or altered the front end cosmetics, I don't recall it.

JAC

JAC:

I kind of thought that might be the case. I didn't think that IC 3525 had much resemblance to the photo's of the Southern 0-8-0's that I recall seeing. What DID have, were the GTW 0-8-0's. Here's a case where a trade of the 3525 to IRM for one of the (at that time) surplus ex-GTW 0-8-0's would have made sense. Another of the 0-8-0's would have been gone from the "collection" and IRM would have ended up with a steamer of "local" interest. Spencer still would have ended up with their Southern Consolidation and the folks in Knoxville would certainly have had a "more Southern" 0-8-0. Of course that would have taken a little bit of thought, and additional monies I am sure.

Les

These were the bad old good old days at Spencer, when if we needed a can of paint, we pooled our pocket change and sent Donnie Smith across the street to the paint store. The 0-8-0 repainting was done by the loose affiliation of retirees that also originally resurrected BC&G 4 into 604. Very little attention was even thought about being given to such things as detail - apart from the paint job. The running boards were lost, so a local steel shop made some by bending up a lip on some diamond plate strips, and a section was welded on slanting up to clear the air pump (I think) because nobody wanted to take the time to cut and weld it on with a step, always looked really bad to me. I cut my finger off building the cab interior on this one. Before dragging it to a new location, one volunteer poured oil into the piston valve ports, which promptly drained out the cylinder cocks all over his shoes.

Thankfully, things have gotten much better there since the mid eighties.

dave