Greetings,

My name is Alec Butler from New Baltimore, MI. I have been a big steam fan for all of my life. For this first posting, I will ask the first of a series of questions that will be important to a secret project that I am working on. I will announce the details at the beginning of next year.

The first set of questions deals with the last steam locomotives to run on some American Railroads before 1954.

The first question is, what were the last steam locomotives to run on the Southern Railway? One of them was heard on the LP record of Winston Salem Southbound by Railroad records. Is there any information on the locomotive that pulled train 68 into Winston Salem in 1952?

Thanks and I look forward to more discussion on RYPN in the future.

Alec Butler

Alec,

Welcome to the forum. This question may be better suited to the Railfan forum instead of the Interchange. Southern steam is way out of my area of knowledge but someone may know of the last revenue run.

According to Trains Magazine, the last active steam locomotive in regular revenue service on the Southern Railway was Mikado #6330 when she pulled a local freight to Chattanooga, ending 123 years of steam in revenue service on the Southern Railway system (Going back to the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company when the Best Friend of Charleston made her first run, which later became part of the Southern Railway).

Alas, the Southern Railway with their disdain for steam at the time, didn't deem the 1923 built Alco as worthy of preserving. I believe Graham Claytor was behind talking deButts into donating the #1401 to the Smithsonian, but as far as I'm aware otherwise, all preserved Southern Railway steam entered preservation in a roundabout manner.

Wasn't much sentiment in the deButts administration towards the steam locomotive. Was a relic of the past that they were only too glad to be rid of.

Thanks for that piece of history. I do know about #6330 being the last on the Southern. I was talking about other engines. This includes other lines on the Southern and what steam engine was the last. One example I can share with you is on this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yirolqdYx8U

So the question is what other Southern locomotive was the last to serve the different cities of the railroad and what branch lines last saw steam?

Thanks for replying. I look forward from everyone of you.

Alec Butler

As I recall, DeButts' successor Brosnan changed tunes about the steam locomotives once it was discovered that they could be put to good use as PR ambassadors. Mr. Brosnan permitted TVRM to make a one time ferry move with the 4501 from Stearns, Kentucky to Chattanooga, which ultimately resulted in the creation of the Southern Railway Systems Excursion Program. Brosnan (through Claytor) also donated the land that the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum now occupies, along with a number of passenger cars.