this photo came through on railpictures.net

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 63&nseq=11

Again, this was prior to SOU 722 going the Southern Ry steam excursion program.

Does anyone know why 722 was painted red and gold in this picture? Any info would be great. Thanks
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... ?id=639658

The color you are seeing is primer + masking tape for the gold trimmings when the engine was being painted prior to being towed to Asheville, NC to be put on display near the NS yard in downtown.

The engine looked so much better in Asheville, NC then the way it does now...disassembled and in the weeds in Jackson County NC.

Never take a steam engine apart...without having the money ready to put it back together...or at least some of the money to put it back together.

The state of 722 in NC is awful!

Looks more like red oxide primer to me, given the overspray.

If the date on the photo is to believed, it is probably around the time TVRM cosmetically restored her just prior to her transfer and long term lease to the Asheville Chapter-NRHS.

Matt Bumgarner

The issue was more than just money. Remember, you're talking about the 3rd most popular tourist railroad in the US at the time as far as ridership goes, and a railroad that had maintained 2-8-0 #1702 under steam without hardly missing a day since 1994ish, while operating a very tough schedule.

The 722 "problem" happened about a year or so after American Heritage took over Great Smokies. The issue was the GSMR steam crew (Greg Dodd and Steve Webb) quitting and starting their own business. When that happened, GSMR lost the knowledge and ability to rebuild and maintain steam. It also marked the start of 1702 starting to spend more and more time in the shop and finally going down permanently in 2004, marking the end of steam (so far) on the GSMR.
Kevin

Well hopefully with the new developments at GSMR and American Heritage we will see steam there in the near future.

I often visited the area when 1702 was running. I remember hearing about the departed crew. I was in Sylva, NC the day that the 722 arrived in tow from Asheville, NC on the NS. If my memory serves the website SteamCentral...and maybe others...posted a few photographs of the occasion when the 722 was switched over to GSMR hands.

Ah to dream...

Yea, that was a fun day. I chased the move all the way from Asheville to Dillsboro, and have the video around here somewhere. There was such optimism in the air at the time for everyone with the railroad. The word was turntables were going to be installed all over the line (Dillsboro, Bryson, Nantahala, maybe Andrews), a possible purchase of the Waynesville to Dillsboro line over Balsam Mountain, and the word was all steam within 5 years.

Of course, the Waynesville extension never happened, the turntables were never installed, and the only thing that happened within 5 years was no steam--and now, no runs over Red Marble. Maybe they can reverse the course with the promise of steam returning.
Kevin

The shot from the original post was taken on the grounds and on the trackage of the Bemberg plant in Elizabethton, the stack was to the Northwest corner of the plant, so the train is heading back to the ET main. Of all the things in that photo, only 208 (sorry, she'll always be 208 to me, just as the consol at TVRM will always be 207) and the land still exist. The tracks through Elizabethton are gone and the final buildings for the Bemberg plant were recently torn down. The plant had closed I think by 1974.

Does anyone know why 722's light was above center unlike 4501 and the others?

Great to hear the positive news out of GSM re the 1702

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=37101

Has any decision been made about 722. Not that I'd expect it to be returned to steam but the poor thing is disassembled and laying in the weeds. Did GSM acquire 722 from the City of Ashville? I'm fuzzy on its current "title".

Southern R, ET&WNC, back the Southern RR, Loan to TVRM, Donated to Ashville NC, ??

She was always owned by Sou/NS from 1967-2001? 722 was bought from NS by GSMR in the 2000-2001 range, it was loaned by NS to the Asheville Chapter, after its stint at TVRM in the mid 80's and was displayed in Asheville. She was towed over the Murphy Branch in 2001 or '02 and was originally scheduled to be back around '04. Her boiler has sat on blocks outside the shops, the running gear was coupled to 1702, and the tender up behind the shop since about '02. Other parts are stored in a box car or baggage car. I read somewhere (from a GSMR website) that immediate work was being done to cover up the boiler and running gear to preserve it from deteriorating more. I hope that with the recent serious interest and work on 1702 that one day 722 will follow (in green or black, I don't care). Hope this helps!!!! Correct me if I am wrong in any way!

The odd thing is that in ET&WNC use, 208 (SRR 722) seems to have been the locomotive most often used, whereas by the time both 2-8-0s were sent to the SRR, it was 207 (SRR 630) which seems to have bene used more frequently...

I think that reason was, that 722 returned in '70 from the overhaul in the Irondale Shops, so larger power began arriving in '77 giving 630 basically 10 years of service on the Southern in excursions. The 630 was last used in place of ailing 610 in '77 and was foamily retired in '78. 722 was used at the Wilmington and Western for a number of years, and returned back to the Southern, she operated a few trips in 1980 (including a trip over the original Norfolk Southern), and was formally retired from Southern duties to TVRM with 630.