I doubted it at first, but now it's really happening! I guess as one 4-8-4 is left in uncertainty with it's career (N&W 611) another takes it's place. Wonder what livery it'll be restored in, stripe or jacket? Don't need an answer, because it's too early and we'll find out in a couple of years.

Appears to be from LIFE magazine.

Dave

Update today from TRAINS:

The Nashville Metropolitan Council accepted without comment Tuesday a proposal to lease Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Ry. locomotive No. 576 to a group that wants to put the 4-8-4 back under steam.

Tuesday’s bill reading was the first, and two more readings are expected before the Metro Council, governing agency for the City of Nashville and Davidson County, makes a final decision.

“What’s going to happen now is, they’ll assign our bill to a committee. We’ll find out which committee later this week, or the first of next week at the latest,” says Shane Meador, president of the Nashville Steam Preservation Society. “Once we know, we’ll try to set up meetings with individual committee members.”

The most important Council meeting happens Aug. 2, “because there will be an opportunity for discussion, and the committee the bill is assigned to will make its recommendation,” Meador says. “So we’re going to push to have people come out on Aug. 2 to show their support.”

The third and final reading could happen as early as Aug. 16. Assuming the Council approves the lease, “we can actively begin our fundraising campaign to raise the funds to make this happen,” Meador says.

NSPS could move the Class J3 “Dixie” this autumn out of Centennial Park, if the money to do so is in hand by then.

Built by Alco in 1942, No. 576 is one of the few surviving examples of modern steam in the South. The NC&StL donated the engine to Nashville in September 1953, and it has been on outdoor display ever since.

NSPS proposes moving the locomotive to the Tennessee Central Railway Museum, on the Nashville & Eastern Railroad east of downtown, where it will be restored to steam to lead passenger excursions on the N&E.

The engine’s lease already has the blessing of the Metropolitan Board of Parks and Recreation, which unanimously approved the idea June 7.

NSPS has estimated it would take $500,000 to do at least a cosmetic restoration, and up to $3 million and four to five years to do a full rebuild. It has budgeted another $2 million to construct a visitors center. For information on the project, go to www.nashvillesteam.org or its Facebook page, www.facebook.com/nashvillesteam.

Three million and four years? The cost of living has really gone up. How is it possible to spend that much on a restoration?

Depends on the amount of decay and vandalism. The agent contracted has to pay salaries and carry insurance as well. $3,000,000 is a lot of bread, but hardly unrealistic. I would argue it could be pared down with a reasonable and accurate assessment by somebody who knows locomotives. You can also get the argument, the money should go to fixing three other smaller projects, but then you are neglecting a locomotive of specific historic relevance.
Suggestion: Scott Lindsey lives in the south and would probably welcome a new client.

I think you already know that you can spend any amount on a restoration, Frisco..... the limitation is only your level of imagination.

I'm not privy to their plans, but it is very possible they have the sophistication to include building a home base, tool car, spare parts inventory, and all the other adjuncts that make for a sustainable operation. Building a sustainable steam operating program is a lot more than restoring one locomotive.

I can put it into perspective with the numbers for our restoration of ARR 557, an 80 ton, USATC Consolidation. When received, the locomotive was well worn and it had been overdue for an overhaul when it was removed from service. However, it had been well cared for during its 50 years of ownership and display by Monte Holm and was complete with essentially nothing damaged due to vandalism, including the glass. When we started, all we had was a locomotive and tender, the use an empty warehouse with no heat, four 110v electrical outlets, and the opening for the only overhead door was framed in and secured with plywood.

We expect to invest $1.2 million in hard cash on the restoration. There will be approximately another $1.2 million of in-kind donations used, including the shop space, asbestos abatement, and a number of tool and equipment items. (The in-kind donations don't include the locomotive, tender, or their delivery to the "engine house.") Had we not needed to replace the firebox, the estimated expenses would have been in the $800,000 to $900,000 range. At about 60 percent completion we have also invested over 40,000 hours in volunteer labor. For the four years since the restoration started we have had the services of a full-time volunteer project manager and half-time volunteer administrator. Some might argue that the cost of tools, working space, porta-john, and insurance are not part of the restoration costs. However, aside from education and outreach done at negligible cost by volunteers, the only reason for the organization to exist is the restoration of the locomotive and none of the costs would have been incurred if the locomotive wasn't being restored. The few hard cash expenses that are not designated as "program" expenses constitute well under 5% of the project total and are for items like office supplies, fund raising, and purchases of "gift shop" type merchandise for resale.

Based on our experience, three million doesn't sound unrealistic.

Additional planning extends to motorized support vehicles, which if necessary would have modular swap bodies. It is fairly well established what is needed for a relatively 'light' working support infrastructure, and much of the necessary design work that has been done for the 5550 project can be adapted for 576 without much difference.

We spent a little north of $300,000 on 1522's restoration.

Latest from TRAINS:

A key committee of the Nashville Metropolitan Council gave its blessing Tuesday to a proposal to lease Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway locomotive No. 576 to a group that wants to put the 4-8-4 back under steam.

The full Council accepted the recommendation of the Parks, Library and Recreation Committee and approved the second reading of the bill to lease the Class J3 “Dixie” engine to the Nashville Steam Preservation Society.

The measure now goes to the Convention, Tourism, and Public Entertainment Facilities Committee, according to society President Shane Meador, who attended Tuesday evening’s council meeting.

The panel will review the proposal the afternoon of Aug. 16, before the third and final reading of the bill that evening by the council, governing agency for the City of Nashville and Davidson County.

“This is a very good thing,” Meador says. “We want to not only have the support of the tourism committee, but they perhaps also could direct resources to us … (and) people to contact.”

If the council approves the lease on Aug. 16, “we’ll be open to begin to fundraise to make this project actually happen.”

The preservation society could move 576 from Centennial Park this autumn, if the money to do so is raised by then. The nonprofit also is working on insurance issues and policies and procedures for volunteers.

We spent something north of $300.000 with a good bit of in kind donations and took 30 months on 1522 which was in much worse condition. Maybe its just me, but 3 Mil still sounds like a lot of money.

Two numbers that have stayed with me for years; when Strasburg restored N&W 475, placing it in service in 1993, the cost was said to be around $700,00.00. A dozen years later, the cost for a full restoration of the Western Maryland coach was said to be a million dollars. Both of these figures I remember from the onboard narration.

So a three million dollar figure does not surprise me at all. Its a well known fact that steam locomotives don't run on coal, they don't run on oil, they don't run on wood, but instead they run on cubic dollars.

Per the Nashville Steam's Facebook page, the Metro Nashville Council just approved their lease of the 576 at tonight's meeting: https://m.facebook.com/NashvilleSteam/

A huge step forward. How long is the tentative lease?

What engine is the donated stoker coming from?