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Southern Railway 722
Southern Railway 722 is a 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type steam locomotive, built in September 1904 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW), originally as a member of the K class for the Southern Railway (SOU). It was significantly modified with superheaters and larger cylinders during the 1910s-20s, being re-classified as a Ks-1 type. The locomotive ran on the Murphy Branch, hauling freight trains between Asheville and Murphy, North Carolina for the SOU until its retirement in 1952. That same year, No. 722 was purchased by the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (ET&WNC), alongside fellow Ks-1 locomotive No. 630, where they were served as switchers around Johnson City and Elizabethton, Tennessee.
In 1967, Nos. 722 and 630 were both traded back to the SOU for use in their steam excursion program until 1980, when they were sent to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) in Chattanooga, Tennessee to make way for larger steam locomotives haul the longer and heavier excursion trains. Taken out of service in late 1985, No. 722 was purchased by the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (GSMR) in late 2000 to be restored back to operating condition. The restoration work was halted around 2005 due to circumstances but continued in 2023, anticipated to be completed around 2026.
No. 722 was built in September 1904 by Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) for the Southern Railway (SOU), originally as a K class 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type with Walschaerts valve gear, sliding valves, 22 in × 30 in (559 mm × 762 mm) cylinders, double-guide alligator crossheads, and a saturated boiler. It was standardized with 56 in (1.422 m) driving wheels and a boiler pressure of 200 psi (1.38 MPa), making the locomotive produce 44,100 lbf (196.17 kN) of tractive effort. No. 722 was delivered with a smaller tender, which holds 12.5 tonnes (28,000 lb) of coal and 6,000 US gallons (23,000 L) of water. It was primarily assigned to work on SOU's Murphy Branch, where it was used to haul freight trains between Asheville and Murphy, North Carolina. Sometime during 1907, the locomotive swapped out its original tender with a slightly larger one, which holds 12 tonnes (26,000 lb) of coal and 7,500 US gallons (28,000 L) of water.
In the 1910s, No. 722 was upgraded with Southern valve gear and superheaters, which reclassified the locomotive as a Ks type. In the 1920s, it was upgraded again with larger 24 in × 30 in (610 mm × 762 mm) piston valves cylinders with the boiler pressure dropped to prevent the locomotive from wheel slipping with the new cylinders. These upgrades made No. 722 produce 46,700 lbf (207.73 kN) of tractive effort and reclassified again as a Ks-1 type. In the 1930s, the locomotive was upgraded with an air power reverse gear, a dynamo generator, a new steel cab and pilot. Its tender was also modified with coal boards, increasing the fuel capacity to 14 tonnes (31,000 lb).
During the early 1940s, No. 722 was re-equipped with single-guide multiple-bearing crossheads for greater surface area to slide back and forth when the locomotive was in motion. This was also made to receive less fouling from cinders and debris unlike the alligator type, which was prone to do that. No. 722's tender was also modified again with the coal boards superseded by slightly faired sheet metal extensions, doubling the height of the bunker collar, and increasing the fuel capacity again to 16 tonnes (35,000 lb). Sometime after 1948, the tender's bunker collar was completely cut off and replaced with a much taller, offset one, welded in its place. This was made to improve the locomotive crew's view rearward to observe hand signals from crew members on the ground. Additionally, No. 722 had its road pilot swapped out with a road switcher footboard pilot since it frequently does switching work around SOU's Asheville Yard.
In August 1952, No. 722 was retired from revenue service after it pulled the last steam-powered freight train on the Murphy Branch. Its revenue duties were taken over by SOU's new fleet of EMD F7s and GP7s. Three months later, No. 722 and fellow Ks-1 class locomotive No. 630 were both purchased by the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (ET&WNC), where they were served as switchers in Johnson City and Elizabethton, Tennessee. After ET&WNC's acquirement, Nos. 722 and 630 were renumbered to Nos. 208 and 207, respectively, while their tender coal bunker were cut down to give the engineer a clear view during numerous switching moves and reverse operation. In 1962, No. 208 traveled to Knoxville, Tennessee, where it was filmed in a cameo appearance for the 1963 film All the Way Home.
On December 8, 1967, Nos. 208 and 207 were both traded back to the SOU for use in their steam excursion program in return for a pair of former Central of Georgia (CG) ALCO RS-3s, under the leadership of president W. Graham Claytor Jr. While they retrieved their old numbers, No. 722 had a cracked firebox, but No. 630 was in better condition, and has been given minor repairs as it began excursion service in February 1968. Two years later, No. 722 had its firebox repaired and was given a new paint scheme of SOU's Sylvan green with gold linings to match the fellow excursion locomotive No. 4501. The No. 722 locomotive made its first public excursion debut in September 1970 with Nos. 630 and 4501 for the Charleston Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) convention in Charleston, South Carolina. No. 722 was initially based in Birmingham, Alabama on SOU's Birmingham Division.
On March 27, 1971, No. 722 double headed with ex-Savannah and Atlanta (S&A) Light Pacific 4-6-2 No. 750 to haul the combined Walter C. Dove/Heart of Dixie Special excursions between Birmingham and Akron, Alabama with a brief stop in Moundville, Alabama for passengers to visit the Mound State Monument. At Akron, the excursion consist was split up with No. 750 hauling nine of the Heart of Dixie Railroad Club excursion cars back to Birmingham while No. 722 hauled the seven cars of the Walter C. Dove Homecoming Special excursion down to Meridian, Mississippi for the night. The engineer running No. 722 during that time is Walter C. Dove, who was a former SOU road foreman of engines and a Meridian native. The next day, No. 722 hauled the Walter C. Dove Homecoming Special excursion all the way down to New Orleans, Louisiana, where it arrived at the New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal (NOUPT). This would be the first time steam power was present at NOUPT since the mid-1950s. On April 3 and 4, the locomotive hauled round-trip excursions between New Orleans and Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where Dove was honored with a 50 years of service certificate presented by Claytor. Afterwards, on April 10, No. 722 left New Orleans and returned to Birmingham the next day to idle.
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Southern Railway 722
Southern Railway 722 is a 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type steam locomotive, built in September 1904 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW), originally as a member of the K class for the Southern Railway (SOU). It was significantly modified with superheaters and larger cylinders during the 1910s-20s, being re-classified as a Ks-1 type. The locomotive ran on the Murphy Branch, hauling freight trains between Asheville and Murphy, North Carolina for the SOU until its retirement in 1952. That same year, No. 722 was purchased by the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (ET&WNC), alongside fellow Ks-1 locomotive No. 630, where they were served as switchers around Johnson City and Elizabethton, Tennessee.
In 1967, Nos. 722 and 630 were both traded back to the SOU for use in their steam excursion program until 1980, when they were sent to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) in Chattanooga, Tennessee to make way for larger steam locomotives haul the longer and heavier excursion trains. Taken out of service in late 1985, No. 722 was purchased by the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (GSMR) in late 2000 to be restored back to operating condition. The restoration work was halted around 2005 due to circumstances but continued in 2023, anticipated to be completed around 2026.
No. 722 was built in September 1904 by Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) for the Southern Railway (SOU), originally as a K class 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type with Walschaerts valve gear, sliding valves, 22 in × 30 in (559 mm × 762 mm) cylinders, double-guide alligator crossheads, and a saturated boiler. It was standardized with 56 in (1.422 m) driving wheels and a boiler pressure of 200 psi (1.38 MPa), making the locomotive produce 44,100 lbf (196.17 kN) of tractive effort. No. 722 was delivered with a smaller tender, which holds 12.5 tonnes (28,000 lb) of coal and 6,000 US gallons (23,000 L) of water. It was primarily assigned to work on SOU's Murphy Branch, where it was used to haul freight trains between Asheville and Murphy, North Carolina. Sometime during 1907, the locomotive swapped out its original tender with a slightly larger one, which holds 12 tonnes (26,000 lb) of coal and 7,500 US gallons (28,000 L) of water.
In the 1910s, No. 722 was upgraded with Southern valve gear and superheaters, which reclassified the locomotive as a Ks type. In the 1920s, it was upgraded again with larger 24 in × 30 in (610 mm × 762 mm) piston valves cylinders with the boiler pressure dropped to prevent the locomotive from wheel slipping with the new cylinders. These upgrades made No. 722 produce 46,700 lbf (207.73 kN) of tractive effort and reclassified again as a Ks-1 type. In the 1930s, the locomotive was upgraded with an air power reverse gear, a dynamo generator, a new steel cab and pilot. Its tender was also modified with coal boards, increasing the fuel capacity to 14 tonnes (31,000 lb).
During the early 1940s, No. 722 was re-equipped with single-guide multiple-bearing crossheads for greater surface area to slide back and forth when the locomotive was in motion. This was also made to receive less fouling from cinders and debris unlike the alligator type, which was prone to do that. No. 722's tender was also modified again with the coal boards superseded by slightly faired sheet metal extensions, doubling the height of the bunker collar, and increasing the fuel capacity again to 16 tonnes (35,000 lb). Sometime after 1948, the tender's bunker collar was completely cut off and replaced with a much taller, offset one, welded in its place. This was made to improve the locomotive crew's view rearward to observe hand signals from crew members on the ground. Additionally, No. 722 had its road pilot swapped out with a road switcher footboard pilot since it frequently does switching work around SOU's Asheville Yard.
In August 1952, No. 722 was retired from revenue service after it pulled the last steam-powered freight train on the Murphy Branch. Its revenue duties were taken over by SOU's new fleet of EMD F7s and GP7s. Three months later, No. 722 and fellow Ks-1 class locomotive No. 630 were both purchased by the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (ET&WNC), where they were served as switchers in Johnson City and Elizabethton, Tennessee. After ET&WNC's acquirement, Nos. 722 and 630 were renumbered to Nos. 208 and 207, respectively, while their tender coal bunker were cut down to give the engineer a clear view during numerous switching moves and reverse operation. In 1962, No. 208 traveled to Knoxville, Tennessee, where it was filmed in a cameo appearance for the 1963 film All the Way Home.
On December 8, 1967, Nos. 208 and 207 were both traded back to the SOU for use in their steam excursion program in return for a pair of former Central of Georgia (CG) ALCO RS-3s, under the leadership of president W. Graham Claytor Jr. While they retrieved their old numbers, No. 722 had a cracked firebox, but No. 630 was in better condition, and has been given minor repairs as it began excursion service in February 1968. Two years later, No. 722 had its firebox repaired and was given a new paint scheme of SOU's Sylvan green with gold linings to match the fellow excursion locomotive No. 4501. The No. 722 locomotive made its first public excursion debut in September 1970 with Nos. 630 and 4501 for the Charleston Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) convention in Charleston, South Carolina. No. 722 was initially based in Birmingham, Alabama on SOU's Birmingham Division.
On March 27, 1971, No. 722 double headed with ex-Savannah and Atlanta (S&A) Light Pacific 4-6-2 No. 750 to haul the combined Walter C. Dove/Heart of Dixie Special excursions between Birmingham and Akron, Alabama with a brief stop in Moundville, Alabama for passengers to visit the Mound State Monument. At Akron, the excursion consist was split up with No. 750 hauling nine of the Heart of Dixie Railroad Club excursion cars back to Birmingham while No. 722 hauled the seven cars of the Walter C. Dove Homecoming Special excursion down to Meridian, Mississippi for the night. The engineer running No. 722 during that time is Walter C. Dove, who was a former SOU road foreman of engines and a Meridian native. The next day, No. 722 hauled the Walter C. Dove Homecoming Special excursion all the way down to New Orleans, Louisiana, where it arrived at the New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal (NOUPT). This would be the first time steam power was present at NOUPT since the mid-1950s. On April 3 and 4, the locomotive hauled round-trip excursions between New Orleans and Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where Dove was honored with a 50 years of service certificate presented by Claytor. Afterwards, on April 10, No. 722 left New Orleans and returned to Birmingham the next day to idle.