Southern Railway Summerville Steam Special Doubleheader 2024 - Southern

Hello & Welcome to GT Rail Fan Productions!
On June 1st, 2024, I would venture out to the Tennessee Valley Railroad with C Henderson Rail Productions & Lane's Trains. This was a last minute decision to join these 2 on this adventure to chase the first Summerville Steam Special Doubleheader of 2024 with Southern Railway 630 & 4501 As I was originally planning on the November run, this seemed to work with my schedule. We managed to chase roundtrip from Chattanooga TN - Summerville GA. While chasing we saw SmokyMtnSteam again, & met ravenhawk6910 & his son which it was a pleasure meeting them both. It was great to see Dossett Yard Productions was riding he'd be riding with his good friend Delay In Block Productions, which I would later get to meet at dinner, and also reunite with The Nooga Railfan & The Big Banana Railfan.
SR #630 2-8-0 "Consolidation" Type Steam Locomotive built in February 1904 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) as a member of the Ks-1 class in Febraury of 1904. It was retired in 1952. The same year 630 was sold to the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (ET&WNC), and was renumbered to 207. In 1967, 207 and 208 were both traded back to the SOU for use in their steam excursion program in return for a pair of former Central of Georgia ALCO RS-3s. Retrieving their old numbers, No. 630 had been given minor repairs and began excursion service in February 1968. 630 was one of the stars of Southern Railway Steam Program until they were being loaned to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) in 1978 & 1980. In November 1989, No. 630 was taken out of service and put in storage. In 1999, Norfolk Southern donated 630 to the TVRM, where restoration started. In 2011, the 630 would return for the 21st Century Steam Program as a running mate with Nickel Plate Road #765 up until 2015, when another excursion star made a comeback.
SR #4501 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotive built in October 1911 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as a member of the "Ms class". Also it was the first of its wheel arrangement type for the Southern Railway (SOU). It was retired in 1948, sold to the Kentucky and Tennessee Railway (K&T). When the K&T was dieselized in 1964, 4501 was purchased by Paul H. Merriman with $5,000 and brought to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Shortly thereafter, it was returned to steam for the Southern's Steam Program in 1966. Southern's Passenger Green and Gold paint scheme was applied to 4501, as it operated until 1985. Then returned to mainline in 1990 until 1994, when the NS Steam Program was cancelled. 4501 was converted from personal property to museum property to operate for the TVRM . Repainted into its original freight black livery in 1996, its boiler ticket certificate expired in 1998. It's last run would be on a doubleheader with TVRM S160 "2-8-0" Type Steam Locomotive #610 on the Autumn Leaf Special (the name for the Fall Summerville Trips , where the regular season trips were called the Summerville Daylight, before the rebrand to the Summerville Steam Special). It's comeback in the fall of 2014, it would perform a doubleheader on the Summerville Steam Special with 630. Then in 2015, it would be the stable mate with newly restored Norfolk & Western #611, alongside NKP 765. 1 season it would operate for the NS Steam Program as their contracts abruptly ended when Wick Mooreman left as CEO. N&W 611 would continue to operate excursions up until 2017. The 630 & 4501 would continue to operate at TVRM.
In 2020, the Summerville Steam Special would be cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, as TVRM had to resort to Chickamauga Turns with 4501 as the Summerville Depot was closed by the city. Then in 2021, nothing could run on that trackage as Track Work & a bridge that needed work, as NS stated it could not run passenger trains over it due to liability, just freight. Well finally in 2023, the Summerville Steam Special returned!
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C Henderson Rail Productions KZbin Channel Link:
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ravenhawk6910 KZbin Channel Link:
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Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum KZbin Channel Link:
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[@chendersonrailproductions704]

I am glad you were able to join! It was a lot of fun traveling with ya again, and a blast! Fantastic take and great information and research. Also thank you for not spilling my monster energy drink! 😂

[@GTRFTrainCinematography]

Christainnnnn "Can't Decide" knocked over your monster can

[@SantaFe19484]

I was on this train to celebrate my 40th birthday. I can see my father at 18:53 in the window, I think I see my uncle in the window at 1:02:25, and I definitely see myself in the red jacket at 1:06:50 until the end of the video with my cousin's husband standing beside me.

[@GTRFTrainCinematography]

That's really cool! Thanks for watching!

[@TravisDGordon]

1829’s horn is actually of Western Pacific heritage. It belongs to one of our employees, and has been on the engine for a couple of years.

[@GTRFTrainCinematography]

Oh wow. I'll have to correct that in the description. I don't know why I said Southern Railway when I just meant to say Nathan M5. I own a Southern M5 so subconsciously I probably said it by accident and it didn't register in my mind lol. I believe I did see something about it being WP Heritage, I just forgot to correct it. I had so many errors trying to get this up earlier than I uploaded it but errors happen. Thanks for pointing that out and again I thank you for all the help!

[@TexasRailfan21-RailfanRyan]

6:13 that Virginia and Southwestern 3 chime whistle almost sounds identical to the voice of a Southern Railway PS-4 Pacific exemplified by engine 1401 spot on job to the Tennessee Valley Railway Museum for retuning that whistle

[@GTRFTrainCinematography]

I prefer the previous tuning of the VS&W 3-Chike but I like Steamboats so I can't complain

[@OzoneProductions2020]

Great video and shots, always love the one going up the hill at East Chattanooga!

[@GTRFTrainCinematography]

Same here!

[@lashendawest7509]

Great catches awesome chase and nice video gt

[@GTRFTrainCinematography]

Thank you very much!

[@RailfanDude610]

TVRM recently placed the Princeton 3 chime back on 4501! I just thought I’d let you know.

[@GTRFTrainCinematography]

Yep I know. I was told when it was swapped.

[@RailfanDude610]

What are your overall thoughts on 4501’s Princeton?

[@GTRFTrainCinematography]

@RailfanDude610 i love the Princeton. It's 4501's voice. Not saying I didn't like the VS&W 3-Chime, on it cuz I did very much. I've always known the voice to be the Princeton for 4501.

[@RailfanDude610]

I’m utterly surprised that 4501 didn’t blast its whistle during the runby at Rock Springs.

[@GTRFTrainCinematography]

Yeah we were all disappointed about that as my friends & I wanted to hear a full whistle sequence from it

[@billyrueckert5113]

Gabe makes me laugh!

[@GTRFTrainCinematography]

Oh? What do you mean by that 😅?

[@RailfanDude610]

When did TVRM tune the V&SW 3 chime? I also thought I noticed something different about how it sounded.

[@GTRFTrainCinematography]

I'm not really sure. I noticed the change in 2023 tho.