Southern Railway

Steam Locomotives

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collection

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The steam passenger locomotives of the Southern Railway are probably best remembered for their bright colors of green, gold and silver. Freight and switch engines were also known for their well kept look. However, even though a pleasing appearance made a favorable impression upon the public, something more than just paint was required to produce efficient steam power. Unlike many other American railroads, the newest steam locomotive that the Southern owned was built for the company in 1928, prior to the days of the railroad roller bearing and cast steel bed frame. Although hardly considered modern by later steam standards, the motive power of the Southern was among the best maintained in this country. To sum this up in one sentence: "The Southern took pride in its steam locomotives."

Richard Prince

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The banking house of J. P. Morgan coerced two financially hyper-extended railroads to combine on July 1, 1894, to form the Southern Railway. Although the Southern system ultimately comprised dozens of subsidiaries and affiliates, its two fundamental components were the Richmond & Danville and the East Tennessee, Virginia & Georgia. By 1918 the Southern either owned or controlled over 8,000 miles of railroad spanning the Southeast, from Cincinnati and St. Louis to Jacksonville, and from Washington to Memphis and New Orleans.

Southern's heart and soul lay in the Piedmont Plateau and the Appalachians. This meant grades — lots of them — nearly everywhere. The Washington-Atlanta main line, for example, followed the Appalachian foothills nearly its entire distance, slicing across dozens of watersheds. Other main lines zig-zagged through the mountains to reach operating and traffic centers such as Asheville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga. The financial frailty of Southern's predecessors meant that most lines were cheaply constructed. This meant curves.

Until well after World War II, the Southeast lagged behind the rest of the country in economic and population growth. About the only good thing the Southern had going for it during the steam era was the availability of inexpensive labor. This, combined with the railway's conservative, paternalistic management, meant that its operation favored relatively simple motive power. Besides, except on the main trunks, delicate bridges and light rail imposed weight restrictions.

sou_steam_leader3 The steam locomotives of the Southern family were a mix of antiques inherited from predecessors and basic workaday engines of conservative design, the newest of which was built in 1928. Except for a modest fleet of 2-8-8-2s, the largest locomotives were World War I-era 2-10-2s. By the time the economy improved, Southern had a new management which decided that superannuated motive power and difficult operating characteristics were great reasons to give diesel-electric locomotives a try. The first diesels — six Fairbanks-Morse power cars for local passenger schedules — were placed in operation in 1939. Fourteen years later the Southern was all-diesel, the largest railroad up to that time to completely dieselize.

In general, Southern numbered its steam locomotives according to the owning company:

Nos. Owning Company
1-5249 Southern Railway proper
6000-6499 Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific Railway
6599-6696 Alabama Great Southern Railroad
6800-6979 New Orleans & Northeastern Railroad
7000-7084 Miscellaneous subsidiaries
8200-8375 Georgia Southern & Florida Railway
8550-8556 St. John's River Terminal (Jacksonville)

Dale Roberts and Bill Schafer / Guide to North American Steam Locomotives

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Our Southern steam scrapbook below is in no way comprehensive, but instead offers a sampling of our favorite classes and collected materials.

2-8-0 Consolidation

Southern #1-173

  • builders:Baldwin, Alco Schenectady
  • arrangement:2-8-0 Consolidation
  • class:G (173 in series)
  • built:1885-90
  • fuel:soft coal/water
  • notes:
  • 20x24" cylinders, 50" drivers
  • acquired from affiliated SOU predecessors
  • classG_blueprint
    classG_clipping

    from Southern Railway System Steam Locomotives and Boats
    - Richard E. Prince - 1970 / collection

    Southern #505-548

  • builders:Alco Pittsburgh, Baldwin
  • arrangement:2-8-0 Consolidation
  • class:J (44 in series)
  • built:1903
  • fuel:soft coal/water
  • notes:
  • 21x28" cylinders, 56" drivers
  • all retired by 1951
  • classJ_blueprint
    classJ_clipping

    from Southern Railway System Steam Locomotives and Boats
    - Richard E. Prince - 1970 / collection

    Southern #555-883

  • builders:Pittsburgh, Baldwin, Richmond
  • arrangement:2-8-0 Consolidation
  • class:Ks (318 in series)
  • built:1903-10
  • fuel:soft coal/water
  • notes:
  • 22x30" cylinders, 56 or 57" drivers
  • Southern's largest class of steam
    all retired by 1953
  • classKs_blueprint
    classK_clipping

    from Southern Railway System Steam Locomotives and Boats
    - Richard E. Prince - 1970 / collection

    Southern #6565-6595

  • builders:Baldwin, Richmond
  • arrangement:2-8-0 Consolidation
  • class:K (31 in series)
  • built:1905-09
  • fuel:soft coal/water
  • notes:
  • 22x30" cylinders, 56 or 57" drivers
  • sublettered Alabama Great Southern
    all retired by 1953
  • Southern #6922-6926

  • builder:Baldwin Locomotive Works
  • arrangement:2-8-0 Consolidation
  • class:Ks4 (5 in series)
  • built:1914
  • fuel:soft coal/water
  • notes:
  • 24x30" cylinders, 57" drivers
  • sublettered New Orleans & Northeastern
    all retired by 1952
  • classKs4_blueprint
    classKs4_clipping

    from Southern Railway System Steam Locomotives and Boats
    - Richard E. Prince - 1970 / collection

    2-8-2 Mikado

    Southern #4501-4635

  • builders:Baldwin, Alco Richmond
  • arrangement:2-8-2 Mikado
  • class:Ms (135 in series)
  • built:1911-14
  • fuel:soft coal/water
  • notes:
  • 27x30" cylinders, 63" drivers
  • all retired by 1953
    #4501 survives
  • tag_jump

    See also our complete Southern Railway #4501 scrapbook

    classMs_blueprint
    classMs_clipping

    from Southern Railway System Steam Locomotives and Boats
    - Richard E. Prince - 1970 / collection

    Southern #6622-6629

  • builder:Alco Richmond
  • arrangement:2-8-2 Mikado
  • class:Ms-4 (8 in AGS series)
  • built:1926
  • fuel:soft coal/water
  • notes:
  • 27x32" cylinders, 63" drivers
  • sublettered Alabama Great Southern
    all retired by 1954
  • classMs4_blueprint
    classMs4_clipping

    from Southern Railway System Steam Locomotives and Boats
    - Richard E. Prince - 1970 / collection

    tag_clipArticle

    ms4_cover ms4_article1

    from TIES magazine
    — Jul-Aug 1999 / collection

    ms4_article2
    ms4_article3
    ms4_article4

    This article by John C. Hawkins originally appeared in TIES magazine, a publication of the Southern Railway Historical Association. Posted here with permission.

    4-4-0 American

    4-6-0 Ten Wheeler

    art_tenwheeler

    collection

    Southern #903-906

  • builders:Rogers, Alco Pittsburgh
  • arrangement:4-6-0 Ten Wheeler
  • class:F-2 (4 in series)
  • built:1889-90
  • fuel:soft coal/water
  • notes:
  • 19x24" cylinders, 66" drivers
  • all retired by 1935
  • classF2_clipping

    from Southern Railway System Steam Locomotives and Boats
    - Richard E. Prince - 1970 / collection

    Southern #902, 942-968

  • builders:Baldwin, Richmond, Rogers
  • arrangement:4-6-0 Ten Wheeler
  • class:F-1 (27 in series)
  • built:1890-95
  • fuel:soft coal/water
  • notes:
  • 20x24" cylinders, 66" drivers
  • all retired by 1951
  • classF1_clipping

    from Southern Railway System Steam Locomotives and Boats
    - Richard E. Prince - 1970 / collection

    Southern #1085-1112

  • builder:Baldwin Locomotive Works
  • arrangement:4-6-0 Ten Wheeler
  • class:F-14 (28 in series)
  • built:1911-14
  • fuel:soft coal/water
  • notes:
  • 21x28" cylinders, 68" drivers
  • all retired by 1947
  • Southern #6889-6891

  • builder:Baldwin Locomotive Works
  • arrangement:4-6-0 Ten Wheeler
  • class:Es-23 (3 in series)
  • built:1912
  • fuel:soft coal/water
  • notes:
  • 21x28" cylinders, 58" drivers
  • sublettered New Orleans & Northeastern
    all retired by 1948
  • Southern #6888, 6892, 6893

  • builder:Baldwin Locomotive Works
  • arrangement:4-6-0 Ten Wheeler
  • class:E-22 (3 in series)
  • built:1911-12
  • fuel:soft coal/water
  • notes:
  • 21x28" cylinders, 58" drivers
  • sublettered New Orleans & Northeastern
    all retired by 1948
  • 4-6-2 Pacific

    art_pacific

    collection

    Southern #1325-1359

  • builders:Baldwin, Richmond
  • arrangement:4-6-2 Pacific
  • class:Ps-2 (35 in SOU series)
  • built:1912-14
  • fuel:soft coal/water
  • notes:
  • 24x28" cylinders, 72.5" drivers
  • all retired by 1951
  • classPs2_clipping

    from Southern Railway System Steam Locomotives and Boats
    - Richard E. Prince - 1970 / collection

    Southern #1366-1409

  • builders:Baldwin, Richmond, Schenectady
  • arrangement:4-6-2 Pacific
  • class:Ps-4 (135 in series)
  • built:1923-28
  • fuel:soft coal/water
  • notes:
  • 27x28" cylinders, 73" drivers
  • all retired by 1953
  • classPs4_blueprint1
    classPs4_clipping

    from Southern Railway System Steam Locomotives and Boats
    - Richard E. Prince - 1970 / collection

    Southern #6684-6691

  • builders:Alco Richmond, Schenectady
  • arrangement:4-6-2 Pacific
  • class:Ps-4 (8 in AGS series)
  • built:1923-26
  • fuel:soft coal/water
  • notes:
  • 27x28" cylinders, 73" drivers
  • sublettered Alabama Great Southern
    all retired by 1953
  • classPs4_blueprint2

    Southern #6975-6979

  • builder:Baldwin
  • arrangement:4-6-2 Pacific
  • class:Ps-3 (5 in NO&NE series)
  • built:1914
  • fuel:soft coal/water
  • notes:
  • 22x28" cylinders, 68" drivers
  • sublettered New Orleans & Northeastern
    all retired by 1947
  • 4-8-2 Mountain

    Southern #1450-1472

  • builder:Baldwin Locomotive Works
  • arrangement:4-8-2 Mountain
  • class:Ts (23 in SOU series)
  • built:1917
  • fuel:soft coal/water
  • notes:
  • 27x28" cylinders, 69" drivers
  • all retired by 1953
  • classT_clipping

    from Southern Railway System Steam Locomotives and Boats
    - Richard E. Prince - 1970 / collection

    Southern #1475-1499

  • builder:Baldwin, Alco Richmond
  • arrangement:4-8-2 Mountain
  • class:Ts-1 (25 in SOU series)
  • built:1919
  • fuel:soft coal/water
  • notes:
  • 27x30" cylinders, 69" drivers
  • all retired by 1953
  • 0-6-0 Six-coupled

    Southern #6510-6518

  • builders:Pittsburgh, Richmond
  • arrangement:0-6-0 Six-coupled
  • class:A-7 (9 in AGS series)
  • built:1905-07
  • fuel:soft coal/water
  • notes:
  • 20x26" cylinders, 50" drivers
  • sublettered Alabama Great Southern
    all retired by 1949
  • 0-8-0 Eight-coupled

    Southern #6534-6537

  • builder:Lima Locomotive Works
  • arrangement:0-8-0 Eight-coupled
  • class:As-11 (4 in AGS series)
  • built:1926
  • fuel:soft coal/water
  • notes:
  • 25x28" cylinders, 51" drivers
  • sublettered Alabama Great Southern
    all retired by 1954
  • Southern #6849

  • builder:Alco Brooks
  • arrangement:0-8-0 Eight-coupled
  • class:As-11 (1 in NO&NE series)
  • built:1918
  • fuel:soft coal/water
  • notes:
  • 25x28" cylinders, 51" drivers
  • sublettered New Orleans & Northeastern
    retired 1952
  • classA_clipping

    from Southern Railway System Steam Locomotives and Boats
    - Richard E. Prince - 1970 / collection


    tag_scrapScrapbook

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    sou_steam_scrapbook2
    sou_steam_scrapbook3
    sou_steam_scrapbook4
    sou_steam_scrapbook5
    sou_steam_scrapbook6

    all pages from Southern Steam scrapbook / JCH

    tag_spotSurvivors

    tag_info

    Southern Railway steamers in our collection preserved on display or in operation at museums

    Albany & Northern #9

  • builder:Baldwin Locomotive Works
  • arrangement:2-8-2 light "Mikado"
  • built:Apr 1925, Baldwin #58361
  • fuel:coal/water
  • notes:
  • blt Brooks-Scalon Lumber #9
    to Foley Lumber Company #9
    to Albany & Northern #9
    to Southern Railway #9
    to Town of Camilla, Ga
    on permanent display
  • builder
    tag_jump

    See our Albany & Northern shortline scrapbook for more Southern #9 photos

    Southern Railway #542

  • builder:Baldwin Locomotive Works
  • arrangement:2-8-0 "Consolidation"
  • class:Southern J
  • built:Aug 1903, Baldwin #22570
  • fuel:soft coal / water
  • notes:
  • 21x28" cylinders, 56" drivers, 200 psi
  • blt Southern Railway #542
    to city of Winston Salem, display
    to NC Transportation Museum
  • builder
    tag_jump

    See also our complete North Carolina Transportation Museum scrapbook in Preservation

    Southern #630

  • builder:Richmond Locomotive Works
  • arrangement:2-8-0 Consolidation
  • built:1904, Richmond #28446
  • fuel:soft coal/water
  • notes:
  • blt Southern Railway #630
    to East Tenn & W. N. Carolina #207, 1952
    to Southern on trade for RS3, 1967
    to Tenn Valley Rwy Museum, 1978
  • builder
    tag_jump

    See our complete Southern #630 scrapbook in Steam

    Southern #722

  • builder:Baldwin Locomotive Works
  • arrangement:2-8-0 Consolidation
  • built:1904, Baldwin #24729
  • fuel:coal/water
  • notes:
  • blt Southern Railway #722
    to E. Tenn. & W. N. Carolinia #208, 1952
    to Southern #722 on trade, 1967
    to Tenn Valley Rwy Museum, 1984-92
    to Asheville chapter NRHS for display
    to Dillsboro NC for rebuild
  • builder
    tag_jump

    See our Southern Steam Excursion Program scrapbook for more #772 photos

    Southern #4501

  • builder:Baldwin Locomotive Works
  • arrangement:2-8-2 Mikado
  • built:1911, Baldwin #37085
  • fuel:coal/water
  • notes:
  • blt Southern Railway #4501
    to Kentucky & Tennessee #11, 1948
    to The 4501 Corp. (Paul Merriman), 1964
    to Tennessee Valley Rwy Museum, 1975
    to Southern for excursions, 1966-87
    to Tennessee Valley Rwy Museum
  • builder
    tag_jump

    See our complete Southern #4501 scrapbook in Steam

    Links / Sources


    Locomotive blueprints used above are from Southern Railway System Steam Locomotives and Boats by Richard E. Prince - 1970 / collection

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    This page was updated on 2022-11-24