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Atlantic Coast Line 4-6-2 Will Be Restored in Chattanooga

Atlantic Coast Line 4-6-2 1504 arrives at FMW Solutions’ restoration facility in Tennessee. Photo Courtesy of FMW Solutions. 

Atlantic Coast Line 4-6-2 Will Be Restored in Chattanooga

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — An Atlantic Coast Line 4-6-2 is heading north to be restored to operation in Tennessee. 

This week, FMW Solutions announced it had been contracted to restore ACL 1504 for U.S. Sugar, which purchased the locomotive earlier this year after being on display in Jacksonville, Fla., for decades. The restoration is expected to take three years and will take place at the former Lacey Boiler Company shop in Chattanooga, which FMW is leasing. FMW worked with U.S. Sugar to restore its other steam locomotive, former Florida East Coast 4-6-2 148.

“We’ve grown our staff considerably in the last eight months to include 18 full and part-time positions across the United States, and we’ve also grown our services to include experts in safety training and FRA compliance, operations, fabrication, marketing, grant-writing, and more,” said Shane Meador, vice president of mechanical for FMW. “Our use of the Lucey Boiler facility will also serve as a jumping-off point for our continued growth in alternative fuels research and development; which is another growth sector for our business and signals yet another investment in Chattanooga.” 

The 52,000-square-foot Lucey Boiler Company facility is slated for redevelopment into Lucey Quarter by Southern Spear Properties. The investment in Chattanooga’s Highland Park Neighborhood aims to transform the century-old industrial complex into a mixed-use community and gathering place adjacent to the East Line pathway and the former Belt Railway of Chattanooga. 

U.S. Sugar’s South Central Florida Express operates on more than 200 miles of track in central Florida, much of which is still used to haul cut sugar cane from field to factory, the last such operation in the country. U.S. Sugar plans on using the ACL 1504 to run short excursions, including on a stretch of track that once belonged to ACL.

Atlantic Coast Line 4-6-2 1504 in Tennessee. Photo Courtesy of FMW Solutions. 

This article was posted on: September 3, 2021