By Eric Berger

An EMD SD40 built as Louisville & Nashville 1230 in April 1969, has come home to Tennessee after nearly three decades. The unit arrived at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum from its previous assignment at a now-closed First Energy facility in Stratton, Ohio. That company authorized the continued appearance of its name and logo on the engine until it is repainted.

Don’t expect to find this museum piece among the displays of engines and rolling stock at the museum just yet. Instead, the 55-year-old stalwart will go into service on non-profit TVRM’s for-profit subsidiary, Tyner Terminal Railroad, switching the Volkswagen plant. The museum plans the eventual restoration of the engine to one of its earlier L&N paint schemes.

The unit was one of 34 SD40s purchased by L&N from its 1966 introduction to its 1972 replacement by the SD40-2, which attracted L&N orders for 202 units in varying batches between 1974 and 1981.

It isn’t the only SD40 at TVRM. Southern Railway 3170 has been there for a number of years, wearing the railroad’s iconic “tuxedo” paint. Two other Southern vets include SOU 2594, a GP30 leased from Southeastern Railway Museum, and SOU 5000, a GP38-2 built in 1972. Naturally, Southern steam locomotives 630 and 4501 are the stars of the museum roster.