Southern Railway 2-8-2 4501 returned to service in late May, wearing its iconic green-and-gold livery for the first time in more than 30 years. The engine made its public debut May 23, leading the day-long Summerville Steam Special from Chattanooga, Tenn., to Summerville, Ga., and back.

SOU 4501 was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1911 and was the first 2-8-2 the railroad ever owned. It worked for Southern until 1948, when it was sold to the Kentucky & Tennessee Railway. After the K&T dieselized, it was purchased by railfan Paul Merriman, who was also one of the founders of the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. The engine was eventually donated to TVRM. In 1966, the engine was selected by Southern to lead steam excursions across its system, helping launch a steam program that would last for nearly 30 years. While the locomotive had worn black during its years of freight service, executive W. Graham Claytor Jr. requested that the engine be painted in the railroad’s green-and-gold passenger livery. The engine remained part of the Southern and later Norfolk Southern’s steam program until its conclusion in 1994. The engine continued to operate at TVRM until being taken out of service in 1998. In 2014, the engine was restored and has been operating at TVRM ever since in its traditional black livery.

To mark the 250th anniversary of the United States and the 65th anniversary of TVRM, the museum decided to paint the engine back into its green livery. The paint job, which is expected to last just this year, was made possible in part by a donation from Scale Trains.

—Justin Franz