By Railfan & Railroad Staff

With the reassembly of Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway 4-8-4 576 underway, the town of Watertown, Tenn., is taking steps to welcome the restored locomotive once it’s back on the main line. Recently, the community received a $1.6 million federal grant to help cover the cost of a $2.4 million renovation of its rail yard. Included in the project will be the installation of a historic NC&StL turntable that once spun 576 and her sisters in Atlanta. 

The Nashville Steam Preservation Society has been restoring NC&StL 576 at the Tennessee Central Railroad Museum since 2019. The locomotive was one of 20 J3 4-8-4s built by Alco for the NC&StL in 1942 and 1943. After it was retired it was put on display in a Nashville park. As of last year, the restoration was over halfway done. When complete the engine will operate between Nashville and Watertown, a route that presently hosts popular diesel-led excursions. Those trips are a big help to Watertown and local officials say they believe the steam locomotive will result in an even bigger boost to tourism, The Tennessean recently reported. 

“The restored steam engine locomotive is very much central to the rail yard project,” said Mayor Mike Jennings. “The railroad is a key part of Watertown’s history and identity, and the economic activity generated by the excursion trains is vital to our downtown business district.”

Along with the turntable, the city plans on installing a siding and storage tracks. If everything goes according to plan, locomotive 576 could be leading excursions within two years. 

For more information, visit www.nashvillesteam.org.