A mighty freight hog. The Fireman on Southern Railway Consolidation #630 leans out of his cab, watching for the Trainman's next signal to move, as his locomotive performs switching operations in the Grand Junction Yard, just outside Chattanooga, TN. The 630 is a very beefy, Ks-1 class, freight hog, built by the American Locomotive Company's Richmond Works back in 1904. Weighing in at roughly 214,000 lbs and operating at a boiler pressure of 200 PSI, this engine is capable of 46,700 lbs of tractive effort. Originally built for local freight service, she served the Southern Railway for nearly 50 years, before she was retired in 1952. Retirement must not have set well with the old girl, because she's had pretty regular gigs in the ensuing 66 years, first on the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (ET&WNC) in freight service, then again on the Southern in excursion service, and finally with the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, which is her current home. She appears to be very well cared-for there. You'd never guess that she's 114 years old!
