Kayden's Wheel Reports: Savannah And Atlanta 750

 Savannah & Atlanta 750: Steam Excursion in NC July 1983

A Brief Summary

The United States has a great history of railroading that still continues to fascinate me to this day. The nation was literally built by the railroad and it certainly would not be where it is today without it. Although most foreign enthusiasts tend to brush American railroads aside, claiming them to be 'soulless', the stories of their preserved locomotives, especially the more obscure ones, go some way to disprove that. One such example is the topic of discussion today.

In 1910, during World War One, the United States Railroad Administration was formed to oversee all major railroad operations during the First World War. With these came standard locomotive designs for all sorts of work, including the 'Light Pacifics' for light passenger work, although a weight of 120 tons and a tractive effort of well over 40,000 lbs would certainly make them anything but 'light' anywhere outside of North America! Nonetheless, over 100 examples would be built during wartime for various railroads across the country.

One of these, built in 1910 by the America Locomotive Company (Alco for short) in Schenectady, New York, was numbered 80 and sent to the Florida East Coast Railway. This was nicknamed the Overseas Railroad due to the infamous 'Long Key Viaduct' that was used by the trains to reach Key West, an island off the coast of Florida that acted as the gateway between the city and the Panama Canal. No.80 would spend her days pulling commuter trains and local freight on the mainline between Key West and Miami, undoubtedly contributing to the trade between the US and other nations through the Panama Canal.

In 1935, however, the Labor Day Hurricane destroyed several of the viaducts on the Florida East Coast Railway, thus, they began to sell off their locomotives to other buyers across the country. No.80 ended up on the Savannah and Atlanta Railroad after being repainted to match their existing fleet and having her firebox converted to burn coal instead of oil.

That was where she lived most of her remaining service days until 1952. The USA had been experimenting with diesel locomotives since the early 1900s and thus, by the 40s, they had a reliable catalogue of diesels for any and all kinds of work that the railroads had in mind. Thus, the venerable locomotive was being used less and less until her final days when she was put in storage, her fate uncertain.

Thankfully, she was donated to the Atlanta Chapter of the National Railroad Historical Society. Usually, steam locomotives were preserved with the intent of display, either at a museum or at a public area, such as a park. But in 1964, 750 was restored to operational condition to pull enthusiast specials on the Southern Railway, who had a brand new program to restore various steam locomotives and run them on excursions on the mainline. 750 had the honour of pulling the first of these excursions, a fitting candidate to signal the revival of steam on the Railroad that served the South!

Arguably, 750's largest claim to fame was when she participated in the Steam O' Rama Event in 1969, held in honour of the Southern's 75th anniversary. Alongside fellow Southern steam locomotive No.4501, a visitor from across the Atlantic had came along too, London North Eastern Railway No.4472 'Flying Scotsman'. Seeing the three locomotives from different parts of the world certainly left an impression on both the public and railfans alike!

In 1984, 750 was taken out of service for the final time and returned to the state of Georgia. Unfortunately, her years on excursion service had taken a toll for her, rendering a restoration uneconomical. Thus, she was put on static display at the Southeastern Railroad Museum in Duluth, Georgia, where she can be seen today.

My Personal Thoughts

Savannah and Atlanta 750 is arguably one of the most beautiful American steam locomotives ever built. I love her well proportioned appearance complimenting her lovely black and red livery. While she may never run again, a close cousin to her from the Florida East Coast Railway, No.148, has been running excursions on the US Sugar Corporation since 2020, so in a way, she's been handed over the torch to show the people what the Light Pacifics are capable of well into the 21st century.

I first learnt about her after watching a documentary about Flying Scotsman's USA Tour. I found it quite fitting that they were able to unite two 'Pacific' locomotives from both sides of the pond when they could, as it certainly made the similarities and differences between the two building styles apparent. Yet, both are certainly appealing in their own ways! I can only wish that such an event could still be repeated in this day and age!

I'm not really the biggest expert in American steam locomotives, but I thought I would give it a jolly good shot!

Make sure to support the Southeastern Railway Museum by visiting them in person or checking out their website!

https://www.train-museum.org/