Southern Railway 722

Southern Railway 722

Southern 722 backing onto the train in the Macon, Ga terminal in the mid 1970's

Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Baldwin Locomotive Works Serial number 24729 Build date September 1904

Specifications Configuration 2-8-0 Gauge 4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Driver dia. 57 in (1.448 m) Loco weight 214,000 lb (97,000 kg) Fuel type Coal Boiler pressure 200 psi (1.38 MPa) Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 24 in × 30 in (610 mm × 762 mm) Valve gear Southern

Performance figures Tractive effort 46,700 lbf (208 kN)

Career Operators Southern Railway Class Ks-1 Numbers 722 Retired 1967 (revenue) 1985 (excursion) Current owner Great Smoky Mountains Railroad Disposition Awaiting for restoration

Southern Railway 722 is a steam locomotive built in 1904 by Baldwin Locomotive Works for Southern Railway. It is a 2-8-0 Consolidation of the railroad's Ks-1 class.

722 was used on Southern until her retirement in 1952. In the December of that year, 722 and sister locomotive, 630, were purchased by the East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad and numbered 208 and 207 respectively. In December 1967, both locomotives were traded back to the Southern for use in their steam excursion program and reverted to their former identities in return for a pair of former Central of Georgia Alco RS3's. The locomotives headed main line excursion trains over the entire Southern system until the 1983 when both were retired again from the Southern in favor of larger power. They both were leased to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. 722 was subsequently loaned by Southern's successor NS to the Asheville Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society of Asheville, NC. 630 was donated to TVRM in 1999 by NS. NS sold 722 to the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, where it arrived in 2000. GSMR has plans to restore the locomotive, but it remains disassembled outside their Dillsboro, NC, shop area along with their other steam locomotive, ex-USATC S160 1702. The parts from 722 were put in a boxcar for storage. In 2012, Swain County in North Carolina donated $700,000 for 1702's restoration. Money raised from 1702's excursions will go into 722's restoration.

References

• Ferrell, Mallory Hope (1991). Tweetsie Country. Johnson City, TN: The Overmountain Press. ISBN 0-932807-58-5.
• Tillotson, Curt, Jr. (2005). Southern Railway Steam Trains, Volume 2 - Freight. Forest, VA: TLC Publishing Inc. ISBN 0-9766201-5-4.