Design and appearance

During World War II, the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway (NC&StL) found itself unable to order more diesel locomotives to handle the increased passenger traffic. ^[2] Officials decided to go for steam power; they accepted a proposal by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) for a streamlined 4-8-4 J3 locomotive similar to the Norfolk and Western J class locomotives, (a design rejected by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N) as too expensive). ^[2] The NC&StL's Superintendent of Machinery, Clarence M. Darden, designed ten J3 (Nos. 570-579) locomotives delivered between July and August 1942 from ALCO in a semi-streamlined design with yellow skirting panels, a bullet nose cone, boxpok drivers, and a large semi-Vanderbilt tender holding 16 tonnes (16,000 kg) of coal and 15,000 US gallons (57,000 L) of water. ^{[2] [4]} Although other railroads called their 4-8-4s the Northerns, the J3s were nicknamed Dixies. ^[2] They each consumed 4 short tons (8,000 lb) of coal and 7,000 US gallons (26,000 L) of water per hour. ^[1] The NC&StL locomotive crews nicknamed the J3s as the Yellow Jackets after their yellow skirting. ^{[2] [5]}

In 1943, ALCO built ten more J3s (Nos. 580-589); wartime restrictions prevented applying the yellow skirting, so their running board edges were painted yellow and these locomotives were dubbed Stripes. ^{[4] [6]} After the war ended, the skirting was removed from the 1942 J3 locomotives for easier maintenance, and the bullet nose cones were removed on all of the J3s. ^{[2] [7]} All of the J3s were originally equipped with a Commonwealth style pilot, which has a retractable coupler that could horizontally swing out. ^{[2] [7]} This was eventually replaced by a standard cast-steel pilot with exposed coupler in response to the locomotive crew getting tired of extracting the coupler multiple times. ^{[2] [7]} The J3s were all equipped with one-piece cast-steel frames with integral cylinders and Timken roller bearings on all axles. ^{[4] [8]}

Revenue service and retirement

No. 576 was built at a cost of $166,500 and delivered to the NC&StL Railway, which put it into revenue service on August 18, 1942. ^[1] Along with the other J3s, No. 576 helped move arms, materiel, and troops during the rapid buildup and mobilization of the American war effort during World War II. ^[2] They initially ran only between Nashville and Chattanooga, Tennessee, because at 100 feet long, they could not fit on the 90-foot turntables in Atlanta, Georgia until 110-foot ones were installed. ^{[2] [4]} After the war ended in 1945, the J3s were reassigned to dual freight and passenger service, in which they were capable enough to pull passenger trains such as the Dixie Flagler , ^[9] the Dixie Flyer , ^[10] and the Dixie Limited, ^[11] between Nashville and Atlanta. ^[4] They also have the chance to run between Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee, via Bruceton and Martin. ^{[4] [12]} The J3s even worked in Cowan, Tennessee, banking trains up in the Cumberland Mountains. ^{[4] [13]} The J3s ran up to 11,000 miles (18,000 km) per month. ^[2]

As the NC&StL began to dieselize, the first two J3s, Nos. 570 and 571, were retired and scrapped on December 6, 1951, while No. 576 and the other J3s remained in service until September 2, 1952. ^{[3] [14]} After retirement, No. 576 was chosen for preservation and donated to the City of Nashville, where it was put on outdoor display at the Centennial Park on September 20, 1953. ^{[15] [16]} The locomotive subsequently slowly deteriorated from constant exposure to outdoor weather. ^{[17] [18]}

Attempted restoration

Attempts to restore No. 576 to operating condition were first made in the early 1970s, when it was one of the locomotive candidates for the American Freedom Train project before Reading 2101 was chosen because it had larger 4-8-4 dimensions than the former. ^[19] In late 1978, the Clinchfield Railroad (CRR) hosted a steam excursion program, using 4-6-0 No. 1, and they were in search of a larger locomotive to expand the program at the request of the Family Lines. ^{[20] [21]} The CRR's general manager, Thomas D. Moore Jr., and L&N executive Colonel Philip Hooper negotiated with the Nashville Board of Parks and Recreation to lease and restore No. 576, but the board decided against their proposal. ^{[20] [21] [22]} In late May 1979, the Nashville board members changed their minds, and they re-entered negotiations with the CRR to lease and restore No. 576, but to no avail; by that time, the Family Lines had cancelled the steam program after Thomas Moore was accused of participating in a scandal. ^{[21] [23]} The Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) once had plans to lease No. 576 for use in running for their steam program during the 1980s, but shifting priorities led to NS ending the program in late 1994. ^{[19] [24]}

In February 2001, the Tennessee Central Railway Museum (TCRM) proposed to obtain ownership of No. 576 and to restore it for excursion service, citing them doing so would end the locomotive's exposure to the weather. ^{[17] [18]} The director of the Nashville Board of Parks and Recreation at the time, Jim Fyke, was reluctant to relinquish ownership of the locomotive to the museum without additional knowledge of their plans, and the board quickly denied the proposal. ^{[1] [17] [18]} In 2004, a shelter shed was built over the No. 576 locomotive to protect it from the weather. ^[25]

Full restoration

In April 2016, the newly-formed Nashville Steam Preservation Society (NSPS) made their own proposal to restore No. 576 and run it on the shortline Nashville and Eastern Railroad (NERR), pulling the Tennessee Central Railway Museum's excursions. ^{[1] [26]} Two months later, the Nashville Board of Parks and Recreation approved the lease of No. 576 to the NSPS. ^[27] In April 2017, the NSPS volunteers inspected No. 576's boiler and found it to be in good condition. ^[28] By October 2018, the NSPS had raised $500,000 to move No. 576 to the TCRM's restoration facility ^[29] and begin a restoration effort projected to cost a total of $2.5 million. ^[30]

On January 13, 2019, the No. 576 locomotive was moved from Centennial Park on a flatbed truck. ^[31] It was placed on the Nashville & Western rails on February 6, where it was prepared to be moved to CSX trackage. ^{[32] [33]} The No. 576 locomotive made its final public appearance at the former Nashville Union Station on March 9, 2019, and the next day, moved to the TCRM's workshop where restoration work began. ^{[34] [35]} In June 2019, the NSPS received two boxcars from CSX to store restoration equipment and materials. ^[36] During the work, a new cab was fabricated from scratch to replace the deteriorated original. ^{[37] [a]}

On March 25, 2021, a storm damaged the TCRM restoration facility, but No. 576 was found to be undamaged. ^{[39] [40]} The workshop was quickly rebuilt, and the restoration work resumed. ^[41] On April 15, Trains magazine donated $600,000 to the NSPS to renovate No. 576's driving wheels and trucks. The boiler required hydrostatic testing. ^[42] On June 17, 2021, No. 576's boiler and frame were removed from its wheels and running gear. ^{[43] [44]} The driving wheels were repaired at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) in Chattanooga, Tennessee. ^[43] On July 12, 2023, the reassembly of No. 576 began. ^[45] In October 2023, TVRM donated a former NC&STL tender to NSPS, which would be restored and converted to an auxiliary water tender for use behind No. 576. ^[46] In September 2025, No. 576's boiler successfully passed its FRA-required hydrostatic test, where it was pressurized for the first time in 73 years. ^[47] The remaining restoration and reassembly work is expected to take an additional six to nine months, placing the locomotive's return to operation around 2026.