This article needs additional citations for verification .(March 2023) |
Nickel Plate Road 587 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
References: [1] [2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nickel Plate Road Steam Locomotive No. 587 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Formerly listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Location | Kentucky Rail Heritage Center, Ravenna, Kentucky | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 37°41′02.2″N83°51′21.3″W / 37.683944°N 83.855917°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Built | 1918 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Architect | United States Railroad Administration | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NRHP reference No. | 84000313 [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Significant dates | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Added to NRHP | November 28, 1984 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Removed from NRHP | November 15, 2021 |
Nickel Plate Road 587 is a preserved H-6o class 2-8-2 "USRA Light Mikado" type steam locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Lake Erie and Western Railroad as its No. 5541. In 1923, the LE&W was merged into the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, commonly referred to as the "Nickel Plate Road", and allocated 587 as its new number in 1924.
From 2003 to 2018, the locomotive was being restored by the Indiana Transportation Museum in Noblesville, Indiana. However in 2018, the museum was being moved to Logansport, Indiana, forcing No. 587 to be stored in Ravenna, Kentucky by the Kentucky Steam Heritage Corp. Since its arrival in Kentucky, NKP 587 has been sold by the Indiana Transportation Museum to a private individual who will remain anonymous until more information is released at a later point. There are plans to continue the locomotive restoration, but if and when that will happen is unknown. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, but was delisted on November 15, 2021. [3]
As of January 23, 2025, the locomotive is to be sold by auction due to unpaid storage fees. [4]
No. 587 was originally built for the Lake Erie & Western Railroad (LE&W) in September 1918 and originally numbered as 5541. [5] LE&W was bought by Nickel Plate Road (NKP) in 1922, which spent the next two years consolidating and standardizing the locomotive number system. In 1924, LE&W 5541 was renumbered as NKP 587. Its cylinders were replaced with Lima Locomotive Works castings during a late 1943 overhaul. [1]
NKP No. 587 served on the NKP railroad for thirty-seven years on the route from Indianapolis to Michigan City. The locomotive remained relatively unchanged from its original design, when it pulled its final revenue train in March 1955 and was officially retired from revenue service. [2]
On September 9, 1955, NKP 587 was donated to the city of Indianapolis and put on display in Broad Ripple Park. [2] Prior to being put on display, the locomotive's original tender was swapped with another NKP 2-8-2, No. 639, because the tender on No. 639 was in need of repair and 587's original tender was in good mechanical condition. [6] No. 587 was originally equipped with the 16-ton, 10,000-gallon tender used behind USRA 2-8-2s, but in the 1930s, it received a larger 16RA tender that carries 20 tons of coal and 20,000 gallons of water.
In 1934, Lima Locomotive Works delivered twenty-five 22RA tenders to the NKP for Mikados. These tenders were nearly identical to those behind the 2-8-4 "Berkshires", which were also built by Lima.
In 1955, another Mikado, No. 639 was shopped with a 22RA tender on which the stoker was inoperable, and the railroad switched tenders to keep the No. 639 running. [7] No. 587 was displayed in Indianapolis's Broad Ripple Park with the larger 22RA tender in 1955. No. 639 was retired in 1957 and displayed in Bloomington, Illinois with No. 587's 16RA tender. [8]
In 1976, the Indiana Transportation Museum (then known as the Indiana Museum of Transportation & Communication) was growing concerned over the condition of the 587. [9] The museum attempted to get the locomotive from the park but was unsuccessful, with the Indianapolis Parks Department deeming that they did not have the authority to hand it over to IMOTAC. [10]
NKP No. 587 remained in Broad Ripple Park until October 1983. [2] At that time the city of Indianapolis was interested in building a new public library in the park, but the only available location was where No. 587 was displayed.
A group of people, called "Friends of 587", did a feasibility study and determined that the locomotive was a good candidate for restoration. The Indiana Transportation Museum (ITM) then signed a twenty-five-year lease on No. 587 from the Indianapolis Parks Department. [11] The ITM also leased a work area at Amtrak's Beech Grove Shops to perform the restoration on the locomotive. [11] No. 587 was removed from the park on October 10, 1983, and work to restore the locomotive subsequently started. [11] During the process, museum officials discovered that when the welds holding the fire box doors closed (for safety purposes) were removed, there were still ashes in the ashpan. This indicated that the locomotive was simply pulled from active service and stored until being donated to the city of Indianapolis.
Restoration work consisted of thousands of volunteer hours and nearly $250,000 in donated money and materials. After restoration was completed, the locomotive performed a successful test run on August 29, 1988. [12] NKP No. 587 pulled its first excursion train on September 17, from Indianapolis to Logansport. [2]
No. 587 was operated by the ITM and was considered its main attraction. It was used primarily to pull the museum's Fair Train from Fishers, IN to the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis, IN and other special events.
In October 1988, April 1989, July and October 1993, and in June 1994, No. 587 made runs down to Bloomington, Indiana, along with a side trip over Tulip Trestle, 20 miles west of Bloomington, Indiana. [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] In 1989, No. 587 performed a doubleheader with Norfolk and Western 611 to pull the annual Independence Limited from Rocky River, Ohio to Roanoke, Virginia over a four-day period from June 17–20, with 587 being added at Bellevue, Ohio. [18] [19] On July 16, 1989, 587 joined 611 and Norfolk and Western 1218 to led a tripleheader from Roanoke to Lynchburg, Virginia for the National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) Convention held in Asheville, North Carolina. [20] The 587 led three excursions for the Convention, one of them with 1218. [21] Following the 1989 NRHS Excursions, The Friends of 587 & ITM got into a legal dispute over the control of 587. [22] The feud would last nearly 2 years, with the engine sitting in storage in an eastside Indianapolis warehouse. [23] The matter was settled in 1991, with ITM taking control of 587 and returning it to excursion service in the spring of that year. [24] [25]
In 1993, No. 587 led a doubleheader with NKP 2-8-4 locomotive No. 765 on an excursion from Fort Wayne to Chicago, Illinois, as part of that year's NRHS Convention. [26] This marked the first time No. 587 visited Chicago since its restoration. [26] On August 30, 1994, No. 587 along with a tool car in tow, deadheaded to the Monticello Railway Museum (MRM) to undergo needed repair work. The restoration cost $250,000 and took 3 years to complete. [27] Following the completion of the repair work, No. 587 made a few runs on the MRM to benefit the restoration of Southern Railway 401, in May 1997. [28]
In late 1998, in conjunction with the NKP Historical and Technical Society’s annual meeting in Noblesville, No. 587 hauled a round-trip excursion between Indianapolis and Atlanta, Indiana. [29] During its layover in Atlanta, No. 587 performed two photo runbys with period freight cars. [29] On November 2, 2002, with the locomotive's Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)-mandated rebuild approaching within a few months, No. 587 made its final runs at the ITM; an all day excursion over the museum's entire thirty-eight-mile line from Tipton to Indianapolis. [30] [31] In January 2003, No. 587's operating permit expired. This was due to FRA's requirements to have all boiler tubes and flues from steam locomotives to be replaced every fifteen years, or 1,472 days of operation. [32]
No. 587 was undergoing its second overhaul dependent on funding and available volunteer efforts. [33] The tubes, flues, dry pipe, super-heater and many other pieces were removed. The dry pipe was worn too thin to support the steam pressures necessary to operate the locomotive. A new dry pipe was formed and is awaiting installation into the boiler. The air pump was removed and rebuilt and is in storage awaiting re-installation. Several sections of the firebox were cut away and replaced as well as a section of the rear tube sheet that was worn too thin to support the operating steam pressure. A new tube sheet section was cut and using the heat and beat method was molded into place. It is was in the contractor's shop to have the new holes drilled in it. [34] New tubes were swaged, which is a process of reducing the diameter on one end while not cutting away any material. They were transported to the museum in Noblesville and are currently stored until they are needed. Riveting of the firebox was nearly complete with only the front section and several rivets in the corners needing to be replaced. This required the rear driver of 587 to be dropped into a shallow pit to allow for the riveting to take place. [33]
The locomotive was inside the ITM's shop undergoing additional work. It was lifted several inches off its supporting trucks and running gear to allow access to the leaf springs and bushings without the need to drop all the drivers. The bushings will be removed and replaced as most have worn thin from years of use. In 2008, the ownership of No. 587 was officially transferred from the Indianapolis Parks Department to the ITM. The smoke box was deemed to be too thin and was replaced. [33]
On June 28, 2018, a court order required ITM to vacate its former location. The Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation (KSHCO) made a deal with the museum to relocate 587 before the deadline. [35] Plans called for the locomotive to be moved to Ravenna, Kentucky and have it stored alongside Chesapeake and Ohio 2716 until the ITM could raise enough funds for restoration, and they wanted to eventually return the locomotive back to Indiana once the restoration is complete. [35] On July 7, most of the main components of the 587 left the museum's property, except for the tender body, which left the site on July 12 and was fully unloaded on July 14. On March 5, 2021, the ownership of No. 587 was transferred from the ITM to a private individual who is working with KSHCO regarding the future of the locomotive. No. 587 will be remaining in Ravenna until a solid plan can be attained. [32]
As of January 23, 2025, Nickel Plate Road 587 is scheduled to be sold at public auction due to unpaid storage fees incurred while stored at the Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation's campus in Irvine, Kentucky. The auction is to be conducted via sealed bids with a deadline of February 25th. The winning bidder will be responsible for removing the locomotive and tender within sixty days of notification. [4] [36] [37]
In the fall of 1991, No. 587 was one of five mainline steam locomotives slated to be filmed in the Chicago area for an action movie entitled Night Ride Down, with the others being NKP 765, Reading 2100, Canadian Pacific 1238, and 1286, and the movie would have been set around a labor union strike in the 1930s. [38] [39] [40] The movie was cancelled, due to the early 1990s recession, and when lead actor Harrison Ford left the project over script changes. [39] [40]
In 1992, No. 587 was featured in the Railroads, Rebels & Robbers episode of the Discovery Channel show Rediscovering America. [41]
In 1998, No. 587 was selected as the starring locomotive to appear in the children's movie Old 587: The Great Train Robbery. [42] In the film, a group of kids find the locomotive in a scrapyard. With the help of the locomotive's old engineer, they rescued the 587 from being cut up for scrap and donate it to the Steam City Railroad museum. [43] [44]
Chesapeake and Ohio 614 is a class "J-3-A" 4-8-4 "Greenbrier" (Northern) type steam locomotive built in June 1948 by the Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) as a member of the J-3-A class. As one of the last commercially built steam locomotives in the United States, the locomotive was built with the primary purpose of hauling long, heavy, high speed express passenger trains for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway such as the George Washington and the Fast Flying Virginian.
Reading 2101 is a preserved T-1 class 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotive constructed in September 1945 for use by the Reading Company. Constructed from an earlier "I10SA" 2-8-0 "Consolidation"-type locomotive, 2101 was originally built in March 1923 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, the 2101 handled heavy coal train traffic for the Reading until being retired from revenue service in 1959. Withheld from scrapping, the 2101 served as emergency backup power for the three other T1 locomotives serving the Reading's "Iron Horse Rambles" excursions until being sold for scrap in 1964.
Nickel Plate Road 765 is a preserved S-2 class 2-8-4 "Berkshire" type steam locomotive built by the Lima Locomotive Works for the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, commonly referred to as the "Nickel Plate Road". In 1963, No. 765, renumbered as 767, was donated to the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana, where it sat on display at the Lawton Park, while the real No. 767 was scrapped at Chicago in 1964.
Southern Railway 4501 is a preserved Ms class 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotive. Built in October 1911 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, No. 4501 was the first of its wheel arrangement type for the Southern Railway (SOU). In July 1948, the locomotive was retired from revenue service in favor of dieselization and was subsequently sold to the shortline Kentucky and Tennessee Railway (K&T) in Stearns, Kentucky, to haul coal trains.
The Indiana Transportation Museum was a railroad museum that was formerly located in the Forest Park neighborhood of Noblesville, Indiana, United States. It owned a variety of preserved railroad equipment, some of which still operate today. ITM ceased operations in 2023 and the line is now owned and operated by the Nickel Plate Express.
Pennsylvania Railroad 1361 is a K4 class 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive built in May 1918 by the Pennsylvania Railroad's (PRR) Juniata Shops in Altoona, Pennsylvania. It hauled mainline passenger trains in Pennsylvania and commuter trains in Central New Jersey on the PRR until its retirement from revenue service in 1956.
New York Central 3001 is a preserved 4-8-2 Mohawk (Mountain)-type steam locomotive built in October 1940 by American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of Schenectady, New York as a member of the L-3a class for the New York Central Railroad (NYC). Normally known as Mountain types, the NYC 4-8-2 steam locomotives were dubbed as Mohawk types after the Mohawk River, which ran alongside NYC's famed Water Level Route. Built for dual-service work, No. 3001 was used to haul both freight and passenger trains on the NYC system until being retired in February 1957.
Norfolk and Western 611, also known as the "Spirit of Roanoke" and the "Queen of Steam", is the only surviving example of Norfolk and Western's (N&W) class J 4-8-4 type "Northern" streamlined steam locomotives. Built in May 1950 at N&W's Roanoke Shops in Roanoke, Virginia, it was one of the last mainline passenger steam locomotives built in the United States and represents a pinnacle of American steam locomotive technology.
The Hoosier Heritage Port Authority is a quasi-governmental organization in the U.S. state of Indiana. It is the owner of a Heritage railway, operated by the Indiana Transportation Museum from 1995 to 2015 & currently operated by the Nickel Plate Express since 2018, over former Norfolk Southern trackage from Tipton, Indiana, to Indianapolis, a distance of 37 miles (59.5 km). This trackage is the southernmost section of the former Indianapolis to Michigan City main line operated by several railroad companies since its original construction in the mid-19th Century, the best known being the Nickel Plate.
The 21st Century Steam program was conducted by the Norfolk Southern Railway from 2011 to 2015, featuring four classic steam locomotives pulling passenger excursions along Norfolk Southern rails in the eastern United States. The last train was to be Southern 4501's Piedmont Limited excursion trip from Atlanta, Georgia, to Toccoa, Georgia, but cancelled on October 1 due to Hurricane Joaquin.
The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society (FWRHS) is a non-profit group in New Haven, Indiana that is dedicated to the restoration and operation of the ex-Nickel Plate Railroad's steam locomotive no. 765 and other vintage railroad equipment. Since restoration, the 765 was added to the National Register of Historic Places as no. 96001010 on September 12, 1996 and has operated excursion trains across the Eastern United States. In 2012, the FWRHS's steam locomotive no. 765 was added to the Norfolk Southern's 21st Century Steam program.
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway 2716 is a preserved class "K-4" 2-8-4 "Kanawha" (Berkshire) type steam locomotive built in 1943 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O). While most railroads referred to these 2-8-4 type locomotives as Berkshires, the C&O referred to them as Kanawhas after the Kanawha River, which flows through West Virginia. Used as a dual service locomotive, No. 2716 and its classmates served the C&O in a variety of duties until being retired from revenue service in 1956.
Grand Trunk Western No. 4070 is an S-3-a class 2-8-2 USRA Light Mikado steam locomotive, and it was originally built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in December 1918 for the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) as No. 474. It was later re-numbered to 3734 by the Grand Trunk Western (GTW), after the GTR was absorbed into Canadian National (CN). In the late 1950s, the locomotive received a larger tender from an S-3-c class locomotive, and it was further re-numbered to 4070.
The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway's K-4 class were a group of ninety 2-8-4 steam locomotives purchased during and shortly after World War II. Unlike many other railroads in the United States, the C&O chose to nickname this class "Kanawha", after the river in West Virginia, rather than "Berkshire", after the region in New England.
Grand Canyon Railway 4960 is a preserved O-1A class 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotive built in August 1923 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy (CB&Q) Railroad. It was used by the CB&Q to pull freight trains, until 1958, when the locomotive pulled its first excursion fantrip, as part of the railroad's steam excursion program.
Reading 2100 is a T-1 class 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotives constructed in September 1945 for use by the Reading Company (RDG). Constructed from an earlier 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type locomotive, No. 2100 was originally built in May 1923 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, No. 2100 pulled heavy freight and coal trains for the Reading until being retired from revenue service in 1956. Between 1961 and 1964, No. 2100 was used to pull the RDG's Iron Horse Rambles excursions alongside fellow T-1's Nos. 2124 and 2102. After the rambles ended, No. 2100 was sold along with No. 2101 in 1967 to a scrapyard in Baltimore, Maryland.
The Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation (KSHCO) is a nonprofit organization based on the border between Irvine and Ravenna, Kentucky. The organization mainly focuses on the restoration of Chesapeake and Ohio K-4 2-8-4 steam locomotive No. 2716 along with other vintage railroad equipment. The organization has plans of turning the surrounding area into its own tourist attraction called the Kentucky Rail Heritage Center through a partnership with the R.J. Corman Railroad Group and CSX Transportation.
Grand Trunk Western 5629 was a 4-6-2 K-4-a steam locomotive, which was a copy of the United States Railroad Administration's (USRA) Light Pacific design, built by American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in 1924, for the Grand Trunk Western Railroad. It was used to haul commuter passenger trains in Michigan until 1960, when it was purchased by Chicago-based railfan Richard Jensen, who used No. 5629 to pull several excursion trains in the Chicago area throughout the 1960s.
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy 4963 is a preserved O-1a class 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotive originally built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. It was used by the CB&Q to haul mainline freight trains before it was leased to the Bevier and Southern Railroad to haul short-distance freight trains in the early 1960s. It was subsequently retained by the CB&Q and used as a source of spare parts before being acquired by Richard Jensen.
The Nickel Plate RoadH-6o was a class of 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotives that were built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) for the Lake Erie and Western Railroad (LE&W) and were given to the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railway (NYC&StL) or Nickel Plate Road (NKP) in 1918.