The Great Smokey Mountains Railroad (GSMR) in North Carolina has announced the beginning of the operational restoration of Southern Railway #722. The locomotive last ran in 1985 and has been awaiting restoration since.
#722 was built by Baldwin in 1904 for the Southern and worked on the Murphy branch line until being sold to the Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (ET&WNC). The Southern reacquired the engine in 1967 to use in its steam program and came to the GSMR in 2000.
When restored, the locomotive will join 2-8-0 #1702 on the operational roster of the railroad, pulling excursions over the same route that she worked on in her Southern days. She will continue to wear the iconic Southern green paint scheme, but will be converted to burn oil. GSMR plans to complete the restoration in 2026.
Image from GSMR Facebook page
Learn more:
Facebook announcement
GSMR website
RYPN Discussion
NGDiscussion.net Discussion