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Just past 4PM on the first Sunday in November, we find the last of the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum's "Summerville Specials" of the 2024 season, heading north out of Lafayette, GA along Highway 27, bound for Grand Junction Station in Chattanooga, TN. As has become the tradition, the powerful duo of Southern Consolidation #630 and Southern Mikado #4501 are providing the power today. The museum typically double heads the first and last Summerville trains each year. In this frame, the locomotives are working hard as they pass the Euclid Chemical Fiber Manufacturing Plant in the little hamlet of Noble, GA.

Well over 100 years after she left the Baldwin Locomotive Works, the massive Southern Railway freight hog #4501 is still working the high iron in Tennesse & Georgia, except that today, she's hauling passenger excursions instead of freight. With a working pressure of 205 psi, a tractive effort of 53,900 lbs. and 63" drivers, this 273,000 lb. heavy 2-8-2 Mikado is well-suited to the mission. The largest of the 4 surviving, operable Southern Railway steam locomotives, she's the regular power on the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum's "Summerville Specials." She's pictured here blowing for the West Reed Road crossing in Noble, GA on the first weekend in November of 2024, hauling one of the last Summerville trains of the season.

After turning the power in Summerville, GA, the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum's last "Summerville Special" of the 2024 season is heading back north on the 45-mile trip to Grand Junction Station in Chattanooga, TN. The mighty Southern Railway #630 is the helper leading this afternoon and the road engine is Southern Railway Mikado #4501. The pair are pictured crossing the Chattooga River in the little town of Trion, GA on a picturesque wood and steel trestle that is longer than the entire train.

After arriving in Summerville, GA with their "Summerville Special" excursion, the crew from the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) immediately gets to work turning their locomotives for the trip back to Chattanooga, TN. On this, the last day of Summerville trips for 2024, they have double the work to do, because the train was a double header, featuring both Southern Railway Consolidation #630 and Southern Railway Mikado #4501. After cutting off from their train, the pair go through a couple of switching moves to get them onto the turntable lead. In this frame, we see Southern #630 as she rides the 100 ft. turntable, getting a quick spin to face north. After she exits the turntable, she'll head up to the servicing area adjacent to the station and be watered, oiled and greased. Just a few moments later, the 4501 will go through the same drill and wind up behind 630 on a track parallel to the one where the passenger train sits. After servicing is complete, the pair will move as one to the north end of the passenger consist and after brake tests are done, the train will be ready to head north.

Having just cut off from their "Summerville Special" passenger consist, the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum's massive Southern power duo has proceeded to the little wooden bridge in Dowdy Park, and are preparing for the turning operation on the park's big turntable in downtown Summerville, GA. Although passengers are given a one-hour layover here and can certainly head into town for some lunch, many choose to stay here in the park and watch the railroad crews turn the locomotives. It's an operation that rarely happens in the 21st century, particularly with locomotives this large. Depicted here are Southern Railway #630, a 1904 Alco Consolidation, and Southern Railway #4501, a 1911 Baldwin Mikado.

This image depicts the TVRM's last Summerville Special of 2024. While these trips typically feature only one steam locomotive, in recent years, it has become a museum tradition to double head both the first and last trips of the season.

On a gloomy Sunday morning in early November, the last of the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum's 2024 "Summerville Specials" charges through the wide-open spaces of the Veterans Memorial Park in sleepy Trion, GA. For whatever reason, only a half dozen or so railfans chose to gather here to watch a spectacle that's pretty rare these days. Here, two large, standard gauge steam locomotives are double heading a sizeable passenger train of heavyweight steel coaches on a nearly 100-mile, day-long excursion. What was pretty common 100 years ago now takes place only occasionally, and in such a small number of places that you can count them on the fingers of one hand.

This image depicts both of the TVRM's operational steam locomotives, including Southern Railway Consolidation #630 and her stablemate Southern Mikado #4501.

Taking the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum's "Summerville Special" south, Southern Railway Consolidation #630 blows for the West Reed Road crossing in the little hamlet of Noble, GA. The 630 and her road engine, Southern Railway Mikado #4501 are double heading today, because this is the last Summerville train of the 2024 season. As seen here, the train is about halfway through its journey from Grand Junction Station in Chattanooga, TN, to its destination in the town of Summerville, GA. This trip is one of the longest, regularly scheduled steam train excursions in the United States, lasting about 9 hours, including a one-hour layover in Summerville, and traveling a total of about 90 miles.

On the last day of Summerville Special operations in November of 2024, the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum elected to double head the train with both of its active steam locomotives. It has become a bit of a tradition with TVRM to run double headers on the first and last Summerville trains of the season. Needless to say, a big steam double header like this tends to attract a crowd of rabid railfans. In this frame, the Summerville Special, headed by Southern Railway Consolidation #630 and Southern Railway Mikado #4501, roll along the elevated grade along Lytle Road in the town of Rossville, GA, as they head south toward Summerville. A small contingent of the day's railfan chase crowd can be seen attempting to pace the train, probably to the chagrin of the people stuck behind them.

Just before 5:30 PM, the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum's "Summerville Special" rolls into Rossville, GA on its northbound journey back to Grand Junction Station in Chattanooga. In this frame, the big Southern Railway Mikado #4501 blows for the McFarland Avenue crossing, just south of the old Peerless Woolen Mill factory. Although the locomotives on these trains do get turned on the big turntable in Summerville, GA, the orientation of the passenger consist remains the same as it did on the southbound trip, hence the positioning of the stainless-steel observation car right behind the locomotive.

This image was captured in early November of 2024, on the last weekend of Summerville Special operations for the year.

Although she was built as a heavy freight hog for Southern Railway back in 1911, this handsome Alco Mikado #4501 has now been hauling passengers in excursion service a whole lot longer than she ever worked in the freight business. Retired by Southern Railway in 1948, after 37 years of "active" service, this engine spent about 16 years hauling coal trains for a short line in Kentucky. In 1966, she was acquired by a private owner, restored and then leased back to Southern Railway for their passenger excursion program, and later to Southern's successor, Norfolk Southern. When that company's steam program ended in the mid-1990s, she came to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga, where she's been ever since. The 4501 is now a regular on both the museum's local excursion trains as well as the longer excursions to Summerville, GA.

The 4501 is pictured here northbound, approaching the McFarland Avenue Crossing in Rossville, GA, as she returns a day-long "Summerville Special" to Grand Junction Station in Chattanooga in early November of 2024.

In beautiful afternoon light, the Southern Railway Mikado #4501 charges north into the town of Rossville, GA with the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum's "Summerville Special", headed back toward Chattanooga. This image was captured along Lytle Road in a residential neighborhood in Rossville.

This image was captured on the first weekend in November of 2024 on the last weekend of Summerville Special operations. I had intended to shoot this image from across the road, showing a much wider view of the train, but unfortunately, a couple of vehicles arrived at the last minute and chose to pace the train, essentially ruining the shot. When I attempted to stand my ground in the road, they basically threatened to run me over. Needless to say, I have never been fond of people who pace trains during public events such as this, as it is extremely inconsiderate of fellow photographers, particularly when I was at the spot long before they arrived. This particular incident certainly didn't do anything to enhance my opinion of such people.

After turning their locomotive in Summerville, GA, the crew of Southern Railway Mikado #4501 charges north through the little town of Lafayette with the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum's "Summerville Special" headed back toward home in Chattanooga, TN. Viewers will note the presence of the stainless-steel observation car right behind the locomotive. While the TVRM does have a turntable to turn the engines in Summerville, the orientation of the consist remains the same southbound or northbound.

This image was captured on the first weekend in November of 2024 during the last weekend of Summerville Special operations. The location is just north of the old depot in Lafayette.

NC&StL 710(ie) leads a Halloween Eerie Express up the grade to Missionary Ridge Tunnel. 10-27-23

Railfans and the general public take in the spectacle of a big steam locomotive being turned on the grounds of Dowdy Park in downtown Summerville, GA as part of one of the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum's "Summerville Specials." These excursions operate out of the TVRM's Grand Junction Station in Chattanooga, TN and make a day-long, 90-mile round trip to the town of Summerville, GA, with a one-hour layover at the destination. During that layover, patrons may get lunch, spend time sight-seeing and shopping in town, or eat a picnic lunch here in the park and watch the railroad crew turn the engine for the trip back north. The locomotive pictured here is the former Southern Railway Mikado #4501, one of two steam locomotives that are kept operational by the TVRM.

This image was captured in early November of 2024, during the final weekend of Summerville Special operations that year.

Here's an ultra-wide view of the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum's big Southern Railway Mikado #4501 as she takes the turn part of the Summerville Turn, riding the 100 ft. turntable in Dowdy Park in downtown Summerville, GA. Although not historic to this location, the addition of this turntable here in 2003 made possible the 90-mile "Summerville Special" excursions that TVRM runs on selected weekends in the summer and fall. These excursions are about as close as one can come to mainline steam trips in the 21st century. Although the speeds are a stately 15-20 mph, these trips are day-long adventures, behind a big steam locomotive, with a destination and things to do there.

This image was captured in early November of 2024, during the last weekend of Summerville Special operations that year.

At the southern terminus of their Summerville Special excursion, Southern Railway Mikado #4501 and her excursion train sit on the platform at the station in Summerville, GA, waiting for passengers to detrain. In this frame, the train is draped across East Washington Street, which is normally pretty busy on a Saturday afternoon, but for today's arrival, the street is blocked off, so the train is not holding up traffic. After the passengers detrain and have a chance to walk into the park behind my camera position, the locomotive will uncouple from the consist and proceed to the turntable to be turned for the return trip to Chattanooga, TN.

The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum runs their Summerville Specials on selected weekends during the summer and fall, typically with either Southern Consolidation #630 as the power, or Southern #4501, as seen here. Twice a year, typically at the beginning and end of the season, the museum will double head with both locomotives. This image was captured in early November of 2024, on the last weekend of Summerville excursions.

During a 1-hour layover in Summerville, GA, Southern Railway Mikado #4501 rides the big turntable in Dowdy Park, in preparation for her return trip to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga, TN.

This 100 ft. steel turntable is not historic to this location. It was originally built for the Louisville & Nashville Railroad and used in its Birmingham, AL yard. It served a roundhouse that had 36 stalls. Retired in the 1990s, this turntable might have ended its days as scrap metal, but was instead donated by CSX, to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. A collaboration between TVRM and the City of Summerville, GA, allowed the turntable to be installed here in 2003. Its installation required steel pilings to be driven 80 ft. into the earth in order to support the heavy steam locomotives. It is now an integral part of TVRM's Summerville Special Excursions, which run on selected weekends every summer and fall.

Rolling south at a stately pace, Southern Mikado #4501 takes her Summerville Special across the Chattooga River in the little town of Trion, GA only a few miles from her destination. This lengthy wood and steel trestle not only crosses the river, but also helps the railroad negotiate some rather uneven terrain on the south side of it. The steel truss with concrete pilings a couple of cars behind the locomotive is the actual river crossing. As pictured here, the train is about 25 minutes away from its arrival in Summerville.

At about 20 minutes past 1PM, the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum's Summerville Special arrives at the depot in its namesake town of Summerville, GA. Since these trips don't happen every day, the arrival of these trains is a bit of a special event for locals and railfans, who often gather at the depot and in the park behind me, where the big turntable sits. On this day, there's just a single locomotive to be turned, that being Southern Railway Mikado #4501. A couple of times a year, the TVRM will double head these trains, adding Southern Railway Consolidation #630 to the power train, making the event a bit more spectacular and adding some complexity to the turning operations here in Summerville. The train typically lays over here for about an hour, giving patrons time to either watch the turning operations, grab a little lunch, or take a walk around town.

On a bright November morning, the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum's popular Summerville Special rolls briskly past the little depot building In Lafayette, GA, (pronounced "Luh-fay-ette" by the locals) just a little over halfway through its journey down to Summerville. The power this day is the mighty Southern Railway Mikado #4501.

Although the little depot building has been preserved as a historic railroad structure, complete with a semaphore signal, one quick look at the platform and surroundings will tell the average viewer that it's not an active station and trains no longer stop here. This particular section of the trip is on trackage owned by the Chattooga & Chickamauga Railroad, which is a freight carrier, so the only stops any train might make here would be to drop off a freight car or two for a local business or industry. It has been many years since there was regular passenger service on this line, outside of the special TVRM trips, like the one pictured here.