Southern 2-8-2 4501 Returns To Classic Green

Published: February 14, 2026

A familiar silhouette is set to look a little more like 1966 again.

Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum officials announced that Southern Railway steam locomotive No. 4501—the museum’s flagship 2-8-2 Mikado—will reappear from its annual inspection wearing the classic Southern Railway passenger green livery that helped define the early era of modern steam excursions. The move is being positioned as a celebratory, time-limited revival: the locomotive will wear the iconic green scheme during 2026, then later return to black.

For longtime railfans, the announcement taps directly into one of preservation’s most enduring images: a green Southern Mikado at the head end, polished and purposeful, delivering a mainline-sized presence to crowds who never expected steam to survive the diesel age—let alone thrive as a public spectacle.

In this classic scene, 4501 is dressed in green leading a Southern excursion south of Parkers Lake, Kentucky on July 4, 1977. Mary Rowe photo.

A Paint Scheme With A Mission

TVRM tied the repaint to an anniversary that matters in excursion history. The museum noted that the green passenger colors echo the appearance in which No. 4501 entered excursion service in 1966—and that 2026 marks 60 years since that moment.

Trains Magazine reported the same basic plan and timeline: No. 4501 is expected to emerge from its annual work in the traditional green passenger colors for the 2026 season before being returned to black afterward.

In a preservation world where locomotives often carry a single “signature” look for decades at a time, the temporary nature of the project is part of the point. The museum is, in effect, treating the green livery like an exhibit you can ride behind—an interpretive choice meant to evoke a specific period, then step aside for another.

Virginia Green

Southern Railway’s use of Virginia Green on passenger power became one of the road’s visual trademarks, particularly in the mid-20th century when appearance and branding still mattered on the head end. In excursion service, the color reads as instantly “Southern,” even to casual observers: deep green bodywork accented with lighter striping and gold lettering.

For No. 4501, that look is also a nod to memory. In the 1960s and beyond, the “green engine” became a shorthand for Southern steam outings—photographs, magazine covers, and home-movie footage that helped convince a broader public that preservation could be more than static display.

4501 At A Glance

No. 4501 is one of the best-known preserved Mikados in the United States, and its resume is unusually broad—revenue freight service, industrial service, early excursion service, retirement, and a modern restoration back to operation.

Here are key specifications published by TVRM:

Wheel arrangement: 2-8-2 (Mikado)
Builder: Baldwin Locomotive Works
Builder’s number: 37085
Built: 1911
Class: Ms
Driver diameter: 63 inches
Boiler pressure: 205 psi
Cylinders: 27" x 30"
Valve gear: Walschaerts
Locomotive weight: 272,900 lb.
Tractive effort: 53,900 lbf
Fuel: Coal
Status: Operational (TVRM)

Those numbers explain why Mikados became such a dominant freight design: ample adhesion, solid pulling power, and proportions that balance strength with route flexibility. They were built to work—then, decades later, proved adaptable enough to be restored and operated in the preservation era.

4501 History

According to historical summaries of the locomotive’s background, No. 4501 was built in 1911 by Baldwin as part of Southern Railway’s push to modernize freight power with the 2-8-2 type.

After its Southern career, the locomotive gained an additional chapter that’s central to its survival story: it operated for the Kentucky & Tennessee Railway in coal service after leaving Southern’s roster, extending its working life well into the era when many steam locomotives were being cut up.

That post-Southern service mattered, because it meant the engine wasn’t simply “saved from the deadline.” It was still useful machinery—maintained, run, and valued as a tool. By the time excursion preservation began accelerating in the mid-20th century, No. 4501 was a candidate not just for display, but for operation.

Preserved At TVRM

No. 4501 ultimately became a centerpiece of Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum’s identity. The locomotive’s preservation narrative is closely tied to TVRM’s own development—an organization that grew from enthusiastic volunteer roots into one of the country’s most recognized operating railroad museums.

The engine has also lived through the familiar cycle of preservation operations: long periods of service, retirement when time and regulations demand it, then fundraising and heavy mechanical work to return. The modern era restoration that brought No. 4501 back again culminated in its return to operation in 2014, according to TVRM’s equipment history and published summaries.

What to watch for in 2026

TVRM’s announcement frames the green return as limited to the 2026 season, which suggests that the museum intends it as a special attraction rather than a permanent rebrand.

Practically speaking, that means photographers and travelers who have long wanted “the green engine” experience will likely treat 2026 as a now-or-wait-a-long-time window—especially since the museum has been clear that black will return afterward.

And for the broader preservation community, it’s another reminder that interpretation can be dynamic. Museums don’t only preserve hardware; they preserve eras—and sometimes the most effective way to do that is to let a locomotive briefly become the version of itself that history made famous.