NC&StL “Dixie” No. 576 Nears Steam Again

Published: February 20, 2026

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — One of the South’s most famous surviving mainline steam locomotives is edging closer to doing what it hasn’t done since the early 1950s: make steam, move under its own power, and lead excursion trains out of Music City. Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway (NC&StL) 4-8-4 No. 576—nicknamed “The Stripe” and “Yellow Jacket” for its distinctive streamlined skirting and striping—has cleared a major hurdle in its long, complex return to service: a successful hydrostatic test of its boiler, a milestone that verifies the pressure vessel’s integrity before live-steam trials can begin.

With that test behind them, the Nashville Steam Preservation Society (NSPS) and its partners have shifted into a final stretch defined by reassembly, calibration, and the kind of last-minute “surprises” that often surface when a 1940s-era machine is rebuilt for 21st-century operation. Most recently, the group reported unexpected deterioration in several superheater units—components essential for producing high-temperature, dry steam—prompting a specialized replacement effort estimated at roughly $45,000.

If the remaining work stays on track, No. 576 is slated to return not as a museum piece but as a working locomotive, operating excursion service in Middle Tennessee—specifically on trips between Nashville and Watertown, where community leaders have already begun preparing for the economic boost that a flagship steam attraction can bring.

A large, late-era 4-8-4 is more than a big engine with a big whistle. If No. 576 returns to service as planned, it will become a rare operating example of a Southeastern “Northern”-type locomotive and one of the most visually distinctive streamlined steam locomotives regularly running excursions in the U.S.

It’s also a story rooted in place: a locomotive that long served as a public monument now positioned to become a moving heritage attraction—linking Nashville’s railroading past with a modern tourism economy that already supports excursion service and is preparing for steam’s drawing power.

The Latest

A hydrostatic boiler test is one of the most consequential steps in any steam restoration. In NSPS’s September 2025 update, the group confirmed that No. 576 passed this verification after major boiler repairs, describing the successful test as the milestone that clears the way for live-steam trials, safety inspections, and final commissioning.

NSPS noted that the procedure pressurized the boiler to 25% above Maximum Allowable Working Pressure (MAWP)—a demanding proof that helps validate the boiler’s strength and integrity before steam is raised again. With “hydro” in the books, the work has turned toward the systems that transform a static locomotive into a working one: lubrication, throttle valves, ashpan fabrication, and installation of major steam, water, and air piping. NSPS also noted continuing progress on the tender, including machining work on rebuilt trucks.

While hydro testing marked a huge step, NSPS also reported that inspection revealed unexpected issues with the locomotive’s superheater units—elements that raise steam temperature after it leaves the boiler. Because superheater condition directly affects efficiency, cylinder lubrication, and overall performance, replacement is not the kind of compromise restoration teams can safely “work around.” NSPS said several elements required replacement through a custom mill run of new material, a specialized process projected to cost about $45,000.

Where No. 576 will run

Unlike many high-profile restorations that return an engine to operation only for occasional special events, the plan for No. 576 is designed around regular excursions in its home state. A 2024 Railfan & Railroad report highlighted the expected operating corridor: when complete, No. 576 is planned to operate between Nashville and Watertown—territory that already hosts popular diesel-led excursions and could see even stronger tourism draw once steam returns.

Watertown, in particular, has been gearing up for the locomotive’s return, including a federal grant supporting rail-yard improvements, notably a turntable installation—an investment local leaders explicitly tied to the anticipated arrival of the restored 4-8-4.

About #576

No. 576 represents a distinctive chapter in Southeastern railroading. Built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in August 1942, it was part of NC&StL’s J3-class 4-8-4s—streamlined “Dixies” designed to deliver high-speed passenger performance and wartime capacity at a moment when railroads were straining under World War II traffic demands.

Delivered to the railroad in mid-1942, the locomotive entered revenue service during the war years and later worked passenger and freight assignments in the postwar period. Like many late-era steam locomotives, its working career was relatively short: it was retired in 1952 as dieselization and changing traffic patterns overtook steam power.

Preservation came quickly. The locomotive was donated to Nashville and placed on display in Centennial Park in 1953, where it became a landmark for generations—iconic enough to appear in widely circulated photography and Nashville cultural imagery.

After decades outdoors, the locomotive’s return to rails was a major logistical undertaking. In 2019, No. 576 was relocated from Centennial Park and moved to the Tennessee Central Railway Museum for a complete mechanical rebuild.

Since then, the project has advanced through the major phases typical of a “back to service” steam restoration: disassembly, running-gear rehabilitation, boiler work, and reassembly.

A major visible step came in 2023 as the project entered reassembly. NSPS reported the re-installation of the locomotive’s wheels and trucks after more than two years of repair work—work that included replacing all eight driver tires, replacing three sets of wheels, and rebuilding the engine and trailing trucks.

By 2024, NSPS and local coverage were describing the project as approaching the “finish line,” with remaining work focused on final boiler tasks and extensive testing—especially the hydrostatic test that would ultimately be completed successfully in 2025.

Specifications

Wheel arrangement: 4-8-4 (“Northern,” called a “Dixie” on the NC&StL)
Builder / Build date: ALCO (Schenectady Works), Aug. 1942
Driver diameter: 70 in
Boiler pressure: 250 psi
Cylinders: Two, outside
Valve gear: Walschaerts
Tractive effort: 57,000 lbs
Locomotive weight: 400,500 lb
Tender water / fuel: 15,000 gal water / 36,000 lb coa

What's Next

Passing hydro is huge—but it’s not the finish. The final months of a steam restoration are often the most demanding because they involve converting a rebuilt machine into an operating railroad asset.

Based on NSPS’s late-2025 updates, the immediate to-do list centers on:

Superheater replacement and installation, followed by system checkout and final assembly.
Completion and testing of support systems such as lubrication and throttle components.
Piping and appliance installation (steam, water, and air) that ties the entire locomotive together.
A stationary steam test, then test runs, then the final approvals and operating “shakedown” before public excursions.

In its September 2025 release, NSPS characterized the next phase as “6 to 9 months of heavy reassembly work and fundraising efforts” before steam tests and test runs—language that underscores both the complexity of the remaining work and the reality that restoration schedules can still shift. To learn more about the Nashville Steam Preservation Society, their ongoing work to restore the engine, and even donating towards the cause please click here to visit their website.