Southern Railway 401

Southern Railway 401
Southern Railway No. 401 on display at the Monticello Railway Museum in November 1985
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Baldwin Locomotive Works Serial number 32487 Build date December 1907
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-8-0 Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Driver dia. 57 in (1.448 m) Fuel type New: Coal Now: Oil Tender cap. Oil: 1,100 US gal (4,164 L) Water: 7,200 US gal (27,255 L) Boiler pressure 200 psi (1.38 MPa) Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 21 in × 28 in (533 mm × 711 mm) Valve gear Walschaerts
Career Operators Southern Railway Alabama Asphalt Limestone Company Monticello Railway Museum Class H-4 Numbers SOU 401 Retired 1949 (1st retirement) 1964 (2nd retirement) Restored 1950 (1st restoration) September 10, 2010 (2nd restoration) Current owner Monticello Railway Museum Disposition Operational
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Southern Railway 401 is a steam locomotive built in December 1907 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for Southern Railway. It is a 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type of Southern's "H-4" class.

History

Southern Railway #401 is one of 2 surviving 25 class "H-4" 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type steam locomotives the other being Southern Railway 385 in the Whippany Railway Museum. No. 401 was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in December 1907. The H-4 class was generally used in mixed train service, to haul branch line freight trains, and later, as yard switchers. In 1949, No. 401 was retired from the Southern Railway and sold to the Alabama Asphaltic Limestone Company in Margerum, Alabama. No. 401 switched hopper cars of stone until the company brought in a diesel locomotive in 1963. The No. 401 was then placed on standby service in case the diesel broke down. Sometimes, she would be fired up for company picnics so children could blow the whistle. In 1964, No. 401 was retired from revenue service and was placed in outdoor storage.

The locomotive was purchased from Alabama Asphaltic Limestone by the Society for the Preservation of Unretired Railfans (SPUR) in 1967. In January 1968, the locomotive was loaded on a flat car by two Southern Railway steam cranes and shipped to Decatur, Illinois. The No. 401 was unloaded from the flat car in the Norfolk & Western's former Wabash Ry Decatur Shops and set back on its own wheels, then it was stored in the Decatur Yards. SPUR purchased grounds from the Illinois Terminal Railroad near Monticello, Illinois for its museum and demonstration railroad in February 1970. The name of the organization was changed to Monticello & Sangamon Valley Railway Historical Society (M&SV) to reflect its location near Monticello and the Sangamon River Valley. M&SV had its Monticello site developed enough to receive the No. 401 and other stored railroad equipment in October 1971 and the No. 401 was moved on its own wheels to the museum. It was cosmetically restored for display. M&SV changed its name again to the Monticello Railway Museum (MRyM) in November 1984.

In 1987, the museum purchased seven miles of the adjacent Illinois Central branch line which served the museum. At approximately the same time, the two steam locomotives the museum had been using since 1972, an 0-4-0 gravel pit engine and an 0-6-0 industrial switcher were coming out of service for heavy repairs. Additionally, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) decided to exercise jurisdiction over railroad museums and apply their equipment safety standards to museum operations. Neither of the museum's two industrial steam switchers had ever operated under Interstate Commerce Commission (FRA's predecessor) rules, whereas the No. 401 had. With the demands of the new Illinois Central trackage and the new regulatory environment, it was decided the No. 401 would be the better locomotive of the three the museum owned to restore for the new operation. The two steam switchers would be retired in favor of spending funds restoring the No. 401. In 1995, the museum made serious plans to restore the No. 401 to operating condition. The restoration by museum volunteers took fifteen years. This included replacing the boiler. The museum operated the locomotive for the first time for the public on September 10, 2010 for its annual Railroad Days event.

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