Highlights of the collection

Since the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum’s beginning, the vision has always been to be a museum that moves. With a broad range of pieces in our collection, we showcase just how important railroads were to our country.

TVRM 610

A 2-8-0 Consolidation-type steam locomotive built in 1952 by the Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton Corporation for the U.S. Army. Although it is not currently in service at TVRM, it is a stark reminder of the end of an era as it is one of the last steam locomotives built in the country at a time when most railroads followed the Southern Railway’s lead to modernize their fleet and move to more cost-effective diesel-electric locomotives. Engine 610 was built as a tool to help train the US Army since much of eastern Europe still used steam locomotives.

Southern 6914

An E-8 model locomotive built by General Motors Corporation’s Electro-Motive Division for use by the Southern Railway. This well- known streamlined locomotive was a signature of modern passenger trains of the time, spending much of its time on the Southern Crescent, between New Orleans and Washington, D.C. It features not just one, but two sixteen-cylinder diesel engines. Once returned to service at TVRM it will be one of the most powerful locomotive in TVRM’s collection.