Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum’s Soule Shops in East Chattanooga is one of the best-equipped facilities of its type in the country.
Our Machines Include:
- A 90” Niles wheel lathe
- Quartering machine
- Journal lathe
The only place in North America where you’ll find the three essential machines for properly maintaining steam locomotive driving wheels under one roof!
CURRENT PROJECTS:
The Pullman Company built car number 98 in 1917 as a private car for the president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The car contains a kitchen, crews’ quarters, dining room, three staterooms, and a lounge. It also features mahogany paneling, brass fixtures, leaded glass interior windows, and a rear, open observation platform. While the railroad updated the 98 in the 1930s to include sealed windows and climate control, it has changed very little since.
Today, the car is available to the public for charter on TVRM’s dinner trains and service to North Georgia. It is considered the museum’s most luxurious car, allowing passengers to ride in a true first-class style reminiscent of a bygone age.
The “98” turns 100 years old this year, and due to its age and use, the car is in need of a wide-ranging restoration. We encourage you to help TVRM in its efforts to complete this very important project! All donors will be invited to the recommissioning ceremony to begin the 98’s next 100 years of service.
PAST PROJECTS:
A couple of weeks ago 630 was in the middle of the annual inspection. The first picture shows some of the boiler washout plugs awaiting reinstallation. These plugs are removed for each boiler wash and allow access points for cleaning with a high-pressure water nozzle to flush out deposits left behind from the previous weeks of service. The second picture shows a portable heater being used to raise the ambient temperature of the water in the boiler for a hydrostatic test after all plugs and valves had been inspected and reinstalled.
A quick study if soda blasting. Stainless steel grills for the E were cleaned over the last couple of weeks by using baking soda and water blasted at high pressure. This process cleans paint and grime from the material without scratching when done correctly.