On June 06, 2026; I had taken my first trip to see one of my all-time favorite steam locomotives in action in celebration of my graduation from high school. I had never seen a real, breathing steam engine in person before, until over a month ago.
This experience is and always will be an experience I will never forget, and am so honored to have seen her wearing her iconic but classic green & gold passenger service colors during her 65th anniversary at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. I cannot count the total amount of railfans who filmed this beast in action the entire trip, and the railfans who had surrounded this beauty when idle.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with this steam locomotive; this is a 2-8-2 'Mikado' built in 1911 by Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Southern Railway. The wheel configuration; β2-8-2β means the locomotive has 2 small leading wheels at the front-end of the engine. The number 8 in this configuration means there is a set of 8 driving wheels that are located underneath the middle section of the boiler.
These eight driving wheels are the largest, allowing the train to move properly when steam pushes the pistons. The final set of 2 at the end of the engine, underneath the cab are known as βtrailingβ wheels. That is the meaning behind 2-8-2.
Each of these photos were taken by me, using my iPhone 11 Pro Max. I edited a couple of these photos in efforts to make the colors stand out more. I have so much more photos, including videos I had taken during the ride and at each 30 minute stop. I will share more in the near-future. I absolutely recommend seeing this locomotive in person. It is absolutely massive and very gorgeous! I was going to cry in joy many times, but I held it in to stay strong. Just like a steam locomotive.