Southern 4501: Fall Summerville Steam Special 2025 (4K)

After five consecutive weekends of steam train action, my Fall Foliage Season finally came to a close during the first weekend of November. The first adventure of 2025 took place on November 1st, as I headed south once again to Chattanooga, Tennessee, to chase two Summerville Steam Specials. The main reason for the trip was to capture the highly anticipated doubleheader — the last one before Southern 630 goes down for its 1,472-day rebuild. On Saturday, however, I focused on chasing Southern 4501 on the Summerville Steam Special. The last time I filmed 4501 solo on this run was back in 2018, and my most recent solo 4501 video dated back to 2020 — so this was long overdue.

Speaking of Southern 630 it's ferry move for the Missionary Ridge Local is included here

The Summerville Steam Special operates between Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Summerville, Georgia — a round trip of nearly 100 miles — with the steam locomotive leading in both directions. I’ve chased this excursion many times over the years, and it remains one of my absolute favorites.
Saturday began as a warm, sunny fall day. Unlike last year, though, this time it truly felt like autumn. While the foliage wasn’t quite at its peak, it was close, painting the landscape in vibrant seasonal colors. By the return trip, clouds rolled in and the skies turned more overcast, with the sun occasionally breaking through. As Southern 4501 powered through cities, small towns, rolling hills, the historic Chickamauga Battlefield, and the forests of the Central of Georgia line, it battled grades and put on an incredible show. Join me trackside on this beautiful fall day as we watch 4501 lead the Summerville Steam Special in all its glory. I even managed to catch a clip of 630 ferrying to Grand Junction!

Southern Railway No. #4501 is a 2-8-2 Mikado-type steam locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1911 for the Southern Railway. It was retired in 1948 and sold to the Kentucky & Tennessee Railway (K&T) along with sister engine No. 630. When the K&T dieselized in 1964, No. 4501 was purchased by Paul Merriman and moved to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM), where its preservation story began. In 1966, 4501 joined the Southern Railway Steam Program, operating across the entire Southern system and quickly becoming one of the most iconic locomotives of the original steam program. In 1970, it received a larger tender to increase its operational range. The locomotive continued to run excursions until the program was discontinued in 1994. Afterward, 4501 continued operating at TVRM until 1998, when its flue time expired. It then sat cold for over a decade, awaiting a new opportunity. That chance came in 2011 with the launch of Norfolk Southern’s 21st Century Steam Program, for which 4501 was fully rebuilt. It made its triumphant return to steam in 2014 and ran excursions on the Norfolk Southern system for about a year before the program was once again discontinued.

Since then, 4501 has been a regular performer at TVRM, occasionally hauling the Missionary Ridge Local but most notably leading the Summerville Steam Specials. I still remember seeing this engine painted in its classic Southern green livery as a kid — a sight I’ll never forget.

I would travel with ‪@DroppedSignal‬ & Bison Rail Photography again. I would also run into ‪@MiddleTennesseeRailProductions‬ ‪@Djcman331‬ ‪@LanesTrains‬ ‪@consolidationproductions‬ ‪@mainlinematt29‬ ‪@stevensainerailfanproductions‬ ‪@SteelandSteamProductions‬ ‪@SmokyMtnSteam‬ ‪@BrodieProductions412‬ ‪@tristanrailproductions‬ ‪@Keystone_State_Rail_Films‬ ‪@caydenworley5002‬ ‪@TheNoogaRailfan‬ ‪@kilroy_was_here1‬ and many others.

The fall Steam Train season has come to an end. I am looking forward to a few weekends off. That being said, I await to see what is happening with #1225 and am considering #1309 in a few weeks. Next year, I already have #2926 tickets so I look forward to that! As always, stay tuned for more steam train videos! If you liked this video please give it a like & subscribe. Stay tuned for the last TVRM Doubleheader up next week!

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