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576 and the American Freedom Train

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In the early 1970s, as plans were taking shape for the Bicentennial-era American Freedom Train, Nashville’s surviving Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway No. 576 briefly emerged as a serious candidate for the train’s eastern operations. Representatives from the Southern Railway Steam Program, including Bill Purdie, had previously inspected the locomotive, while the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum also pursued acquiring it for restoration. Rather than selling the locomotive, the city either significantly increased the asking price or decided to retain it in Centennial Park altogether.

In the end, the locomotive remained on display in Nashville.

At the same time, organizers of the American Freedom Train were evaluating locomotives for different regions of the country. Because the 24,000-mile tour required engines capable of hauling a heavy 26-car consist over demanding mainline routes, No. 576 was ultimately judged not to be a good fit for the program. Instead, Reading 2101 was selected for the eastern portion of the tour, joining Southern Pacific 4449 in the West and Texas and Pacific 610 in the South. But 576 would still find an important role while the other engines were being readied for service.

While the locomotive itself was not selected to haul the train, Nashville icon Johnny Cash filmed promotional material for the American Freedom Train alongside the locomotive in Centennial Park, a remarkable near- miss where the engine stood just outside the spotlight, yet somehow remained tied to the moment all the same. In hindsight, preservationists often point to this moment as a major crossroads in No. 576’s history.

Had the locomotive left Nashville during the 1970s steam revival era, it may have entered active museum preservation decades earlier rather than spending generations exposed outdoors in the park. Nearly fifty years after being passed over for America’s Bicentennial train, not to mention numerous other attempts at revival, No. 576 is preparing to feel fire in her firebox once again in 2026 during the nation’s Semiquincentennial anniversary.

We can’t think of a better way to celebrate.

Video Credit: The AFT Foundation
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Johnny Cash
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