Watertown, a city in Wilson County with a population of about 1,550 according to the 2020 census, experiences a tourist boon 16 to 18 Saturdays a year when the train comes to town.
The Tennessee Railway Museum’s excursion trains from Nashville have made the city a major destination for its 500 passengers, and Watertown is a very gracious host, often organizing events and activities for the train’s stopover.
And for local entrepreneurs, excursion Saturdays are very good for business.
Too worn to restore, the original cab of steam locomotive No. 576 is now located at the Tennessee Central Railroad Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, on Thursday, November 14, 2024.
“We’re jumping ship,” said Debbie Stephens, who with husband James Stephens has owned the Depot Junction Cafe for more than 32 years.
But Watertown wants more. The city has a historic steam engine locomotive that has been almost completely restored, and the eastern Wilson County city has taken another step toward becoming that steam engine’s premier destination, with the recent approval for a $1 federal grant. 6 million.
The U.S. Department of Transportation recently notified Watertown officials that they are eligible for the grant, which would go toward the city’s $2.4 million rail infrastructure project, according to Mayor Mike Jennings.
“The restored steam locomotive is central to the yard project,” Jennings said. “The railroad is an important part of Watertown’s history and identity, and the economic activity generated by the excursion trains is vital to our downtown business district.”
To accommodate the steam engine, the Watertown rail project aims to reinstall a train turntable so that the locomotive, first used in 1942, can turn around and continue on, serving both ends of the rail car line in both directions – what is optimal.
The Watertown Rail Yard project includes the installation of track plating via a train turntable with additional storage tracks on city property, according to the city.
Nashville Steam Preservation Society mechanical apprentice Hunter Coley and shop foreman Stephen Hook talk in front of steam engine locomotive No. 576 at the Tennessee Central Railroad Museum on Thursday, November 14, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Where the renovation is located
The restoration of historic Steam Engine Train No. 576, nicknamed “The Stripe,” continues at a “steady pace,” with nearly $3 million being raised for the effort, said Joey Bryan, vice president of the Nashville Steam Preservation Society.
The hope is to begin steam engine excursions within the next two years, Bryan said. According to Bryan, when completed, The Stripe will be the largest steam locomotive in Tennessee. There are some smaller steam engines in East Tennessee, he said.
The locomotive will be operated by the Nashville Steam Preservation Society in partnership with the Tennessee Central Railway Museum and RJ Corman Railroad Group, Bryan said. The locomotive is currently being restored at the Tennessee Central Museum in Nashville.
“The turntable will be both a historic and operational asset for the future operation of No. 576,” said Bryan. “It will give our passengers a first-hand view of the infrastructure needed to run trains in the age of steam and allow the steam engine to pull trains to and from Nashville.”
Historic Watertown has purchased a turntable that will give a steam locomotive under renovation a landing spot to turn around.
Vickie Frazier owns an insurance brokerage in Watertown, which is also home to a nonprofit organization for local artists.
“There are so few of these steam engines available to see, and even fewer to ride, in our country now we will become a destination for people from all over the world,” she said. Artizan Insurance owner Frazier says she knows she can benefit from the excursion trains with stops that give passengers a chance to look at local art and gift items. “The Steam Engine Train will expand the customer base of all our Watertown businesses and hopefully sustain us for years to come.”
After it was no longer used for rail transportation, the Streep steam engine eventually became an exhibition train in Nashville’s Centennial Park in 1953. It was removed from Centennial Park in January 2019 for restoration.
Historic Watertown has purchased a 110-foot rail turntable from Atlanta through a donation from CSX for steam engine renovations and hopes to attract more travel from Nashville.
Nashville Steam Preservation Society volunteer Mike Ozaruk sands a piece of steam engine locomotive No. 576 at the Tennessee Central Railroad Museum on Thursday, November 14, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Historic Watertown raised about $65,000 and the city added about $5,000 to bring the turntable to Watertown.
It is unknown how many excursions Watertown will make once the steam engine becomes operational, said Terry Bebout, president of the Tennessee Railway Museum.
But the Watertown Rail Yard project will also serve freight, along with the Tennessee Railway Museum excursion trains and steam engine.
The city’s federal grant requires $800,000 in funding from local governments and private entities.
Jennings said the city has nearly half of that money raised in commitments.
It also could seek funding from Wilson County, Jennings said.
Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com and on X, formerly known as Twitter @AndyHumbles.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville’s Steam Train Nears Full Restoration; Watertown a destination
