Southern Railway 1509

Southern Railway 1509
No. 1509 in 1968
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Baldwin Locomotive Works Serial number 4909 Build date December 1879 Rebuilder Southern Railway Rebuild date 1903
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-4-4T  • UIC B2′ t Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Driver dia. 48 in (1.219 m) Loco weight 111,000 lb (50 tonnes) Fuel type Coal Boiler pressure 135 lbf/in2 (0.93 MPa) Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 16 in × 24 in (406 mm × 610 mm)
Performance figures Tractive effort 14,688 lbf (65.34 kN)
Career Operators Atlanta and Charlotte Air Line Railway Richmond and Danville Railroad Southern Railway Class A Numbers A&CAL 27 SOU 1509 Official name Talullah Maud Nicknames Whiskers Locale United States, South Retired June 29, 1950 Current owner Southeastern Railway Museum Disposition Stored, awaiting cosmetic restoration

Southern Railway "Maud" 1509 is an A class 0-4-4T "Forney" type steam locomotive and the oldest surviving steam locomotive of the Southern Railway. The engine was built by Baldwin in December 1879 for the Atlanta and Charlotte Air Line Railway, originally numbered 27 and named Talullah.^[1] The railroad was later absorbed by the Richmond and Danville Railroad which itself became the Southern Railway, and thus, Talullah ultimately became Southern No. 1509.^[1]

Very little is known about the engine's history prior to the 1903 renumbering and company records from that time are largely either missing, incomplete, and/or contain conflicting data. The 1509 was likely used for passenger service, particularly with suburban or commuter runs, and when renumbered, it received the A class designation, being a switcher engine used in yard service.

Southern rebuilt the engine in 1903, and from then until retirement, it served as a switcher for the railway's Pegram Shops in Atlanta. There, it was given the name, Maud by the shop employees. Maud was retired on June 29, 1950, and moved to Inman, Georgia, where it was to be scrapped. However, the shop's workers had favored Maud, and wrote to then Southern Railway president E. E. Norris requesting the engine be preserved. Norris obliged, and Maud was placed on display outside of the shops until 1960. That year, the engine was donated to the Atlanta chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, who had placed it in their Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth, Georgia.

As of November 2024, Southern Railway 1509 is stored at the Southeastern Railway Museum, awaiting a cosmetic restoration.^[2]

• Southern Railway 1509 at Steam Locomotive.info
• Locomotives Used on Southern Railway Steam Specials, NS Steam