Monticello Railway Museum: Southern

Monticello Railway Museum: Southern #401 8-12/13-2023.
In August of 2023, we decided to cross a locomotive off our bucket list. In the small town of Monticello (roughly an our outside of Springfield) is the Monticello Railway Museum. They have a neat collection of railroad equipment including an operating Southern Railway steam locomotive.
Southern #401 was built in 1907 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works as an H-4 2-8-0 "Consolidation" locomotive for the Southern Railway. She hauled mostly mixed freights early in her career. She would end her career on the Southern as a yard switcher before being retired from the Southern in 1949. She was sold to the Alabama Asphaltic Limestone Company where she would switch cars of stone until she was officially retired in 1965. Two years later, 401 was sold to the Society for the Preservation of Unretired Railfans (SPUR), and moved the locomotive to Decatur IL one year later. The SPUR purchased some property from the Illinois Terminal railroad in Monticello IL, and renamed the organization to Monticello & Sangamon Valley Railway Historical Society (M&SV). 401 was moved to Monticello and was cosmetically restored by the M&SV one year later. In 1984, the M&SV was changed to the Monticello Railway Museum which the name still stands today. In 1995, the museum started the restoration of the 401, and in 2010 after 15 years of work, 401 steamed again for the first time in 55 years. Today 401 operates roughly once a month and is one of the attractions of the museums yearly railfest.
Enjoy the sights and sounds of pure Southern Railway steam!

[@christianromo8444]

Amazing Video!

[@TNRailProductions_01]

Fun! Good video

[@greatsmokymtnsrailfan]

Great work! Need to see 401 as soon as possible

[@landonspain193]

Loved this one! 401 is a really interesting locomotive. Why is her valve gear offset the way it is? It looks like its trying to be Indirect Walschaerts, but the radius rod is in the down position when the engine is moving forward.

[@TNRailProductions_01]

I didn’t even realize that until now. That’s quite interesting. I’ll have to dig into that now

[@Pq0nFilms]

i work with 401 frequently it has Walschaerts valve gear.
not much is original on it that i can think of except the plate in-between the tender and the loco is missing paint from where the fireman used to stand and shovel coal that is original 1907. but there are other things i cant think of

[@brianfalzon6739]

Sounds like 4501's whistle

[@Pq0nFilms]

401 has a southern 3 chime