N&W #578 at Ohio Railway Museum at Worthington, Ohio. Below is a bit of its history. It was once used for excursions, but has sat idle for at least the last decade.

Number 578 is one of 26 E2a locomotives built for the Norfolk & Western Railway Co. Nos. 564-579 were built by the Richmond works of the American Locomotive Co., nos. 553 to 558 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, and nos. 559-563 by the N & W's own Roanoke shops. The 4-6-2 designation means that there are four wheels in the pilot truck, six driving wheels, and two wheels in the trailing truck. The term "Pacific" was given to this wheel arrangement, because it was first used on the Missouri Pacific Railroad. The E2a locomotives were first used for mainline passenger service and later for branch line service when replaced by larger equipment. They could pull 7 or 8 heavy Pullmans at speeds up to 70 mph. Through the years these locomotives were equipped with various tenders. The tender now on no. 578 is the largest used with any E2a. It is equipped with a stoker and can be operated with an auxiliary tender for greater range. Number 578 was assigned to the Scioto division operating into Columbus, Ohio from 1917 to 1944, and was retired from regular service in December, 1958. At that time, it was donated to the museum by the Norfolk & Western Railway Co.

Photographed by Stu Nicholson, January 2, 2006.
Added to the photo archive by Stu Nicholson, January 3, 2006.
Railroad: Norfolk and Western Railroad.

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