DULUTH, Georgia — The Southeastern Railway Museum plans to unveil Southern Railway No. 6901 on May 1, marking the return of a landmark passenger locomotive to public view following restoration work.
The museum will kick off the weekend with a ticketed reception Friday, May 1, from 6 to 9 p.m. to celebrate the restored EMD E8A diesel locomotive. The event will include music, heavy hors d’oeuvres, beverages, photo opportunities, preservation stories, park train rides, open museum access, a silent auction and an opportunity to meet preservation volunteers.
Tickets are limited and cost $30, with proceeds benefiting the museum.
The unveiling will be followed by a full weekend of free train rides and family-friendly activities, the museum said.
No. 6901 is best known for its passenger service on the Crescent, routinely powering trains between Atlanta and Washington, D.C. The locomotive also pulled the last Crescent train operated by Southern Railway before Amtrak assumed operation of the route.
General Motors’ Electro-Motive Division built the unit in 1951 as No. 2924. Southern Railway donated it to the museum in 1979, and it later pulled New Georgia Railroad excursion trains.
The locomotive was returned to the museum in February 2019 after nearly four years of restoration work, with Norfolk Southern donating electrical, motor and wheel work performed at the Juniata Shop in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
The museum said it plans to return No. 6901 to static display.
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