Southern Railway No. 542

Southern Railway No. 542 is a Class J 2-8-0 steam locomotive. It was built in 1903 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Southern Railway's subsidiary Atlantic & Yadkin.
The locomotive was used to haul passenger and freight trains for the A&Y, serving the upper North Carolina Piedmont until the early 1950's.
By July 1953 the locomotive was rostered as a yard goat in Spencer, North Carolina and was the last Southern Railway steam locomotive in operation at Spencer Shops before complete dieselization. In 1954 the Southern Railway donated the locomotive to Tanglewood Park, near Clemmons, NC.
Today the locomotive is on static display at the North Carolina Transportation Museum at Spencer, North Carolina.
==Trivia==
*It was cosmetically restored for use in the Leatherheads movie as Chicago & North Western 604 during 2008, being paired with the tender of BC&G 4.
*Beginning in 2014, a smoke machine has been placed in the smokebox for The Polar Express event at the North Carolina Transportation Museum.
*A trade was made with Tanglewood Park in 1991 using an ex-Illinois Central 0-8-0 to obtain the 542 for the museum. The 0-8-0 is still in Tanglewood as "Southern 1894"
*Southern only owned 90 of this rare J class locomotive, and the 542 is the sole remaining example.
*This locomotive briefly appeared in the 2015 DW Documentary "A train ride through American history – New Orleans to New York".
== Gallery ==
SR542.jpg|542 on static display outdoors on 11/3/2019
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IMG 4570.JPG|542 in storage with a coach
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542understeam.JPG
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542haulfreighttrain.jpg
Southern542withhopper.jpg
Category:2-8-0 steam locomotives
Category:Baldwin locomotives
Category:Steam locomotives
Category:American locomotives
Category:Tender locomotives
Category:2-8-0 locomotives
Category:Eight-coupled locomotives
Category:Locomotives featured in media
Category:Built in 1903
Category:North Carolina Transportation Museum engines
Category:Locomotives
Category:Standard gauge locomotives
Category:Restored locomotives
Category:Sole survivor
Category:Preserved locomotives
Category:Preserved steam locomotives