Frisco Silver Dollar Line No. 504

Frisco Silver Dollar Line No. 504 is a 2-foot (600mm) gauge converted 0-4-0 type steam locomotive operating on the Frisco Silver Dollar Line at the Silver Dollar City amusement park in Branson, MO. It was originally built as an 0-4-0T type tank engine.
==History==
FSDL 504 was built by Českomoravská Kolben-Daněk of Czechoslovakia in 1941. It was originally built as an 0-4-0T type for general purposes like mining or switching in a shipyard.
In the 1960s, it was likely purchased by a man named James Valesh and shipped to Iowa along with a lot of other European narrow gauge locomotives. Then, in the 1970s, it was sold to James "Jim" Machacek of Northfield, MN. Jim Machacek americaned the locomotive with American aspects including a tender to hold wood and water. The Northfield & Cannon Valley Railroad, Mr. Machacek's private backyard railroad, ran smoothly until 2007 when a newly acquired caboose crushed a volunteer. The railroad permanently ceased operations after the tragic incident. Then, in 2012, Jim Machacek later passed away.
In 2016, Jim Machacek's rolling stock was auctioned off. 504, along with a German 0-4-0T No. 2 (which would later be renumbered to FSDL No. 14) and a Plymouth switching diesel, were purchased by Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO. 504 was completely overhauled from May 2016 to December 2017 with an oil conversion, a new cab, a new boiler, new cowcatchers made from recycled boiler flues, a Nathan 6-chime replica whistle made by Rizzoli Locomotive Works, and many other replacement parts. 504 debuted to the public on June 18, 2018, and immediately became a popular and welcomed engine for its elements. As of 2023, it is one of four operable locomotives at Silver Dollar City, the others being FSDL 0-4-0T type Nos. 14, 43, and 76. 504's smokebox was painted with graphite paint in 2022, which will also be applied to the others.
On October 26, 2022, as 504 was pulling the new-style consist with approximately 160 guests onboard, at around 6:00 pm, its tender and the first three cars derailed from the track and landed on their right side on the furthest curve in the woods. Seven people, that being six guests and one crew member, were injured and transported to a nearby medical facility. They were all released shortly afterwards. The locomotive and the last car remained on the track. Following the horrific incident, the railroad was closed for the remainder of the 2022 season. All four cars were seen upright in December 2022 and January 2023, which may conclude that 504 was additionally rerailed and repaired. After a 6-month investigation by both Silver Dollar City and Missouri State investigators into the cause of the derailment, the railroad had a soft reopening on March 24, 2023, and then a grand reopening the following Wednesday on March 29, 2023.
==Trivia == 
*504's well tank still holds water.
*The cowcatcher/pilot is made from FSDL 76's old boiler flues.
*504 is currently the only operational locomotive at Silver Dollar City with a tender.
*504 was temporarily taken out of service in early 2020 for installation of a new drawbar and other major improvements.
* 504's current bell is actually from the Plymouth diesel on park. The Plymouth wears 504's old bell from her N&CV days.
*504 has news articles on KY3 and Trains Magazine.
* There are only six locomotives surviving of 504's class. 200 were built.
*504 used to have a builder plate on her cab from a random CKD diesel.
*504 was to have been renumbered 77, but still carries the number 504 due to an agreement during the purchase from the Machacek estate.
*504 is numbered after a Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern 2-10-0 "Decapod" type locomotive.
*504 stops further than the tank engines at the depot due to the length of her tender combined.
*When 504 made its operational debut on the Frisco Silver Dollar Line, it wore a Rizzoli Locomotive Works Nathan 6-chime whistle.
*When 504 was restored on the Frisco Silver Dollar Line in June 2018, it was equipped with a working dynamo. However, as of 2019, its dynamo is now nonfunctional.
*504 has worn several different whistles on the FSDL, including a Rizzoli Locomotive Works Nathan 6-chime, an N&W Hooter, a CMO 3-chime, a Longbell Hancock 3-chime, and an SP 6-chime, among others. Right now, it currently carries a Crosby 3-chime.
*504 is a very popular locomotive among railfans due to her similarity to mainline Frisco passenger locomotives like T-54 No. 1522. She is usually regarded as the most popular locomotive, and the pride of the park.
*504 has been seen in the roundhouse coupled to the old-style consist in the last few years, but would not be seen pulling the old-style consist until September 2024.
==Gallery==
File:Silverdollarcity504.jpg|FSDL 504 On One of its First Official Runs At SDC, June 2018
File:245332045 235013228676435 6749427386527247648 n.jpg|FSDL 504 At the Train Depot, July 2021
File:244600128 10102256041053172 8176114934133574130 n.jpg|FSDL 504 At the Trestle, July 2021
File:92823303 2896198423805503 6797549056097779712 n.jpg|FSDL 504 On Display At the N&CV Prior to Being Acquired By SDC, 2010
Category:Mining locomotives
Category:Switcher locomotives
Category:Baldwin locomotives
Category:Steam locomotives
Category:Tender locomotives
Category:Locomotives
Category:United States
Category:Built in 1941
Category:0-4-0T locomotives
Category:0-4-0T steam locomotives
Category:Frisco locomotives
Category:American locomotives
Category:American steam locomotives
Category:Narrow-gauge steam locomotives
Category:0-4-0 steam locomotives
Category:0-4-0 locomotives
Category:Restored locomotives
Category:Rebuilds
Category:Tender locomotives converted from tank locomotives
Category:Frisco Silver Dollar Line
Category:Amusement Park Steam Locomotives
Category:ČKD locomotives