Revenue service

In the early 1910s, the Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W) ordered a fleet of 4-6-2 "Pacific" type locomotives from the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in order to expand their passenger locomotive fleet.^[1] Sixteen E2 class 4-6-2s were built at ALCO's former Richmond Locomotive Works plant in Richmond, Virginia in March 1910, being numbered 564-579, and No. 578 was the second-final member of the class.^[1] Two years later, in 1912, No. 578, along with the rest of the E2 class locomotives, was modified with superheated flues, and it was reclassified as an E2a.^[1]

The N&W initially assigned their fleet of 4-6-2's to pull the railroad's high-priority passenger trains on their mainline throughout Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio.^[1] Between 1917 and 1944, No. 578 was primarily used to pull passenger trains throughout the Scioto Division out of Columbus, Ohio.^[2] As time progressed, No. 578 and the rest of the N&W's 4-6-2s were reassigned to pull short-distance passenger trains, as well as communiter trains on branchlines, when the K class 4-8-2 "Mountain" types and J class 4-8-4 "Northerns" were built and assigned to pull the high-priority trains.^[2][3] Towards the end of the 1940s, No. 578's original tender was replaced with a larger tender with the same coal and water capacity as a K1 class 4-8-2.^[2]

The locomotive subsequently spent the remainder of its revenue career pulling local passenger trains on the N&W’s Norton Branch between Norton, Virginia and Bluefield, West Virginia alongside some of its remaining classmates.^[4][5] The locomotive completed its final revenue passenger run in December 1958 before it was removed from the N&W's active list.^[2]

Preservation

No. 578 (left) on static display with Marble Quarry 0-4-0t No. 1 and Columbus City Street Car Lines No. 703.

While the rest of the N&W's fleet of 4-6-2's were sold for scrap, No. 578 was donated to the Central Ohio Railfan Association of Worthington, Ohio in 1959.^[6] Upon arrival in Worthington, No. 578 was still in operational condition, so beginning in 1960, the association decided to use the locomotive to pull their own short-distance tourist trains for five times a year.^[4] This lasted until 1966, when the locomotive's flue time expired.^[4] Volunteers subsequently spent the next four years repairing No. 578's boiler in order to return the locomotive to service.^[4] Restoration work was completed in 1970, and the locomotive pulled a few more tourist trains on the now slightly extended line for the Association, which recently changed their name to the Ohio Railway Museum (ORM).^[4]

Shortly afterward, however, it was discovered that No. 578 had a broken spring hanger, which was deemed too expensive to repair or replace.^[4] A decision was subsequently made to further remove No. 578 from service and keep her as a permanent static display piece.^[7] As of 2023, No. 578 remains on static display on ORM's property.^[6]