Golden Spike Centennial Limited Berkshire

In late April and into early May of 1969 the High Iron Company along with the famous Ross Rowland Jr. took guests on a two week tour of America's Railroads as part of the 100th anniversary of the laying of the Golden Spike.  Motive power for the train varied from the Brand new EMD DDA40X Centennials to the venerable P-2b Electric Box Cabs.  However none were as ironic that Ex-Nickel Plate Road S-2 Berkshire No. 759.  Painted in a beautiful Blue and Gold livery this was the main motive power for much of the route east of the Mississippi.

​

To complete this journey the High Iron Company need plenty of water to keep the train going.  However by the 1950s Water Towers had become a thing of the past.  In order to travel the long distances required for the journey Ross Rowland looked toward that last holdout of Steam Railroading in America, The Norfolk and Western.

​

The N&W would help by providing one of their old Auxiliary Water Tenders that were once seen behind Locomotives like the 2-6-6-4 Class As and the 2-8-8-2 Y6s.  The Auxiliary Tender served as an integral part of many of 759's excursions well after the initial Golden Spike Centennial Limited had concluded.

​

Today the Auxiliary Tender is on display at the Steamtown Railroad Museum alongside Nickel Plate Road 759.  Ross Rowland Jr.  would later go on to restore 759's Sister Nickel Plate Road 765 and would later retire from Steam Preservation in 2019.  2019 would also see more Golden Spike Celebrations across the US just we had seen just 50 years earlier.