Nickel Plate Road 587

NKP No. 587 was originally built for the Lake Erie & Western Railroad (LE&W) and originally numbered as 5541. When LE&W was bought by Nickel Plate Road in 1922 the NKP spent the next 2 years consolidating and standardizing the locomotive number system. In 1924, LE&W 5541 was renumbered as NKP 587. Its cylinders were replaced with Lima Locomotive Works (LLW) castings during its late 1943 overhaul.

NKP No. 587 served on the NKP railroad for 37 years on the route from Indianapolis to Michigan City. The locomotive remained relatively unchanged from its original design and operated until March 1955 when it was retired.

On September 9th 1955, NKP 587 was donated to the city of Indianapolis and put on display in Broad Ripple Park, Indianapolis, Indiana. Prior to being put on display, the locomotive's original tender was switched with another NKP steam engine #639, because the tender on 639 was in need of repair and 587's original tender was in good mechanical condition.[2] No. 587 was originally equipped with the 16-ton, 10,000 gallon tender used behind USRA 2-8-2s, but in the 1930s, it received a larger 16RA tender used on many NKP engines. This tender carried 19 tons of coal and 16,500 gallons of water. It is identifiable by having a six-wheel truck under the coal bunker and a four-wheel truck under the water cistern.

In 1934, Lima Locomotive Works delivered 25 22RA tenders to the NKP for Mikados. These tenders were nearly identical to those behind the Berkshires (2-8-4) built by Lima.

In 1955, another Mikado, No. 639 was shopped with a 22RA tender on which the stoker was inoperable, and the railroad switched tenders to keep the No. 639 running. No. 587 was displayed in Indianapolis's Broad Ripple Park with the larger 22RA tender in 1955. No. 639 was retired in 1957 and displayed in Bloomington, IL, with 587's 16RA tender.[3]

NKP 587 remained in Broad Ripple Park until 1983. At that time the city of Indianapolis was interested in building a new public library in the park, but the only available location was where the 587 was displayed.

A group of people called "Friends of 587" did a feasibility study and determined that the locomotive was a good project for restoration. The locomotive was then leased by the Indianapolis Parks Department to the Indiana Transportation Museum.

From 1983 to September 1988 the Indiana Transportation Museum leased a work area at Amtrak's Beech Grove Shops. During restoration the museum was surprised to find that when the welds holding the fire box doors closed (for safety purposes) were removed there were still ashes in the ashpan. This indicated that the locomotive was simply pulled from active service and stored until being donated to the city of Indianapolis.

Restoration consumed many thousands of volunteer hours and nearly $250,000 in donated money and materials. NKP 587 returned to active service on September 17, 1988 by pulling an excursion train from Indianapolis to Logansport, Indiana.

NKP 587 was operated by the Indiana Transportation Museum and is considered its crown jewel. It was used primarily to pull the museum's fair train from Fishers, IN to the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis, IN and other special events.

In 1989, No. 587 led a rare tripleheader with Norfolk and Western 611 and Norfolk & Western 1218 for a deadhead run to the Asheville NRHS Convention. The 587 led two excursions for the Convention, one of them with 1218. The 587 later teamed up with 611 for the annual Independence Limited in 1990.

In 1993, No. 587 led with Nickel Plate Road 765 on an excursion between Fort Wayne and Chicago as well as another doubleheader with 765 as part of the NRHS Convention.

In 2000, No. 587 was used as the star locomotive on the children's movie Old 587: The Great Train Robbery. In the film, a group of kids find the locomotive in a scrapyard. With the help of the locomotive's old engineer, they rescue the 587 from being cut up for scrap and donating it to a museum.

In early 2003, No. 587's Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) operating permit expired. This is due to FRA requirements to have all of the boiler tubes and flues from the steam locomotives to be replaced every 15 years, or 1,472 days of operation.

The disassembled No. 587 at the ITM's restoration shops in 2005

No. 587 is undergoing its second restoration dependent on funding and available volunteer efforts. The tubes, flues, dry pipe, super-heater, and many other pieces have been removed. The dry pipe was worn too thin to support the steam pressures necessary to operate the locomotive. A new dry pipe has been formed and is awaiting installation into the boiler. The air pump has been removed and rebuilt and is in storage awaiting re-installation. Several sections of the firebox have been cut away and replaced as well as a section of the rear tube sheet that was worn too thin to support the operating steam pressure. A new tube sheet section has been cut and using the heat and beat method has been molded into place. It is now in the contractor's shop to have the new holes drilled in it. New tubes have been swaged, which is a process of reducing the diameter on one end while not cutting away any material. They have been transported to the museum in Noblesville and are currently stored until they are needed. Riveting of the firebox is nearly complete with only the front section and several rivets in the corners needing to be replaced. This will require the rear driver of 587 to be dropped into a shallow pit to allow for the riveting to take place.

The locomotive was inside ITM's shop undergoing additional work. It was lifted several inches off its supporting trucks and running gear to allow access to the leaf springs and bushings without the need to drop all the drivers. The bushings will be removed and replaced as most have worn thin from years of use.

In 2008, the ownership of No. 587 was officially transferred from the Indianapolis Parks Department to the Indiana Transportation Museum.

On June 28, 2018, a court order required ITM to vacate its former location. The Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation made a deal with ITM to relocate the 587 and move it out before the deadline. Plans are for the locomotive to be moved to Ravenna, Kentucky and have it stored alongside Chesapeake and Ohio 2716 until the ITM can raise enough funds for restoration, eventually returning the locomotive back to Indiana once the restoration is complete. On July 7, most of the main components of the 587 left ITM's grounds, except for the tender body, which left ITM's grounds on July 12 and was fully unloaded on July 14. No. 587 is now currently awaiting to be rebuilt for an overhaul of boiler tubes and flues for its return to service.