Nickel Plate Road No. 765
Specifications
| Number | 765 |
| Original Railroad | New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (Nickel Plate Road) |
| Builder | Lima Locomotive Works, Lima, Ohio |
| Build Date | September 8, 1944 |
| Wheel Arrangement | 2-8-4 Berkshire (S-2 class) |
| Gauge | Standard gauge (4 ft 8½ in) |
| Weight | 802,500 lb total engine weight |
| Tractive Effort | 64,135 lbf |
| Boiler Pressure | 245 psi |
| Driver Diameter | 69 in |
| Years Operated | 1944–1958 |
| Current Status | Operational — active mainline excursion locomotive |
| Current Location | Fort Wayne, Indiana |
| Current Owner | Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society |
No. 765 was built by Lima Locomotive Works in September 1944 as one of the Nickel Plate Road’s S-2 class 2-8-4 “Berkshire” locomotives, optimized for fast, heavy freight service. It spent its working life hauling high-speed freight across Nickel Plate’s Midwest network until dieselization ended its revenue career in 1958.
Donated to the City of Fort Wayne, Indiana, it was displayed as a static monument for over a decade before the newly formed Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society undertook a multi-year volunteer restoration, returning the locomotive to steam in 1979. It ran mainline excursions for railroads including Conrail, Norfolk Southern, and CSX throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s.
Following a 2001–2005 overhaul involving more than 15,000 volunteer hours, No. 765 has continued to operate excursions including Norfolk Southern’s 21st Century Steam program, cementing its status as one of the most active and best-maintained mainline excursion steam locomotives in the United States.