NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Nashville Steam has announced two major fundraising efforts for its campaign to return Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway 4-8-4 No. 576 to operating condition, one of which will honor late Trains Editor Jim Wrinn.
Following a successful ten-week matching grant last year, the Nashville Steam has announced a second $100,000 matching grant opportunity which will see all donations of $250 or more for the restoration the Class J3 matched dollar-for-dollar. The matching grant will once again be made possible by The Candelaria Fund and The Wick Moorman Charitable Foundation.
Nashville Steam is also gearing up for The Big Payback, an annual 24-hour marathon fundraiser that last year saw $15,000 in donations which was then doubled to $30,000. This year, the event is asking donors to contribute in the memory of Wrinn, who selected the Nashville Steam project as Trains Magazine’s 2021-22 Preservation Partner to advance a landmark project in rail preservation [see “Trains Magazine launches ‘Steam the Stripe’ campaign,” Trains News Wire, April 16, 2021].
This year, the organization’s goal is to raise $20,000 in individual contributions to fund boiler tubes and flues during the one-day event. Contributions of any size during The Big Payback will be doubled through the $100,000 matching grant already in place.
“Late Trains Magazine editor Jim Wrinn first connected Nashville Steam with The Candelaria Fund in 2016,” said Rich Tower, president of The Candelaria Fund. “That connection has helped raise more than a million dollars toward bringing steam locomotive No. 576 back to life. This year, we’re asking donors to contribute to The Big Payback and have their contribution doubled in his memory.”
The Big Payback fundraiser is set to run from May 4 at 6 p.m. to May 5 at 6 p.m. Donations can be made at the Nashville Steam website and at Nashville Steam’s Big Payback page.
