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Nickel Plate Road 779 is a 2-8-4 or "Berkshire" typesteam locomotive built for the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, (reporting mark NKP) completed on May 13th 1949, for use on fast freight trains. It was the last new steam locomotive to be delivered to the Nickel Plate Road, and alongside L&N 1991, another 2-8-4 for the Louisville and Nashville, is the last of 131 steam engines completed by Lima-Hamilton from 1947-1949, and the final 2-8-4 locomotive on standard gauge completed in the world. Interestingly, L-H's first diesel, A-3080 demonstrator #1000 was completed the same day as #779. NKP also received the first production A-3080, NKP #305, one of 4 delivered by Lima-Hamilton in 1949.
Upon her retirement in early 1958, the locomotive had logged 677,095 miles.[1]
In 1966, she was donated to the City of Lima, Ohio and placed on display in Lincoln Park, where she remains to date.[1]