One of only two survivors from the Illinois Central 2500 class of steam locomotives, the IC 2542 still looks as good as the day when she was placed on this display track back in the summer of 2000. This old gal was originally built for the IC in 1921 by the famous Lima Locomotive Works as a 2-10-2 steamer numbered 2906. In 1942, this beauty was rebuilt as the current Mountain type 4-8-2 steamer by the IC’s Paducah, Kentucky shops and given the number of 2542 which she kept until retirement in 1962. In all, seventy-six Mountain types would be produced by the Paducah shops between 1937 and 1942 from former Lima 2-10-2 models.
