The commercial rail system helped build Southeast Tennessee’s booming manufacturing economy. Now, Nokian Tyres says its helping the company build a more significant supply at its tire production facility in North America.
The tiremaker says it is partnering with the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum to use a restored locomotive to deliver raw materials to the storage warehouse at its factory. The locomotive will pull train cars the one-mile distance from Norfolk Southern’s rail line to the facility’s storage bay, enabling Nokian Tyres to process the growing volume of materials it says is necessary to accommodate the rising demand for tires produced at its factory.
Built in 1951, the locomotive saw service in Korea with the U.S. Army before being used by the U.S. Air Force to move rockets at Cape Kennedy during the 1960s. It was again used by the U.S. Army before being donated to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. Now, it bears Nokian Tyres branding.
