Which Preserved Swedish Steam Locomotive Are You Looking For?

The Nene Valley clue points to SWB A2 No. 101, while Anten, Gräfsnäs points to VGJ No. 24. Both identifications remain conditional.

Riley Mercer August 11, 2026 · Updated August 24, 2026

The short answer: more than one preserved locomotive fits

There is no single number that answers the phrase “preserved Swedish steam locomotive.” Numerous Swedish locomotives survive with heritage railways, preservation societies, and museums. The correct identification depends on the railway, country, town, class, displayed number, and date of the supporting record.

The two strongest contextual answers are:

SWB A2 No. 101 if the clue is the Nene Valley Railway in England. A third-party overview identifies the locomotive there and captions it as Swedish 4-6-0 No. 101A. The same source separately describes its displayed livery as non-authentic; it does not establish current location, custody, operability, access, or scheduling. See the SJ B overview and its preserved-locomotive caption.
VGJ No. 24 if the clue is the Anten–Gräfsnäs heritage railway in Sweden. An enthusiast account identifies it as a NOHAB-built 4-6-0 from 1911, while a separate trip report records it working there in July 2012. These are historical reports, not confirmation of its status today. See the account of VGJ No. 24 at Anten–Gräfsnäs.

Identification answer box

Nene Valley Railway, England: likely SWB A2 No. 101, captioned as 101A

Anten–Gräfsnäs, Sweden: likely VGJ No. 24

Still uncertain? Add the country, railway, town, class, locomotive name, or a photograph.

The wording “preserved” establishes only that a locomotive survives in some form. It may be operational, under overhaul, under restoration, stored, dismantled, or displayed as a static museum artifact.

How to read a Swedish steam-locomotive identity

A running number is only one element of a locomotive’s identity. Reliable research should record as many of these fields as possible:

Railway prefix: Initials associated with an owner or operating railway, such as SJ, SWB, VGJ, or OKB.
Class designation: A letter or letter-number code used to group locomotives by design or administrative category.
Running number: The fleet number assigned by a railway.
Locomotive name: A name such as Prins August, BERG, or Emsfors.
Builder: The manufacturer, such as NOHAB, Motala Verkstad, or Nydqvist & Holm.
Builder’s works number: A production number assigned by the manufacturer.
Wheel arrangement: A notation such as 4-6-0 or 2-6-2T.
Reported location and evidence date: Where the locomotive was documented and when.

Keep the prefix attached to the number

Write VGJ No. 24, not merely “No. 24.” Different railways could assign the same number to unrelated engines.

The problem is illustrated by two preserved locomotives numbered 24:

VGJ No. 24 is reported as a Västra Götalands Järnväg 4-6-0 built by NOHAB in 1911 and associated with Anten–Gräfsnäs.
Ostkustbanan H 24 is a different locomotive. An RMweb contributor identifies it as Motala works No. 737, built in 1928, and formerly SJ No. 1509, class A3, before restoration to its Ostkustbanan identity. Those details come from a forum and should be checked against an authoritative register before formal publication or cataloging. Compare the two No. 24 identities.

A useful full-form identification is therefore:

VGJ No. 24 — 4-6-0 — NOHAB — built 1911 — associated with Anten–Gräfsnäs — documented working in 2012

That is much safer than “Swedish locomotive 24.”

Identities can change

When a locomotive passed from a private railway to Swedish State Railways, it could receive a new prefix, class, and number. A preservation group might later restore an earlier identity. The same physical engine can consequently appear under several historically valid descriptions in photographs, rosters, and captions.

It is not infallible, however.

Class letters can be reused or misunderstood

Do not confuse SJ B 3 “Prins August” with the later SJ B class introduced in 1909. The FUNET photography archive describes Prins August as an engine built in 1856 and photographed in operating condition at Gävle in 1993. Its designation belongs to a different historical context from the later B-class 4-6-0 locomotives. See the dated Swedish steam-locomotive photographs.

This is why a class letter should never be interpreted without the number, period, owner, and supporting context.

“Swedish” can mean three different things

A searcher may use “Swedish steam locomotive” to mean:

Built in Sweden, regardless of where it operated.
Operated by Swedish State Railways, even if built elsewhere.
Preserved in Sweden, regardless of builder or former owner.

These categories overlap but are not interchangeable. A locomotive preserved in Sweden was not necessarily built there or operated by SJ. Conversely, a Swedish-built or former SJ locomotive may now be preserved abroad.

Likely match outside Sweden: SWB A2 No. 101 at the Nene Valley Railway

If the location clue is the Nene Valley Railway in England, the likely match is SWB A2 No. 101.

The available third-party SJ B overview identifies SWB A2 No. 101 as preserved at the Nene Valley Railway and captions it as Swedish 4-6-0 No. 101A. Because no current first-party fleet or collection record is available in the evidence used here, the location should be treated as a reported preservation association rather than independently verified present custody.

The safest identification is:

SWB A2 No. 101, captioned as No. 101A and reported at the Nene Valley Railway in England

Two distinctions are important.

First, the engine should not be silently relabeled as an SJ B locomotive merely because it appears in material discussing the SJ B class and related designs. SWB A2 is the designation supplied for this particular locomotive.

Second, the source presents two separate facts: the locomotive is shown or captioned as 101A, and its displayed livery is described as non-authentic. The livery statement does not, by itself, prove that the suffix “A” is historically invalid. Any judgment about the authenticity of the number would require evidence specifically addressing its numbering history.

The cited overview does not establish that the locomotive is currently:

At the same site
Mechanically operational
Available for public viewing
Scheduled to haul trains
Under active restoration or overhaul

Those are separate questions from historical preservation identity. Before arranging a visit, consult the Nene Valley Railway’s current fleet information and operating calendar or contact the railway directly.

A careful photograph caption would read:

SWB A2 No. 101, photographed carrying the marking 101A and reported at the Nene Valley Railway; the cited source separately describes the displayed livery as non-authentic. Date, present location, and mechanical condition require confirmation.

Likely match in Sweden: VGJ No. 24 at Anten–Gräfsnäs

If the clue is a steam train at the Anten–Gräfsnäs heritage railway, the likely locomotive is Västra Götalands Järnväg No. 24, abbreviated VGJ No. 24.

An enthusiast account describes the line as a preserved section of the Västra Götalands Järnväg and shows a steam service headed by VGJ No. 24, identified as a NOHAB-built 4-6-0 from 1911. That supports the historical association but does not establish the locomotive’s present location or condition.

A more precisely dated report from the International Steam Pages records No. 24, NOHAB works number 982, as the working 4-6-0 at Anten–Gräfsnäs on 19 July 2012. Read the dated July 2012 heritage-railway report.

The same report listed several other steam locomotives at Anten:

No. 4 “A. Wilk. Petri” — Motala works No. 239, 0-6-0T, displayed
No. 5 — Henschel works No. 17869, 2-6-2T, displayed
No. 6 — Motala works No. 566, 2-8-0T, displayed
No. 35 — NOHAB-built 2-6-0T, displayed
No. 3 — NOHAB works No. 951, 2-6-0T, reported as a workshop project
No. 31 — Henschel 4-6-0, reported as a workshop project

All those conditions belong to the July 2012 report. They are not current fleet statuses.

The defensible conclusion is:

VGJ No. 24 was documented as the working steam locomotive at Anten–Gräfsnäs on 19 July 2012.

It would not be defensible from the same evidence to state that VGJ No. 24 remains operational today.

Other heritage-railway candidates reported in Sweden

A broad search for a preserved Swedish steam locomotive can produce many other candidates. The first group below comes from an undated Sweden-wide locomotive database; its status labels should be treated as leads rather than current guarantees. The later entries come from the International Steam Pages report covering visits made from 18 to 22 July 2012.

Railway identity	Class or name	Organization and town	Reported status	Evidence date or limitation	Confidence note
SJ B 1429	B class	Föreningen Ångeloket, Ånge	Listed as operational	Database entry has no visible status date	Present location and condition require official confirmation
SJ E2 1122	E2 class	Åmål Årjängs Railway Society	Listed as operational	Database entry has no visible status date	Treat as a research lead
SJ E2 1183	E2 class	Skånska Järnvägar, Brösarp	Listed as operational	Database entry has no visible status date	“Operational” does not establish a current public schedule
MLJ No. 3	BERG	Skånska Järnvägar, Brösarp	Listed as operational	Database entry has no visible status date	Prefix and name are essential because No. 3 is ambiguous
SJ E2 979	E2 class	Skånska Järnvägar, Brösarp	Listed as under overhaul	Database entry has no visible status date	Not listed as operational
SJ S 1280	S class	Skånska Järnvägar, Brösarp	Listed as under restoration	Database entry has no visible status date	Restoration does not imply an imminent return to steam
Prefix unavailable in report; No. 4	K.M. Nelsson	Östra Södermanlands Järnväg, Mariefred	Observed working	18 July 2012 trip report	Name, builder, and works number should accompany the number
Prefix unavailable in report; No. 8	Emsfors	Östra Södermanlands Järnväg, Mariefred	Observed working	18 July 2012 trip report	Historical observation only
Prefix unavailable in report; No. 4	Motala 2-6-0T	Skara–Lundsbrunn	Observed working	19 July 2012 trip report	Do not confuse it with other No. 4 engines
Prefix unavailable in report; No. 12	Mallet 0-6-6-0	Jädraås–Tallås	Observed in steam	21 July 2012 trip report	Present condition unknown
Prefix unavailable in report; No. 4	Sigbjorn	Jädraås–Tallås	Observed in steam	21 July 2012 trip report	The name distinguishes it from other No. 4 locomotives
Prefix unavailable in report; No. 2	Korsan	Jädraås–Tallås	Observed in steam	21 July 2012 trip report	Present condition unknown
Prefix unavailable in report; No. 4	Langshyttan	Uppsala–Lenna	Observed working	22 July 2012 trip report	Historical observation, not a current roster

The database lists SJ B 1429, SJ E2 1122, SJ E2 1183, and MLJ No. 3 BERG as operational, while identifying SJ E2 979 as under overhaul and SJ S 1280 as under restoration. Because the supplied entries show no visible status dates, none should be described as currently operational without official confirmation. Consult the Sweden locomotive database.

The 2012 trip report supplies fuller identifying details for several locomotives. For example, it identifies No. 4 K.M. Nelsson as Motala works No. 520, No. 8 Emsfors as Hartmann works No. 4290, No. 12 as Atlas works No. 114, No. 4 Sigbjorn as Motala works No. 273, No. 2 Korsan as Vagn & Maskinfabriks Falun works No. 21, and No. 4 Langshyttan as Motala works No. 176.

Several cautions follow:

Preserved is not the same as operational.
Operational is not the same as scheduled.
Under overhaul indicates mechanical work but supplies no completion date.
Under restoration may refer to either operational or cosmetic objectives.
A database of locomotives in Sweden does not prove that every listed engine was Swedish-built, formerly owned by SJ, or attached to an operating heritage railway.
A 2012 observation cannot establish present condition, ownership, location, or access.

The repeated appearance of No. 4 is especially instructive. Without a prefix, railway, name, builder, or works number, “preserved Swedish steam locomotive No. 4” is not a reliable identification.

There is also an unresolved overlap involving B 1429. The undated database associates SJ B 1429 with Föreningen Ångeloket in Ånge, while Järnvägsmuseet’s official website represents B 1429 in its collection pages. These claims do not necessarily conflict: ownership, custody, loan, documentation, and operating base can differ. The available evidence does not explain the relationship, so it should not be used to assign one definitive present location.

Museum exhibits are preserved locomotives, but not necessarily heritage-railway engines

Museum artifacts should be separated from locomotives documented hauling heritage trains. A museum may maintain operational equipment, but a collection page, restoration announcement, or dated photograph does not by itself prove that an engine can steam.

Locomotive	Documented or reported location	What the evidence supports	What remains uncertain
SJ B No. 1149	Discovery Park of America, Union City, Tennessee	Preserved museum artifact; formerly taken to the United States for heritage-railway use; later received major preservation work	Current operability
SJ B No. 1222	Norrbottens Järnvägsmuseum, Luleå	Photographed there on 17 July 2023	Present location, access, condition, and disputed construction details
SJ F1200	Järnvägsmuseet, Gävle	Preserved 1914 4-6-2 historically described as usable on special occasions	Current mechanical status and schedule
B 1108, B 1316, B 1429, E10 1746, Ka 692, N 576, S1 1923, C7 1774	Represented on Järnvägsmuseet’s collection pages	Official museum collection representation	Individual display, storage, restoration, operating, and access status unless separately stated

SJ B No. 1149 in Tennessee

SJ B No. 1149 was built in Sweden in 1913 for Swedish State Railways. A Railpace article reproducing a Discovery Park announcement says the locomotive entered Sweden’s strategic reserve and was brought to the United States in 1995 to operate on the Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad. It later went to the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad and reached Discovery Park of America in 2013. Read the account of No. 1149’s history and preservation.

The preservation project included rust removal, metal repairs, replacement of damaged cab wood, surface treatment, and repainting. Although substantial, the described work was cosmetic and preservational. The source presents No. 1149 as a museum artifact and does not say that it returned to operating condition.

The supported conclusion is that No. 1149 survives at Discovery Park after earlier American heritage-railway use. Its present operability is not established.

SJ B No. 1222 in Luleå

The FUNET railway photography archive documents SJ B No. 1222 at Norrbottens Järnvägsmuseum in Luleå on 17 July 2023.

The archive also reports conflicting construction information. A plate on the locomotive reportedly names Nydqvist & Holm and 1918, while another source cited by the archive gives Motala Verkstad and 1914. Neither version should be presented as settled without an authoritative works record or museum catalog entry explaining the discrepancy.

The photograph establishes documented presence in Luleå on the stated date. It does not independently establish current ownership, present location, public access, or mechanical condition.

SJ F1200 in Gävle

SJ F1200 is a preserved 4-6-2 associated with Järnvägsmuseet in Gävle. A Blacktop Ranger feature describes it as the first of its class, built by Nydqvist & Holm in March 1914, and says it remained usable for special occasions at the time described. The feature does not provide a sufficiently clear current-status date, so it cannot establish that F1200 is operational or scheduled today. See the historical feature on F1200.

A careful caption would state:

SJ F1200, preserved at Järnvägsmuseet in Gävle and historically reported in running condition; present mechanical and operating status unverified.

Other Järnvägsmuseet collection examples

Järnvägsmuseet’s official collection pages represent several numbered steam locomotives, including:

B 1108
B 1316
B 1429
E10 1746
Ka 692
N 576
S1 1923
C7 1774

The museum says B 1108 was built by Motala Verkstad in 1911, B 1316 in 1917, and B 1429 in 1919. It identifies Ka 692 as a Vagn & Maskinfabriken locomotive from 1901, N 576 as a Motala-built engine from 1900, and S1 1923 as the newest steam locomotive in the collection. Browse Järnvägsmuseet’s official steam-locomotive pages.

The collection overview does not assign one common operating status to every locomotive. Inclusion should not be interpreted as proof that an engine is currently on display, accessible, operational, or even held at the same public site as every other listed object.

Why so many SJ B-class locomotives survived

The later SJ B class was a Swedish standard-gauge, two-cylinder 4-6-0 introduced in 1909. The third-party SJ B overview reports that 96 locomotives were built for Swedish State Railways from 1909 to 1919, followed by three additional engines for a private railway, for a total of 99.

The same overview reports that 38 of the 99 locomotives are preserved. That figure is useful as a broad measure of survival, but it is not presented as an official condition inventory. It does not divide the reported survivors into operational, static, stored, incomplete, overhaul, or restoration categories.

The overview says many withdrawn locomotives were retained until the reserve was discontinued in 1990.

No. 1149 illustrates that preservation path:

It worked for Swedish State Railways.
It entered strategic-reserve storage.
It was exported to the United States for heritage-railway operation.
It later became a museum artifact.
It received major cosmetic and conservation work.

Those stages are all forms of survival, but they are not mechanically equivalent. A locomotive can be “preserved” while inactive, stored, displayed, or incapable of steaming.

The reported total should therefore be phrased as follows:

A third-party source reports that 38 of the 99 SJ B-class locomotives are preserved in some form.

It should not be converted into a claim that exactly 38 complete and operational examples survive. The supplied source is truncated and does not provide a complete verified list classified by condition. It also contains secondary disagreement about whether the design was influenced by the Prussian P 8; that issue is not necessary for identifying a preserved engine and cannot be resolved from the evidence used here.

How to verify a locomotive before visiting or citing it

A dependable identification combines the locomotive’s physical identity with a dated location and condition claim. Record:

Railway prefix
Running number
Class
Locomotive name
Builder
Builder’s works number
Wheel arrangement
Reported location
Owner or custodian, if confirmed
Reported condition
Date of the record
Source type
Public-access information

Rank evidence by what it can establish

Different sources answer different questions:

A current official fleet or engineering record is strongest for present custody, location, mechanical status, and overhaul progress.
A dated official museum collection page can establish collection representation or holdings, subject to its wording.
A dated photograph establishes reported presence on a particular day if its caption is accurate.
A locomotive database can identify candidates, but an undated status may be stale.
A trip report documents what a visitor observed on specified dates.
A forum post may help identify an engine or photograph, but important details need stronger corroboration.
A press release records what an organization announced, although technical omissions and promotional framing require caution.

Corroboration is especially valuable when sources serve different purposes. A dated trip report may show that an engine worked on one day, while an official museum page may document collection representation. Neither automatically proves the other claim.

Use precise condition terms

Avoid treating these labels as synonyms:

Operational: Reported capable of operating at the date of the record.
In steam or working: Observed operating on a specified day.
Under overhaul: Receiving mechanical examination or work, often with a return to service as an objective.
Under restoration: Being restored, whether cosmetically or mechanically.
Stored: Retained but not necessarily displayed or serviceable.
Displayed: Presented for viewing, with no implied operability.
Unknown: The evidence supports no more precise status.
Preserved: Survives in some form; an umbrella term covering several possible conditions.

Even “operational” does not guarantee that a locomotive will haul public trains on a visitor’s chosen date.

Confirm access before traveling

Before planning a journey around one locomotive:

Check the railway or museum’s official operating calendar.
Look for a dated fleet, workshop, or restoration update.
Confirm whether the engine is on public display.
Ask whether steam operation is planned for the intended date.
Recheck shortly before departure because mechanical availability can change.
Distinguish general opening hours from access to depots, workshops, and stored equipment.

A compact identification path

Nene Valley Railway: begin with SWB A2 No. 101, captioned as 101A.
Anten–Gräfsnäs: begin with VGJ No. 24.
Union City, Tennessee: begin with SJ B No. 1149.
Norrbottens Järnvägsmuseum, Luleå: begin with SJ B No. 1222.
Järnvägsmuseet, Gävle: consider SJ F1200, while checking the museum’s other engines.

If only a photograph is available, inspect it for:

Cab-side or tender numbers
Railway initials
Class letters
Nameplates
Builder’s plates
Works numbers
Wheel arrangement
Tank-versus-tender configuration
Gauge and track proportions
Station signs
Depot names
Museum labels
Distinctive paint and lining

The answer must remain conditional. The Nene Valley clue points to SWB A2 No. 101, while Anten–Gräfsnäs points to VGJ No. 24. Other locations lead to different candidates, including SJ B No. 1149 in Tennessee, SJ B No. 1222 in Luleå, and SJ F1200 in Gävle.

For a citation or travel plan, combine the railway prefix, number, class, location, reported condition, and evidence date. Confirm present operation and visitor access directly with the relevant railway or museum.

Frequently asked questions

What is the preserved Swedish steam locomotive number at the Nene Valley Railway?

The likely answer is SWB A2 No. 101, captioned as Swedish 4-6-0 No. 101A in the cited third-party SJ B overview. That source separately describes the displayed livery as non-authentic. It does not establish present location, operability, access, or scheduling, so current details require confirmation from the railway.

Which steam locomotive worked at the Anten–Gräfsnäs heritage railway?

VGJ No. 24 was documented as the working steam locomotive at Anten–Gräfsnäs on 19 July 2012. The International Steam Pages report identifies it as a 4-6-0 with NOHAB works number 982; the separate enthusiast account identifies it as built in 1911. The dated observation does not prove that the locomotive remains operational today.

Is Swedish steam locomotive No. 1149 still operational?

The available evidence does not establish that SJ B No. 1149 is currently operational. The Railpace article reproducing Discovery Park’s announcement says it went to the United States in 1995 for operation on the Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad, but it now describes the locomotive as a museum artifact. The more recent work was cosmetic and preservational rather than a documented return to steam.

How many SJ B-class steam locomotives are reported preserved?

The cited third-party SJ B overview reports 38 preserved locomotives out of 99 produced. This is not a complete official condition inventory and does not mean that all 38 are complete, serviceable, or operational.

Are VGJ No. 24 and Ostkustbanan H 24 the same locomotive?

No. VGJ No. 24 is the NOHAB-built 4-6-0 from 1911 associated with Anten–Gräfsnäs. Ostkustbanan H 24 is a different locomotive, reported by an RMweb contributor as formerly SJ No. 1509, class A3, and later restored to its Ostkustbanan identity. The shared running number is why the railway prefix must remain attached.