The 509 steam engine sits less than a quarter mile east from the Central Georgia Railroad tracks in Macon. The locomotive is one of the few remaining steam engines that traveled the rail lines in central Georgia. But the 509 is relic of a bygone era, long ago pushed aside when diesel power made steam locomotives obsolete.

Now you can walk up to the engine's resting place on the western edge of Macon's Central City Park, where she's been for decades.

And the engine is in rough condition. Exposed to the elements, the steam engine shows plenty of signs of rust and places where the paint has peeled. A tarp is draped over the engine itself, covering where asbestos removal was done.

And yet the 509 is still an attraction.

Just a short walk away from the old steam engine is the Macon-Bibb Parks and Recreation Department and the office of director Doc Dougherty.

Dougherty called the 509 "eye candy" for park visitors - even in her decaying state.

"People do, definitely, daily walk up to the train," he said. "(They) walk around the train and take a good look at it."

Long time Maconites, like 52-year-old Terrell Smith, know the 509 represents a time when the city was a railroad town.

"I know this is history," said Smith, standing next to the steam engine. "It's still here and it's a part of the city. you can't take away a monument."

But the 509 may be leaving.

In 2011, Macon government took a shot at restoring the steam engine. The agreed to lease the 509 to Hartwell Railroad Company in Northeast Georgia. The company would rebuild the 509 and run it as an excursion train. But they had three years to do the work -- and all that was done was removing asbestos from the engine. Macon-Bibb Mayor Robert Reichert said the city had enough with the inaction and declared the company in default of the contract.

"What were back to now is square one," Reichert said. Macon-Bibb government lacks the money to make the improvements.

But now a suitor has come along for the 509 - Savannah's Coastal Heritage Society. The society runs the Georgia State Railroad Museum in Savannah and sees the steam engine as a great addition. While museum has long had interest, only now do they have some money. An anonymous donor will pay $70,000 to move the engine east to Savannah and begin restoration.

Terry Koller, director of railroad operations at the Society, came to Macon last week and pitched a committee of the Macon-Bibb Commission to lend the 509 to the museum.

"It can be a lot more than a park locomotive," Koller told the lawmakers. "It really is an artifact of our country's industrial revolution."

Restoration wouldn't mean slapping a coat of paint on the engine but restoring all the working parts of the 509. Koller says museum curators use the engine's inner workings to teach kids about how simple machines work.

But this restoration won't be easy. Operational parts in the engine's cab were removed using a blowtorch and then shrink-wrapped together in what looked like a metal mass.

"Nothing is labelled. Everything is torched apart," Koller said. "It's going to be a jigsaw puzzle to put it back together."

The total job is estimated to cost $250,000. Macon-Bibb commissioners on the Economic Development Committee gave their blessing to start negotiations to loan the 509 to the Savannah organization.

Parks Director Dougherty said he's torn by this prospect. Park officials still see the 509 as an attraction that connects to Macon's past. But he also doesn't want her to deteriorate further.

"What a neat piece of history and if we can keep it here... we can keep it," he said. "If not, it'll be in a good place too."

Should Macon-Bibb agree move the 509 to Savannah, Koller said the move could happen before St. Patrick's Day. One more trip for the old engine - but by truck on a highway.

Tags: transportation, train, rail, railroad, Macon, Savannah