578 to pull some tourist trains on their trackage, until it was sidelined as a result of mechanical problems in the early 1970s.

578, along with the rest of the E2 class locomotives, was modified with superheated flues, and it was reclassified as an E2a.

578 was primarily used to pull passenger trains throughout the Scioto Division out of Columbus, Ohio.

The locomotive subsequently spent the remainder of its revenue career pulling local passenger trains on the N&W’s Norton Branch between Norton, Virginia and Bluefield, West Virginia alongside some of its remaining classmates.

[2] The locomotive completed its final revenue passenger run in December 1958 before it was removed from the N&W's active list.

578 pulled the association's short-distance tourist trains, and the locomotive carried over 3,000 passengers during that year's operating season.

578 pulled some more tourist trains on the now-slightly extended line for the Association, which changed its name to the Ohio Railway Museum (ORM).

578 had a broken spring hanger, which was deemed too expensive to repair or replace.