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Locomotive ‘Texas’ heads to North Carolina despite delays
A great story on some of the unexpected surprises that can be encountered during restorations.
It just goes to show that they needed to get more accurate information before getting started, given the loco was basically double the estimated amount on the records. Surely a phone call to find out how much The General weighs would have been prudent.
A fine article, except I find no mention of this locomotives historic involvement in the Great Locomotive Chase.
Oh, and it doubled its weight. Just goes to show what just sitting around can do.
Happy Holidays and a Peaceful and Prosperous New Year.
And just who are you going to call? The A&W folks? The “best” records said 26,000 lbs.
To clarify, the first part of the morning was consumed with pulling the engine out of the building on our temporary railroad–up a 4% grade (to avoid underground utilities), no less! The weight issue and its impact on crane and trucking delayed the move for a total of 3 hours.
Of course the General’s weight was known to us, as well as the weight of other 4-4-0s of the era (which varied). The wild card was that both the General and the Texas were modified over time. With the Texas, its boiler, drivers and even the tender were swapped out over time. The best due diligence and the best minds just got it wrong initially in this case.
That said, we are grateful for the quick work and the flexibility of the team members involved who resolved issues as they came up during this move. My thanks go to Steam Operations Corporation, Georgia Rigging, Maxim Crane, C.D. Moody Construction and Lynn Gause Construction for their fine work on this project.
You can read more about the history of the Texas and our extensive research into its past on the Atlanta History Center’s website here: http://www.atlantahistorycenter.com/history-atlanta-cyclorama-and-texas
Jackson McQuigg
Atlanta History Center
I have to ask how soon the purists of rewritting history while cleansing all evidence of the Confederacy will demand that engine be destroyed because the South used it so that means it had to do with slavery.
It’s too bad it is not displayed with The General in Kennesaw, GA where it would be much more appreciated by folks who actually value history instead of trying to destroy all remaining artifacts of the Confederacy.