Texas and Pacific 610

Texas and Pacific 610
T&P No. 610 on static display at the Texas State Railroad
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Lima Locomotive Works Order number 1101 Serial number 7237 Build date June 1927
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-10-4  • UIC 1′E2′ h2 Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Driver dia. 63 in (1,600 mm) Adhesive weight 300,000 lb (140,000 kilograms; 140 metric tons) Loco weight 452,000 lb (205,000 kilograms; 205 metric tons) Tender weight 277,166 lb (125,720 kilograms; 125.720 metric tons) Total weight 729,166 lb (330,744 kilograms; 330.744 metric tons) Fuel type Oil Fuel capacity 5,000 US gal (19,000 l; 4,200 imp gal) Water cap. 14,000 US gal (53,000 l; 12,000 imp gal) Boiler pressure 255 lbf/in2 (1.76 MPa) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 29 in × 32 in (737 mm × 813 mm) Valve gear Baker
Performance figures Tractive effort Loco: 92,590 lbf (411.9 kN), Booster: 13,300 lbf (59.2 kN), Loco W/ Booster: 105,890 lbf (471.0 kN) Factor of adh. 3.24
Career Operators Texas and Pacific Railway Southern Railway (1977–1981) Class I-1a Number in class 1st of 15 Numbers T&P 610 AFT 610 SOU 610 Retired 1951 (revenue service) 1981 (excursion service) Restored 1976 Current owner Texas State Railroad Disposition On static display at the Texas State Railroad History Museum, 789 PR 70, based in Palestine, Texas Texas & Pacific Steam Locomotive No. 610 U.S. National Register of Historic Places Texas & Pacific Steam Locomotive No. 610 Texas & Pacific Steam Locomotive No. 610 Show map of TexasShow map of the United StatesShow all Coordinates 31°44′28″N 95°35′16″W / 31.74111°N 95.58778°W / 31.74111; -95.58778Coordinates: 31°44′28″N 95°35′16″W / 31.74111°N 95.58778°W / 31.74111; -95.58778 Area 1 acre (0.40 ha) NRHP reference No. 77001477[1] Added to NRHP March 25, 1977

Texas and Pacific 610 is a class "I-1a" 2-10-4 "Texas" type steam locomotive that was originally operated by the Texas and Pacific Railway (T&P). It served the T&P from 1927 to 1951 before being donated to the city of Fort Worth. It was briefly used for the American Freedom Train in the mid-1970s, and subsequently for the Southern Railway steam program. Since 1982, No. 610 has remained on static display at the Texas State Railroad's Hall of Giants in Palestine.

History[]

Built in June 1927 by the Lima Locomotive Works, No. 610 and it's class, the I-1s,^[2] were the first authentic 2-10-4s ever constructed. No. 610 was a major work-horse for the Texas and Pacific. By the early 1950s, the T&P had scrapped all of their "Texas" type locomotives, except Nos. 610 and 638, with No. 610 being donated to the Fort Worth Fat Stock Show in 1951 and the locomotive sat on display at the Will Rogers Memorial Center. Sister engine No. 638^[3] also survived for a brief time as a display piece in the city of Dallas, but was scrapped after only two years due to becoming a safety hazard after being vandalized, and it was subsequently replaced with New York Central 4-8-2 "Mohawk" No. 3001.

In early 1975, No. 610 was selected as one of the locomotives to haul the American Freedom Train as the bicentennial of the United States.^[4] At first, the head of the group in charge of restoring the locomotive was , but as the project was running way behind schedule, Jensen was fired and replaced.^[5] In 1976, the locomotive was fired up once more, albeit one year late, and it would be used to haul the AFT for the portion of its tour in Texas. The locomotive would swap trains with 4-8-4 No. 4449 whenever it reached a Texas border.^[6] After pulling the American Freedom Train, the locomotive was leased by the Southern Railway in 1977 for use in its steam excursion program.^[7] The Southern Railway re-lettered the locomotive as "Southern No. 610" and operated it for four years, before the railway decided the locomotive couldn't produce enough speed for their needs, and then they started restoring Chesapeake and Ohio 2-8-4 No. 2716 as a replacement. The railway subsequently returned No. 610 to Texas in 1981.

From 1982 it was on display by the Trinity Valley Railfans on GSA property located on James Avenue in Fort Worth. Due to GSA downsizing the property and the resultant need to move the engine, it was transferred to the City of Fort Worth, Texas and moved to the Texas State Railroad.

The locomotive is now on static display at the Texas State Railroad in Palestine, Texas side by side with Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe 4-6-2 No. 1316.^[8] There, the locomotive would often be pulled out of the engine shed using their smaller locomotives,^[9] including 2-8-2 No. 30, 2-8-0 No. 28, and 4-6-0 , and it would then be pushed back inside by the end of the day.

Historical significance[]

No. 610 is the only surviving example of a T&P "Texas" type locomotive and the largest non-articulated steam locomotive preserved built by the Lima Locomotive Works. The only other surviving T&P steam locomotives are 4-6-0 , which is also preserved at the Texas State Railroad, and Ex-Fort Worth and Denver 2-8-2 No. 400, which is preserved in Marshall, Texas.^[10]

The locomotive is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

See also[]

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Anderson County, Texas

References[]

• "Texas & Pacific #610, Lima-built, "Texas" Class, 2-10-4 Steam Engine (1927)". Missouri Pacific Historical Society. Archived from the original on September 6, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2006.
• "Locomotives and Equipment". The Museum of America's Freedom Trains. Retrieved January 17, 2006.
• "T&P 610, 2-10-4 steam engine". Screaming Eagles. Retrieved January 17, 2006.
• Loco Profile 31 - Lima Super Power. Windsor, Berks, UK: Profile Publications. 1983.

External links[]

• Texas & Pacific 610 and the 1975-1976 Bicentennial American Freedom Train
• Texas & Pacific 610 modeled in LEGO Bricks