Caption this image

RUSK, Texas – This is Santa Fe 4-6-2 No. 1316, also known as Texas State Railroad No. 500. The 1911 passenger locomotive last steamed 12 years ago, and the railroad, then part of Texas State Parks, built an all new welded boiler for the locomotive for installation. Trouble is, the new boiler has technical issues (too complex to go into here), and so the cylinders, frame, and running gear, have been like this for years. Iowa Pacific runs the railroad now, and their mechanical forces are trying to determine if the new boiler can be made to work, or whether it can repair the old boiler and reinstall it. While we’re waiting for their decision, I thought you might want to this unique view of the frame and cylinders, made on a shop tour during the recent meeting of the Association of Tourist Railroads and Railway Museums. I have to admit, as a steam locomotive aficionado, this angle startled me.

The headline? Let’s see what clever minds out there can come up with, and while you’re thinking, be sure to read our January 2015 issue Preservation page story about steam locomotives that will be coming into operation or going out in 2015. Good luck!

P.S.: Texas State Railroad General Manager Steven Butler says that when the locomotive returns to steam, it will once again be AT&SF No. 1316.