Western & Atlantic Railroad #49 “Texas” is a 4-4-0 “American” type steam locomotive built in 1856 for the Western & Atlantic Railroad by Danforth, Cooke & Co., best known as the principal pursuit engine in the Great Locomotive Chase, chasing the General after the latter was stolen by Union saboteurs in an attempt to ruin the Confederate rail system during the American Civil War. The locomotive is preserved at the Atlanta History Center.
The Great Locomotive Chase
Main article: Great Locomotive Chase
At the onset of the Civil War, the locomotive primarily hauled local freight and cargo without any major incident. However, on April 12, 1862, the Texas, while pulling a load of 12 cars from Dalton southbound towards Atlanta, was commandeered by William Allen Fuller to chase down spies, led by James J. Andrews, during the “Great Locomotive Chase.” Steaming in reverse after jettisoning the railcars, the Texas pursued the fleeing General over 50 miles before the raiders abandoned their stolen engine two miles north of Ringgold, Georgia. The Texas’s engineer, Peter Bracken, towed the abandoned General back to Adairsville, Georgia, and then picked up his 12 cars and steamed into Atlanta, well behind schedule, but with good reason.
Following the incident, the Texas and nine boxcars were loaned to the East Tennessee & Virginia Railroad to haul salt and cargo from the mines at Saltville, Virginia in 1863. While in Virginia, the engine was captured by the U.S. Military Railroad (USMRR). Eventually, as Union forces made their way toward Atlanta, the W&ARR and its 46 other locomotives were captured as well.[2]
Postbellum
The engine has been restored to its 1880s appearance, as opposed to the wartime appearance it had from the 1936 restoration. As such, it has received a new diamond stack similar to the one it had when retired, as well as a new cowcatcher with vertical wooden slats (similar to that currently worn by the General), a black paint scheme, and was returned to its 1870s number, 12, though retains the Texas name, with a newly fabricated number plate to reflect the number. The old balloon stack, cowcatcher, and other removed elements from the 1936 restoration will remain in the history center’s collection, and may be exhibited separately.[12] The engine’s new look caused a controversy in some circles, with critics saying the Texas’s new look erased its Civil War history. Commenting on the engine’s new appearance, Gordon Jones, of the Atlanta History Center, noted that the Texas was in service for fifty years, the Great Locomotive Chase occupying but a few hours of its service life, and said “We’ve already got one locomotive [the General] telling the story of the Great Locomotive Chase. We can utilize the Texas to tell a different story.”[13] The fully restored Texas was publicly unveiled by the North Carolina Transportation Museum on April 28, 2017, during a weekend long celebration in which it was exhibited alongside other engines at the museum, including the visiting Lehigh Valley No. 126 and the Norfolk and Western Railway no. 611, another engine restored at the museum.
The Texas was scheduled to begin its two-day move to the Atlanta History Center on May 3, 2017, but a logistical issue delayed the beginning of the move from North Carolina until May 4. It arrived on May 5.[14][15] The Atlanta History Center’s new Atlanta railroads exhibit, featuring the locomotive, opened on November 17, 2018. The Cyclorama painting and related exhibits will open to the public in spring 2019.
Content retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Texas_(locomotive).