Steam & Excursion > 2nd Coming of T&P 2-10-4 610

Well, in MSTS, that is. There were some excellent shots of T&P Steam Power "In the Day" recently posted on the Nostalgia & History Board, which brought the "Lanky Texan" back to the forefront of my mind (it never strays too far from my mind!!!). I'm going to post more shots in Railfan Electronics, where this type of posting is normally placed, but thought that some of you might be interested in this excellently rendered Texas & Pacific 2-10-4 610 in Microsoft Train Simulator format. B&W photos of the "REAL THING," whether 600-Class 2-10-4s, 700-Class Pacifics, the trim 800-Class 2-8-2s, or, the utterly magnificent 900-Class 4-8-2s (the first batch, the early 900s, were almost identical in appearance to the 600s with their distinctive Elesco Feedwater Heaters...the excellent B&W shots posted in Nostalgia & History were of the later 900s with the Worthington Feedwater Heaters). Memories and comments about either the T&P 610 on the American Freedom Train in Texas, from its Southern Railway Excursion Days, or, vintage T&P steam operation are welcome. While I'm at it, for those who like the 610, or, Super Power Steam, there is an EXCELLENT video of the 610 operating on the Southern Railway available by MAINLINE MOTION PICTURES (I am not affiliated with them, just recommending an excellent tape/DVD), complete with cab rides, real-time sound, meets with the "SOUTHERN CRESCENT" led by 4 green and gold E8As, you name it...

While the T&P 610 has a good home in a nice, enclosed cozy stall at the Texas State Railroad, and has had a splendid cosmetic restoration, I am CONFIDENT that this engine WILL run again. In my lifetime? Not placing any bets. But I think that this magnificent early example of Lima SUPER POWER Steam will grace the rails again, someday (along with my other favorite, SSW 4-8-4 819).

(1) T&P 610 races by a small general store in East Texas alongside U.S. Highway 80:

(2) A brightly-lit view of T&P 610 racing through Greggton, TX, just west of Longview on the UPRR's ex-T&P Texarkana to Fort Worth, TX "Speedway," current route of today's Amtrak "TEXAS EAGLE" and a LOT of UP intermodal trains:

(3) Dramatic view of the T&P 610 hitting a trestle at speed, showing the appliances, feedwater heater, and other details that made this large locomotive look even bigger than it was...that "all business look":

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Not to digress from the Texas & Pacific, but, my "other favorite engine" (they are in an absolute dead tie) ;-), the Cotton Belt 4-8-4 819, another engine that has a "nice home" in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and in terrific condition, too, but currently with no place to run.

While of a different "family look," there is a sort of similarity between these two engines...that "all business" look...aesthetic beauty in their look of basic functionality. Both classes of engines were "talkers" with a thunderous exhaust, and both capable of 70 MPH-plus running (the SSW 819 built that way, the T&P 600s "made so" after extensive rebuild for WWII redball freights and troop trains at the massive T&P Marshall Shops with improved counterbalancing and the addition of Boxpok main drivers).

I've never yet seen a photograph of an SSW 800 meeting a T&P 2-10-4 in the vintage era at the interlocking tower at Texarkana, Texas (the T&P, now Amtrak depot sits on the Texas/Arkansas state line, so that the head end of a train might be in Texas, the rear in Arkansas, but the whole train nonetheless in Texarkana), you know these two classes of engines met daily at the interlocker, and the T&P 610 and the SSW 819 undoubtedly crossed paths numerous times during their careers.

The SSW 819:

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A real T&P 600, the T&P 638 Charles Mizell photo courtesy of the T&P Railfan Depot archives at Texaspacificrailway.org (a good site for those who are interested in the T&P). During most of their service lives, the T&P 600s (and their other classes of steam power) wore "RUSSIAN IRON" boiler jackets, almost like Great Northern's grey-green boiler jackets, but toward the end, some were painted basic black and graphite, resulting in this type of appearance.

The T&P 638 was proudly displayed at the State Fair of Dallas, Texas, but, was improperly cared for, vandalized, and sadly, the engine was scrapped on site in the 1960s, leaving the T&P 610 the sole survivor. If only...if ONLY...there would have been TWO surviving examples of T&P Super Power Steam.

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