Steam & Excursion > A Famous Western Steam Locomotive Before She Came West!

There are a handful of famous Western Steam locomotives that actually started their operational careers back East and only gained fame when they came out West.  Here is just such and engine.

We all know her as Magma Arizona #7 for her years hauling copper ore in Arizona.  She gained her fame for not only her clean and handsome lines that Baldwin gave her but for the fact that she survived in steam well into the 1960's after nearly all other Western steam had been replaced by Diesel.

#7 did not stat out at Magma however.  She was built originally in 1917 as #30 for the Tremont & Gulf Railway of Louisiana.  She put in 33 years for this Eastern shortline before being sold to Magma Arizona in 1950 where she gained her true fame by running all the way into June 1967.

Our first photo shows her at the Baldwin factory in 1917 before she left for her new home in Louisiana.  The second photo (by Harold F. Stewart)  shows her in Arizona a full 10 years before she would retire there completing her 50 year operating career.

Today she is alive and well and is operating still on the Texas State Railroad.  She has been returned to her Magma Arizona number and lettering to commemorate her most famous owner.


Martin



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 03/25/15 03:57 by LoggerHogger.

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Palestine, TX.  May, 2014

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It's always nice to read a story that ends well!

Steve Mitchell
http://www.yardgoatimages.com

She's a pretty little engine, nice lines and clean .

Earl and his gang did a great job on her.  I'm still trying to get used to the copper smokebox and firebox, but she's a  beauty.

Pulls just as good as it looks!

Out

My friend Tom Moungovan notes that there is some confusion regarding the dates of the last use of Magma Arizona 2-8-2 No.7 by the Magma. She actually ran on the Magma until September 4th, 1968.The following is excerpted from a September 13, 2012 post he made to another site:

"I visited Medford Corporation in late June of 1968 to shoot their Baldwin diesel and was told that she was "going to a railroad in
Arizona". I did not suspect that it was the Magma until later that
summer when I learned that Magma would soon cease the use of steam.


A quick trip to Phoenix from Edwards AFB where I was stationed got me
& my roommate to his grandmothers house on the afternoon of
September 3rd. I got up really early on the morning of the 4th,
unloaded my Yamaha from the trunk of his Thunderbird and set off in the
dark for Superior."

Tom has both movies and still photos of that last day and notes that there were no other fans in attendance.

Cheers,
Jack



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/25/15 10:35 by africansteam.

Yes, 2-8-0 #5 got the credit for the last freight train run in late August, 1968.  But as was pointed out, #7 was fired up and run around in Superior Yard in early September.  That was the last freight use of steam in freight service on the MARR, and the last time #7 steamed before being shipped to TX a few years later.  #5 was used a few times more motion picture work before being sold to the Oregon Pacific & Eastern.

That builder's photo is interesting. It definitely looks like the boiler shell and the wheel rims are some color other than black. Possibly the bars on the plow are also. Anyone know what color(s) the engine was when new? I'd guess a green, but red or orange aren't out of the question, just looking at the B&W photo.

According to the BLW spec sheet, #7 (30) was olive green with aluminum lettering when new.  One has to be careful of builder's photos.  Many times BLW applied special paint to make the engine stand out in the photograph.  Usually the engine had flat paint applied to the detail would not get lost in the pic.  It looks like #7-30 had a planished jacket, but the specs show it as painted iron.