Southern Pacific 1744 is a preserved M-6 class

2-6-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and no trailing wheels. T ...

"Mogul" type

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, Fuel oil, oil or, rarely, Wood fuel, wood) to heat ...

, built by the

Baldwin Locomotive Works The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railway locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, Eddystone in the early 20th century. The com ...

(BLW) for the

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was oper ...

(SP) in November 1901. Originally equipped with Vauclain compound cylinders, it was rebuilt with conventional

cylinders A cylinder () has traditionally been a three-dimensional solid, one of the most basic of curvilinear geometric shapes. In elementary geometry, it is considered a prism with a circle as its base. A cylinder may also be defined as an infinite ...

in 1912. It operated for many years out of

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

on the Southern Pacific's Western Division and in

California's Central Valley The Central Valley is a broad, elongated, flat valley that dominates the interior of California, United States. It is wide and runs approximately from north-northwest to south-southeast, inland from and parallel to the Pacific coast. It cover ...

where the locomotive and its classmates were fondly called “Valley Mallets” by their crews. The locomotive was made famous in later years by pulling some of the last steam excursions on the SP alongside other steam locomotives, including

4-8-4 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and four trailing wheels on two axles. The type wa ...

4460. In 1959, No. 1744 was donated to the Sons of Utah Pioneers in

Corinne, Utah } Corinne ( ) is a city in Box Elder County, Utah, United States. The population was 809 at the 2020 census, up from the 2010 figure of 685. History For almost ten years from its founding on 25 March 1869, the town of Corinne prospered as th ...

where it remained on static display, until 1980. That year, it was restored by New London Railroad and Village Incorporated to operate on the Heber Valley Railroad (HVRX) in

Heber City Heber City is a city and county seat of Wasatch County, Utah. The population was 16,856 as of the 2020 United States census. The city is located 43 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. History Heber City was first settled in 1859 by Robert Broad ...

for the rest of the decade. In 1989, it was sold to Tarantula Corporation for a rebuild that never came to fruition, and it spent another decade in storage in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

. In 1999, it was sold again the Rio Grande Pacific Corporation, and it was rebuilt to operate in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

until 2001. It was eventually sold once again to

Iowa Pacific Holdings Iowa Pacific Holdings was a holding company that owned railroad properties across North America and the United Kingdom, as well as providing services such as railcar repairs, leasing, management and consulting services to other operators. The comp ...

for use on the

Rio Grande Scenic Railroad The Rio Grande Scenic Railroad of Colorado was a heritage railway that operated from 2006 to 2019 in and around the San Luis Valley as a subsidiary of the San Luis and Rio Grande Railroad. The heritage railroad ceased operating excursions follo ...

between

Alamosa Alamosa is the home rule city that is the county seat of Alamosa County, Colorado, United States. Alamosa is located along the Rio Grande. The city population was 9,806 in the 2020 United States census. The city is the commercial center of th ...

and

La Veta, Colorado La Veta ( , Spanish for "the vein") is a statutory town in Huerfano County, Colorado, United States. La Veta sits at the base of the Spanish Peaks on the Highway of Legends National Scenic Byway. The town population was 862 as of the 2020 U ...

. Its fourth return to service only lasted less than a year, as firebox repairs needed to be done for the locomotive. The boiler was sent to several out of state facilities for repairs, until the Rio Grande Scenic ceased operations. In March 2020, the

Pacific Locomotive Association The Pacific Locomotive Association, Inc. (PLA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the physical aspects and atmosphere of West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast Rail transport, railroading during the period from 1 ...

purchased No. 1744 with the hopes of bringing it back to service on the

Niles Canyon Railway The Niles Canyon Railway (NCRy) is a heritage railway running on the first transcontinental railroad alignment (1866, 1869) through Niles Canyon, between Sunol and the Niles district of Fremont in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay ...

Sunol, California Sunol () is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Alameda County, California. Located in the Sunol Valley of the East Bay, the population was 922 at the 2020 census. It is best known as the location of the Sunol Water Temple an ...

History

Construction and revenue service

Between 1882 and 1930, the

(SP) purchased a total of 438 distinctive M-class

"Moguls" for themselves and their subsidiary companies, such as the

Texas and New Orleans Railroad The Texas and New Orleans Railroad (TNO) was an American rail company in Texas and Louisiana. It operated of railroad in 1934; by 1961, remained when it merged with parent company Southern Pacific Railroad, Southern Pacific. Morgan's Louisian ...

. The Moguls they purchased were built by several manufacturers: 131 units from the

Cooke Locomotive and Machine Works The Cooke Locomotive and Machine Works, located in Paterson, New Jersey, manufactured steam railroad locomotives from 1852 until it was merged with seven other manufacturers to form American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in 1901. History The firm wa ...

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New York Locomotive Works in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

, 33 units from the

Brooks Locomotive Works The Brooks Locomotive Works manufactured railroad steam locomotives and freight cars from 1869 through its merger into the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in 1901. History When the New York and Erie Railroad (NY&E) relocated its shops faciliti ...

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

, 7 units from the

Rhode Island Locomotive Works Rhode Island Locomotive Works was a steam locomotive manufacturing company in Providence, Rhode Island. The factory produced more than 3,400 locomotives between 1867 and 1906, when the plant's locomotive production was shut down. At its peak, the lo ...

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

, 7 units from the

Pittsburgh Locomotive and Car Works The Pittsburgh Locomotive and Car Works was a railroad equipment manufacturing company founded by Andrew Carnegie and T.N. Miller in 1865. It was located in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh and since 1907 part of that city. It rep ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, 24 units from the

Schenectady Locomotive Works The Schenectady Locomotive Works was a factory in Schenectady, New York, that railroad locomotives from its founding in 1848 through its merger into American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in 1901. After the 1901 merger, ALCO made the Schenectady pla ...

Schenectady, New York Schenectady ( ) is a City (New York), city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populo ...

, 190 units from the

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Pennsylvania, a single unit from the

Lima Locomotive Works Lima Locomotive Works (LLW) was an American firm that manufactured railroad locomotives from the 1870s through the 1950s. The company's name is derived from the location of its main manufacturing plant in Lima, Ohio ( ). The shops were located be ...

Lima, Ohio Lima ( ) is a city in Allen County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 35,579. It is located in northwest Ohio along Interstate 75 in Ohio, Interstate 75, appr ...

and 36 units built by the SP's own facilities in

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

and

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. No. 1744 was the 20th member of the M-6 class built by Baldwin and delivered to the SP in November 1901. The locomotive and its classmates started out as

Vauclain compound The Vauclain compound was a type of compound steam locomotive that was briefly popular from the early 1890’s to the mid-1900’s. Developed by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, it featured two pistons moving in parallel, driving a common crosshead ...

high-pressure locomotives, as in the turn of the 20th century, this design became very popular with various class 1 railroads, including the SP. However, the popularity was short-lived. Significant maintenance difficulties appeared, particularly with uneven forces wear on the crosshead guides. The two

were supposed to be proportioned so as to do equal work (with the low pressure being three times larger than the high); but since the steam passed between the low and high-pressure cylinder is always expanded, even before cutoff, the force produced in the low-pressure cylinder varies differently from that in the high-pressure cylinder. The complex valve assembly and the starter valve also led to increased maintenance costs, as they caused the locomotive's

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

and

water Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...

economy to be so good that they were also pricy to operate. As a result of this, the SP chose to rebuild all their compound Moguls between 1907 and 1914, with No. 1744 rebuilt in 1912, with conventional cylinders. Shortly afterwards, they were modified with superheated flues. These locomotives were mainly assigned for

freight service In transportation, cargo refers to goods transported by land, water or air, while freight refers to its conveyance. In economics, freight refers to goods transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. The term cargo is also used in case ...

, with No. 1744 operating out of

Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...

on the SP Western Division and in

. Despite no longer being compound locomotives, the Moguls were still fondly nicknamed by their crews "Valley Mallets". On October 7, 1954, the 1744's old 6,000 gallon tender was replaced with a 10,000 gallon class 100-C-1 tender for an increase of water capacity. As

4-6-0 A 4-6-0 steam locomotive, under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, has four leading wheels on two axles in a leading bogie and six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles with the abs ...

s and

2-8-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels. ...

s became more reliable in completing certain assignments, along with locomotives with longer

wheel arrangement In rail transport, a wheel arrangement or wheel configuration is a system of classifying the way in which wheels are distributed under a locomotive. Several notations exist to describe the wheel assemblies of a locomotive by type, position, and c ...

s being introduced, the 2-6-0s were all relegated work in

branch line A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Branch lines may serve one or more industries, or a city or town not located ...

s and

rail yard A rail yard, railway yard, railroad yard (US) or simply yard, is a series of Track (rail transport), tracks in a rail network for storing, sorting, or loading and unloading rail vehicles and locomotives. Yards have many tracks in parallel for k ...

s across the SP system. The railroad started retiring their little moguls as early as 1928, when the first M-7s were already sold for

scrap Scrap consists of recyclable materials, usually metals, left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap can have monetary value, especially recover ...

. The 2-6-0s would retire more frequently as the SP began to fully dieselize. No. 1744 was among the last steam locomotives on the railroad to be removed from revenue service, as it pulled its last revenue freight train for the SP in Sacramento on September 24, 1956. Between 1951 and 1958, by the approval of the railroad's president Donald J. Russel, the SP used their steam locomotives for a series of "Farewell to Steam" excursions. They selected multiple steam locomotives that were still on their active roster for the fan trips, including No. 1744, 1896-built T-1 class 4-6-0 "ten wheeler" No. 2248, P-8

4-6-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and two trailing wheels on one axle. The locomoti ...

"Pacific" No. 2475,

GS-4 The Southern Pacific GS-4 is a class of semi-streamlined 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotive operated by the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) from 1941 to 1958. A total of 28 locomotives were built by Lima Locomotive Works (LLW) in Lima, Ohio, wi ...

No. 4443, GS-6 4-8-4 No. 4460, SP-2

4-10-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, represents the arrangement of four leading wheels, ten powered and coupled driving wheels and two trailing wheels. In South Africa, where the wheel arrang ...

"Southern Pacific" type No. 5011 and AC-11

4-8-8-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, a 4-8-8-2 is a locomotive with four leading wheels, two sets of eight driving wheels, and a two-wheel trailing truck. Other equivalent classifications are: UIC classificat ...

Cab forward The term cab forward refers to various Rail transport, rail and road vehicle designs that place the driver's compartment substantially farther towards the front than is common practice. Rail locomotives In steam locomotive design, a cab-forwa ...

No. 4274. On May 4, 1958, No. 4460 was assigned to pull the Oakland-Sacramento Senator plus an extra string of Harriman type

passenger cars A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

for an excursion over the 34-mile Sutter-Basin branch North of Sacramento. As the train approached

Davis Davis may refer to: Places Antarctica * Mount Davis (Antarctica) * Davis Island (Palmer Archipelago) * Davis Station, an Australian base and research outpost in the Vestfold Hills * Davis Valley, Queen Elizabeth Land Canada * Davis, Sa ...

, it was handed over to No. 1744, which pulled the train on the rest of the journey to the end of the little-used

Knights Landing Knights Landing (formerly Baltimore and East Grafton) is a census-designated place in Yolo County, California, United States, founded by William Knight. It is located on the Sacramento River around 25 miles northwest of Sacramento in the northea ...

branch, a signpost lettered "Josephine", where until that time, there had never been a

passenger A passenger is a person who travels in a vehicle, but does not bear any responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination or otherwise operate the vehicle, and is not a steward. The vehicles may be bicycles, ...

train in that area. That was the last time No. 1744 was operated by the Southern Pacific, before its fire was dropped one last time. No. 4460 would pull the final excursions before being retired on October 31 of that same year, and No. 2248 remained on the active list until May 3, 1961.

Early retirement

Of all the steam locomotives that pulled the farewell to steam excursions, only Numbers 1744, 2248, and 4460 are preserved. No. 4460 has remained on static display at the

National Museum of Transportation The National Museum of Transportation (TNMOT) is a private, 42-acre transport museum, transportation museum in the Kirkwood, Missouri, Kirkwood suburb of St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1944, it restores, preserves, and displays a wide ...

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, as the ''Forgotten Daylight'', whereas No. 2248 has been restored to operational status on the

Grapevine Vintage Railroad The Grapevine Vintage Railroad (GVRR) is an excursion and special event railroad in Grapevine, Texas, USA, that runs from the Grapevine–Main Street station in Grapevine to the Fort Worth Stockyards. GVRR is owned and operated by the City of Gra ...

Tarrant County Tarrant County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas with a 2020 U.S. census population of 2,110,640, making it the third-most populous county in Texas and the 15th-most populous in the United States. Its county seat is Fort Worth. T ...

, as ''Puffy'' since 1993, but is currently undergoing a 1,472-day overhaul. On April 18, 1959, the Southern Pacific donated No. 1744 to the Sons of Utah Pioneers, and the locomotive was moved to their grounds in Corinne,

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

on May 9, where it remained on static display for the next twenty-one years.

Heber Valley Railroad excursion service

On April 22, 1980, No. 1744 was purchased by the New London and Village Incorporation, and it was moved by

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport freight, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construct ...

, where it was given a major rebuild in the locomotive shops. In the

Labor Day Labor Day is a Federal holidays in the United States, federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the Labor history of the United States, American labor movement and the works and con ...

weekend of that year, No. 1744 was back under steam and was ready to operate on the Heber Creeper

Tourist Railroad A heritage railway or heritage railroad (U.S. usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) ...

(HVRX). There, No. 1744 would operate alongside some other active steam locomotives, including

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad is a Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United States after BNSF, ...

2-8-0 No. 618,

Sierra Railway The Sierra Railroad Corporation is a privately owned common carrier. Its Sierra Northern Railway freight division handles all freight operations for all branches owned by the Sierra Railroad. The company's Mendocino Railway group operates t ...

2-8-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and two trailing wh ...

"Mikado" No. 36, and

Santa Maria Valley Santa Maria Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) which straddles the boundary of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties in California's multi-county Central Coast AVA. It was established on August 5, 1981, by the Bureau of Alcohol ...

2-8-2 No. 100. No. 1744 would also perform some famous doubleheaders with the other locomotives, which would also only happen on Labor Day weekends. As the decade progressed, however, the Heber Creeper was running into some financial trouble, and they slowly struggled to operate any more trains. No. 1744 made its last run in Heber on December 3, 1989, when it pulled the Santa Claus Express, and its fire was dropped once again and put into storage. Citizens in the Heber area successfully petitioned the State of Utah to help save the railroad, leading to the creation of the Heber Valley Historic Railroad Authority in the early 1990s. By that time, however, No. 1744 was auctioned off to Tarantula Corporation. It was moved by truck to

Ogden Ogden may refer to: Places Canada *Ogden, Calgary, in Calgary, Alberta *Ogden, Quebec, a small municipality in the Eastern Townships * Ogdensville, British Columbia or Ogden City, alternate names for gold rush-era Seymour Arm, British Columbia *Og ...

, and then moved by rail East-bound to

, where it was re-lettered Fort Worth and Western (FWWR). There were plans to operate the locomotive to pull the FWWR's Tarantula excursion trains. However, such plans have fallen through, and No. 1744 instead spent the rest of the decade in storage at Fort Worth. On May 21, 1999, No. 1744 was sold to the Rio Grande Pacific Corporation (RGP), who gave it a thorough overhaul beginning in January 2000 at a combined purchase and rebuild cost of $1.3 million. No. 1744 was test fired over FWWR trackage on September 9, 2000, and throughout the rest of the month, it was used for various test runs while pulling passenger cars, until it was approved to operate by the

Federal Railroad Administration The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is an agency in the United States Department of Transportation (DOT). The agency was created by the Department of Transportation Act of 1966. The purpose of the FRA is to promulgate and enforce railroa ...

(FRA) on September 30. It was subsequently moved via flatcar to

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

in November of that year.

NO&GC stewardship

The Locomotive made its official inaugural run the following month for the Burlington Rock Island Historical Society, and subsequently, it started pulling regular weekend passenger trains between Belle Chasse and Gretna on one of the RGP's subsidiaries, the

New Orleans and Gulf Coast Railway The New Orleans and Gulf Coast Railway Company (NOGC) is a short-line railroad headquartered in Belle Chasse, Louisiana. It is a subsidiary of the Rio Grande Pacific Company and operates two former Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific ...

(NOGC). With no way to turn the locomotive each run, No. 1744 would operate forwards to Gretna, and one or two EMD FP10 diesel units would pull the train back to Belle Chasse with No. 1744 pushing the train tender-first. As the only steam locomotive to operate on that line, the locomotive was earned the nickname "''The Big Easy Steam Train''". May 12, 2001 was the last day No. 1744 operated under RGP ownership, and as

patronage Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...

was downgraded, the locomotive was again put into storage in New Orleans for the next six years. It was undamaged in spite of

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

in 2005.

SL&RG service and rebuild

On March 21, 2007, No. 1744 was purchased by

(IPH), which owned and operated the newly opened

(RGSR) that operated on San Luis and Rio Grande (SL&RG) trackage. On May 9 of the same year, No. 1744 was moved to

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, and it operated on a test run pulling ten loaded

boxcar A boxcar is the North American (Association of American Railroads, AAR) and South Australian Railways term for a Railroad car#Freight cars, railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry freight. The boxcar, while not the simpl ...

s thirteen days later on May 22. Beginning on May 25, the locomotive pulled excursion trains on the Scenic line between Alamosa and La Veta, and it would also often travel South-bound to Antonito where passengers could connect with the 3-foot gauge

Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, often abbreviated as the C&TSRR, is a Narrow-gauge railway, narrow-gauge Heritage railway, heritage railroad that operates on of track between Antonito, Colorado, and Chama, New Mexico, in the United Sta ...

. No. 1744 would only operate on the SL&RG for four months, before its fire was again dropped. This time, it was due to the fact its firebox was in need of extensive repairs. In the beginning of 2008, disassembly began within the Alamosa yard, and with No. 1744 out of service again, IPH chose to acquire another operable steam locomotive for the trips: Ex- Lake Superior and Ishpeming 2-8-0 18, a 1910-built locomotive that has been restored for excursion service since 1989. No. 18 was found to be a more powerful locomotive that had more traction and was easier to operate, compared to No. 1744. Soon, No. 1744's

boiler A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, centra ...

was separated from the

frame A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction *Framing (con ...

, and it was shipped to Historic Machinery Services Corporation in Springville,

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

with the hopes of having it repaired. In 2012, the corporation's owner was retired, and the unfinished boiler was moved to the Rusk Palestine and Pacific Railroad, better known as the

Texas State Railroad The Texas State Railroad, also referred to as the Lone Star and Eastern Railroad, is a historic heritage railroad between Rusk and Palestine, Texas. Built by inmates, it was founded in 1883 by the state of Texas to haul raw materials for a smel ...

(TSR), in

Rusk, Texas Rusk is a city in and the county seat of Cherokee County, Texas, United States. At the 2020 United States census, it had a population of 5,285. History The town was established by an act of the Texas Legislature on April 11, 1846. It was na ...

, which owns a steam shop capable of full repairs. Some parts for boiler repairs were also being fabricated by crews from the

Strasburg Rail Road The Strasburg Rail Road is a Heritage railway, heritage railroad and the oldest continuously operating standard-gauge railroad in the western hemisphere, as well as the oldest public utility in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Chartered in 183 ...

(SRC) of

Strasburg, Pennsylvania Strasburg is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. It developed as a linear village stretching approximately along the Great Conestoga Road, later known as the Strasburg Road.Susan M. Zacher, NRHP Nomination Form Stra ...

. As the 2010s progressed, the boiler was shipped back to Alamosa, as the RGSR was starting to run into some financial trouble to the point where they could no longer afford to operate or maintain steam locomotives. One of the final straws to the RGSR's struggle was a

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...

that badly damaged the Fir Concert Grounds. The railroad ceased all tourist train operations as IPH filed for bankruptcy by the end of 2020. No. 1744 would be put up for sale on Ozark Mountain Railcar along with No. 18, and other locomotives and rolling stock, as well as the SL&RG trackage.

Niles Canyon Railway ownership

On March 9, 2020, it was announced that No. 1744 would be purchased by the

, with the hopes of finishing its restoration to operate it on the

(NCRY), which lies on the last leg of the

Transcontinental Railroad A transcontinental railroad or transcontinental railway is contiguous rail transport, railroad trackage that crosses a continent, continental land mass and has terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks may be via the Ra ...

. Crews of the SL&RG began to help move the separated components of the locomotive West-bound to Brightside. The same day the acquirement was announced, the tender and cab arrived at the NCRY's facility at Brightside, California, and the tender was placed on the rails. On August 31, the frame and running gear also made it to the NCRY by truck. As of 2023, the boiler is being rebuilt with a new rear flue sheet and a new crown sheet at Stockton Locomotive Works, and the driving wheels have been repaired at the

California State Railroad Museum The California State Railroad Museum is a museum in the California State Parks system that interprets the role of railroads in the Western U.S. It is located in Old Sacramento State Historic Park at 111 I Street, Sacramento, California. Featu ...

’s (CSRM) locomotive shop in Sacramento.

Film history

* One year after No. 1744 was retired from the SP, it was seen pulling a

train in the

opening credits In a motion picture, television program or video game, the opening credits or opening titles are shown at the very beginning and list the most important members of the production. They are now usually shown as text superimposed on a blank scree ...

, as well as multiple other scenes, in the 1959

feature film A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...

''This Earth Is Mine'', starring

Rock Hudson Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer Jr.; November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was an American actor. One of the most popular film stars of his time, he had a screen career spanning more than three decades, and was a prominent figure in the G ...

Jean Simmons Jean Merilyn Simmons (31 January 1929 – 22 January 2010) was a British actress and singer. One of J. Arthur Rank's "well-spoken young starlets", she appeared predominantly in films, beginning with those made in Britain during and after the ...

Dorothy McGuire Dorothy Hackett McGuire (June 14, 1916 – September 13, 2001) was an American actress. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for '' Gentleman's Agreement'' (1947) and won the National Board of Review Award for Best Actr ...

Claude Rains William Claude Rains (10 November 188930 May 1967) was a British and American actor whose career spanned almost seven decades. He was the recipient of numerous accolades, including four Academy Award nominations for Academy Award for Best Supp ...

, and directed by Henry King.

References

External links

{{Commons category
Niles Canyon Railway Official Website
2-6-0 locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1901 Standard-gauge steam locomotives Standard-gauge locomotives of the United States Freight locomotives

1744 Events January–March * January 6 – The Royal Navy ship ''Bacchus'' engages the Spanish Navy privateer ''Begona'', and sinks it; 90 of the 120 Spanish sailors die, but 30 of the crew are rescued. * January 24 – The ...

Baldwin locomotives Preserved steam locomotives of California Individual locomotives of the United States