Southern Pacific No. 982 is a "Santa Fe"-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

Baldwin Baldwin may refer to: People * Baldwin (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname Places Canada * Baldwin, York Regional Municipality, Ontario * Baldwin, Ontario, in Sudbury District * Baldwin's Mills, ...

in 1919 for the

Southern Pacific Co. The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the names ...

as #3651. The

locomotive A locomotive is a rail transport, rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, Push–pull train, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for ...

spent most of its life hauling heavy freight trains on 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 ...

until November 1922, when it was transferred to the Texas & New Orleans Railroad and renumbered as No. 982. In May 1957, it was donated to the

City of Houston Houston ( ) is the 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 seat of Harris County, as well as the principal city 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 ...

, where it used to be on static display at the Hermann Park Conservancy. Later on, the

would transform the area near the lake into the Hermann Park Cultural Plaza, with a café, a covered plaza, and public art pieces. It was then moved to the site of

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 ...

's former

Union Station A union station, union terminal, joint station, or joint-use station is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway company, railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently bet ...

, now the

Daikin Park Daikin Park (originally Enron Field and formerly Astros Field and Minute Maid Park) is a retractable roof stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. It opened in 2000 and is the home ballpark of the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). ...

, where it remained for a number of years. As of February 2025 it is on a private siding awaiting transfer to a new location in the next few months according to www.trpahouston.org. It had displayed without its tender, which had been moved to the Heber Valley Railroad in

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 ...

. In 2017, the Texas Railway Preservation Association and the

based

vacation A vacation (American English) or holiday (British English) is either a leave of absence from a regular job or school or an instance of leisure travel away from home. People often take a vacation during specific holiday observances or for sp ...

venture startup, Gold Standard Travel Lines began a collaborative effort to use the engine in tourism efforts in the midwest and south

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Selling affordable vacation packages versus in cooperation with events and local businesses. In 2019, the TRPA was awarded No. 982 with support of the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

and the

. In 2022, the TRPA acquired the former Great Northern 2100's tender, which was a larger more long distance Vanderbilt tender that was not only historic but accurate to the class of

by Baldwin for SP long distance. The group is currently preparing to relocate to permanent more public enticing home, and has found interest from local railroads in Texas.

References

{{Locomotives of Southern Pacific Railroad in preservation 0982 ALCO locomotives 2-10-2 locomotives Individual locomotives of the United States Standard-gauge locomotives of the United States Railway locomotives introduced in 1919 Preserved steam locomotives of Texas Texas and New Orleans Railroad