| According to Steamlocomotive.com website, this 1930 Baldwin built, 502,600 pound "Texas" type locomotive convinced the Santa Fe of the power the 2-10-4 could supply. It had 69" dia. drivers which were larger than most freight motive power at the time. From the very beginning, number 5000 was nicknamed "Madam Queen" and proved the value of the four-wheel trailing truck and high drivers on 2-10-4s which led the AT&SF to order 35 of them starting in 1938. "Madam Queen" operated heavy freight and ran up 1,700,000 miles before it was retired in 1953. She was donated to the City of Amarillo, Texas by the AT&SF in 1957 but received little upkeep and was deteriorating badly when, in 1992, a small group of railroad enthusiasts formed the Texas Panhandle Railroad Historical Society of Amarillo, Texas. They, with the aid of the City of Amarillo, undertook a project to restore number 5000. The cosmetic restoration was completed in the summer of 1996 and the society continues to maintain the locomotive. This one-of-a-kind locomotive is on display at the Santa Fe Park near the AT&SF Depot in Amarillo, TX. Date is approximate - no photographer listed for this fine photo. |