Civil War locomotive "Texas" to be moved across town

Alan Walker · **Posted:** Sun Jul 27, 2014 10:02 pm

There is some original material left in each locomotive-mainly the frames. I understand that part or much of the boiler shell on the General is also original-you can see where the forward steam dome was mounted. The pilot on the Texas is a good replica of the W&A standard iron slatted pilot. A good deal of the modern alterations to the General came when the L&N prepared her for the Civil War Centennial events. In my collection of railroad related material, I have a few bits that came off the General during her 1960s restoration that were given to Mr. Leo Myers of St. Louis, Missouri. He collected a good number of artifacts related to the Western and Atlantic Railroad of the State of Georgia and (at the urging of Mr. Wilbur Kurtz) built live steam models of the General, Texas, Yonah and accompanying rolling stock.

One other good example of a 4-4-0 is the Central of Georgia's No. 349-currently owned by the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. She was built by Baldwin in 1893 and could probably be restored to operating condition without spending an obscene amount of money.

TimReynolds · **Joined:** Sat Aug 31, 2013 4:11 pm **Posts:** 287

Alan great point re the C of G 349 - would be great to see it operating.

It's interesting to note that we have both the original General and Texas. The "acting" locos from Disney's 1956 movie are gone as is the Tallulah Falls Railroad on which the movie was filmed. The TF RR was the RGS of the Southeast! Tons of trestles and rugged terrain on its route from Cornelia Ga to Franklin NC.

Dougvv · **Joined:** Sat Aug 21, 2004 10:52 pm **Posts:** 914

Hi,

I still think the TF should have been the Rabun Gap Southern <groan>.

Doug vV

James Fouchard · **Joined:** Thu Jan 12, 2006 11:56 pm **Posts:** 126

TimReynolds wrote:

Alan great point re the C of G 349 - would be great to see it operating.

It's interesting to note that we have both the original General and Texas. The "acting" locos from Disney's 1956 movie are gone as is the Tallulah Falls Railroad on which the movie was filmed. The TF RR was the RGS of the Southeast! Tons of trestles and rugged terrain on its route from Cornelia Ga to Franklin NC.

All three locomotives that appeared in the Disney film version do exist:

B&O RR #25 "William Mason" that portrayed the "General" is at the B&O RR Museum In Baltimore and was featured in other films.

Virginia & Truckee #22 "Inyo" which portrayed the "Texas" is at the Nevada State RR Museum in Carson City and is a veteran of man films and TV shows.

An interesting note is that both these locomotives played the "Wanderer", the locomotive that pulled James West's private train, Inyo in the TV series "The Wild Wild West" and "William Mason" in the time version "Wild Wild West".

B&O RR "Lafayette" which was featured as the "Yonah" is also in Baltimore at the B&O Museum.

http://wanderer.jamesfouchard.com/All_Aboard_The_Wanderer%21/WANDERER_VS_WANDERER%21.html

Chris Webster · **Joined:** Sat Aug 25, 2007 12:45 am **Posts:** 1090

Here are three July 2015 articles about the locomotive. The first provides some details about it's new home:
Cyclorama getting ready to move (July 13, 2015 by The Buckhead Reporter)

An excerpt:

Quote:

In addition to the 128-year-old painting, a locomotive, four cannons and other Civil War artifacts will be moved to a new facility at the history center. Construction on the new building to hold the painting is to begin in the fall and the new display is scheduled to open in 2017.
The locomotive, the Texas, will be displayed in a new breezeway being built at the history center between the current building and the new building that will house the painting, the history center said. The new display will allow the locomotive to be seen from West Paces Ferry Road, the center said.

A second article described a state ruling regarding ownership of the locomotive:
Locomotive from Civil War train chase to stay in Atlanta (July 8th, 2015 by Associated Press)

An excerpt:

Quote:

KENNESAW, Ga. -- A Cobb County lawmaker says he won't fight a state agency's ruling that one of the trains involved in The Great Locomotive Chase is owned by the city of Atlanta.

The decision comes after about three months of research to determine the owner of the Texas, now housed in Atlanta, by Steve Stancil, the state property officer for the State Properties Commission, and legal advice from Attorney General Sam Olens of east Cobb County..........Kennesaw has no rights to claim ownership to the locomotive based on his research, Stancil said in a statement. "After a review by the Georgia Department of Law, we believe there is little question that the Texas belongs to the city of Atlanta," Stancil wrote.

The General is owned by the state and is on permanent loan to Kennesaw, according to Mathews.

The third article is an opinion piece that describes the locomotive's importance to Atlanta:
Sorry Cobb – Atlanta’s identity is intertwined with our locomotive – ‘the Texas’ (June 29, 2015 by SHEFFIELD HALE, president and CEO of the Atlanta History Center)

An excerpt:

Quote:

The Smithsonian scoured its vast collections, resulting in a list of 101 Objects that Made America. The British Museum launched A History of the World in 100 Objects.

It often takes a compilation of artifacts, objects, and images to really capture the historical essence of a nation or a city. In January 2016, even the Atlanta History Center will host its own display of Atlanta in 50 Objects.

But truth be told, if challenged to pick one, we think we could narrow it down to “Atlanta in One Object.” And that one object is the locomotive Texas.

Alan Walker · **Posted:** Fri Aug 21, 2015 10:19 pm

The move is good news. The Texas will be much more visible to the public in its new location than it was in the basement of the old building.

As to the ownership of the locomotive, the City of Atlanta came into possession of the locomotive on May 13, 1911 when Mayor Courtland S. Winn acknowledged receipt of Governor Joseph M. Brown's letter of April 12 of that year which ordered that "the locomotive known as the Texas be turned over to the authorities of the said City of Atlanta to be by them temporarily protected and housed until final disposition is made of the same by the General Assembly..." The locomotive was actually delivered to Grant Park on May 10, 1911.

Those facts having been confirmed by multiple researchers, it is (as was previously mentioned) pretty much indisputable that the City of Atlanta owns the Texas. One of the books to which I refer when either the General or Texas comes up is "The General and the Texas" by Stan Cohen and Col. James G. Bogle. It is a "must read" for anyone interested in these locomotives.