OP&E 2-Truck Shay No. 112

steaminfo · **Posted:** Tue Oct 06, 2020 6:21 am

This locomotive https://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=1172 which, as far as I know belongs to the Galveston Railroad Museum was seen on a flat car in Texas City, TX this weekend. Anybody know where it is headed and/or why?

John D · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 2:28 pm **Posts:** 484

Per a Facebook post:
"It will be heading to Knoxville Tennessee to be restored. She will be used on the Knoxville & Holston River Railroad. She was at the Galveston Railroad Museum in the 80s. She was on loan to Texas City for years then was moved back to GRRM for about the last five years.".

Mobil1fan · **Joined:** Sat Nov 13, 2010 2:28 pm **Posts:** 21

John D wrote:

Per a Facebook post:
"It will be heading to Knoxville Tennessee to be restored. She will be used on the Knoxville & Holston River Railroad. She was at the Galveston Railroad Museum in the 80s. She was on loan to Texas City for years then was moved back to GRRM for about the last five years.".

The Three Rivers Rambler?

Dave · **Posted:** Tue Oct 06, 2020 9:13 am

It will not even reach Rambling speed........ but if they want something to follow two scratches in the dirt up the side of a mountain, great choice.

Overmod · **Joined:** Thu May 24, 2012 1:37 pm **Posts:** 2492

Quote:

"It will not even reach Rambling speed........ but if they want something to follow two scratches in the dirt up the side of a mountain, great choice."

This sure isn't a two-streaks-of-rust railroad, though. Something of peripheral interest: someone is thinking there's going to be a return to "normalcy" after the pandemic, and this is on the critical path to being ready when that occurs...

As a call for serious preservationists, I believe this railroad recently acquired the original Conrail wide-cab prototype, one of the most 'historic' locomotives of the modern era. Someone with distinctive competence in strategic acquisitions needs to get with these people and reserve that unit before it is unwittingly butchered or scrapped.

steaminfo · **Posted:** Tue Oct 06, 2020 11:06 am

Thanks for the update! I'll add the information to the website today.

Mobil1fan · **Joined:** Sat Nov 13, 2010 2:28 pm **Posts:** 21

Now that I think about it, if that's the ex-Graham County Railroad #1923, the acquistion makes more sense.

RookieFireman · **Joined:** Sun Jan 08, 2017 12:39 am **Posts:** 91

As stated above, this engine is ex-Graham County #1923. Prior to that, it worked at the Conasauga River Lumber Co. in Tellico Plains, TN along with former Little River #2147 (which survives at the Little River RR Museum in Townsend, TN). This is indeed a regionally-relevant acquisition for Gulf & Ohio/Pete Claussen.

linkthebutler · **Joined:** Mon Jul 13, 2020 12:29 am **Posts:** 267

Here is that locomotive brand new at the factory:
http://www.gearedsteam.com/shay/images/ ... co_112.jpg

and the complete owner-history here:
https://www.shaylocomotives.com/data/fa ... n-3241.htm

and some HD pics to see the current condition:
http://www.rgusrail.com/txope112.html

CA1 · **Joined:** Fri Nov 11, 2016 10:17 pm **Posts:** 246

Very neat.
Didn't they also acquire a locomotive from stone mountain? Is it close to running?

Ed Kapuscinski · **Posted:** Wed Oct 07, 2020 10:18 am

Overmod wrote:

As a call for serious preservationists, I believe this railroad recently acquired the original Conrail wide-cab prototype, one of the most 'historic' locomotives of the modern era. Someone with distinctive competence in strategic acquisitions needs to get with these people and reserve that unit before it is unwittingly butchered or scrapped.

Which one was that?

Overmod · **Joined:** Thu May 24, 2012 1:37 pm **Posts:** 2492

Ex-Conrail 5544, I believe. Sold as CSX 8774.

linkthebutler · **Joined:** Mon Jul 13, 2020 12:29 am **Posts:** 267

@CA1

Yes they aquired the San Antonio & Aransas Pass RY #60 (after 1925 T&NO (SP) #220 then #260) 4-4-0 from
Stone Mountain Park in Georgia some years ago.
See here:
https://www.threeriversrambler.com/no-60/

I do not know the status of the restoration but maybe they finish when the locomotive get 100 years old in 1922?

That new Shay make a good companion to the Baldwin 4-4-0 because during her LA and TX history she work just
in the vicinity of the T&NO (SP) railheads in Shreveport, LA and Nacogdoches, TX.

Termite7 · **Joined:** Thu Aug 21, 2008 8:29 pm **Posts:** 397

I would not assume that they will restore every piece of equipment they own. That is a private operation and they do what they want to do...they might just paint the 4-4-0 up and use it as a static display. It's hard to say...and that could change at any time.

T7