Just a nice old photo of Fort Worth & Denver 4-6-2 501, on display at Childress, Texas since 1959.

http://abpr2.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi?july02/07-31-02/fw_d501.jpg
ryarger@rypn.org

> Just a nice old photo of Fort Worth &
> Denver 4-6-2 501, on display at Childress,
> Texas since 1959.

Bob, is that a hand-me down tender or was FW&D part of the CB&Q corporate family?

Superheater@rrmail.com

> Bob, is that a hand-me down tender or was
> FW&D part of the CB&Q corporate
> family?

Yep.

"The Chicago Burlington & Quincy was the parent company of the Colorado & Southern and the C&S was the parent of the Fort Worth and Denver. The Fort Worth & Denver City Railway was chartered on May 26th, 1873 and ran from Fort Worth to Texline Texas where it connected with the Colorado and Southern. The name was shortened to The Fort Worth & Denver in 1951. The FW&D also ran to Houston via trackage rights & the Burlington-Rock Island Railroad which it operated jointly with the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific. The B-RI later became the Joint Texas Division of the FW&D but still shared operation with the Rock until it's demise. Even though the FW&D became part of the Burlington Northern system on March 2, 1970, it continued to operate as a separate entity for thirteen more years before being completely absorbed into the BN. When the FW&D lost it's idenity, it became the Fort Worth Division of the Burlington Northern Railroad & is still in operation under the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad Company. All FW&D units were sub lettered for the FW&D and were based out of the FW&D Shops at Childress Texas for almost all repairs and maintenance."


eledbetter@rypn.org

> Bob, is that a hand-me down tender or was
> FW&D part of the CB&Q corporate
> family?

The State of Texas once had a law that any railroad operating within its borders be incorporated in the state and be headquartered there. Thus the CB&Q / C&S had the Fort Worth and Denver, the SP had the T&NO, etc.

JAC

SteamCentral

This Otto Perry photo is the oldest one I could find (1938), and it shows the same tender. Nos. 501 and 503 were converted to oilburning in 1926, with Nos. 502 and 504 changed over from coal in 1936-37. An old photo of the 502 shows the original type coal tender. There was a 505 also, but it was destroyed in a head-on in 1928. The 501 was the last one on the roster, being held for passenger train protection into the late'50s. The other three were retired in 1952.

As built, these 4-6-2s were the same as 350-354 on the Colorado & Southern, but the latter got Elesco feedwater heaters as time progressed. When built, they had inward-sloping cylinders with outside Walschaerts valve gear. Both groups were essentially the same as the parent Burlington's S2 class, with 69" drivers.

The 501 is a cute little machine, would be nice to see it operable again someday, perhaps out of that little roundhouse still standing at Texline. The FW&D engines often ran into Denver also, though the official change from C&S to FW&D was at Texline, Texas.

> Bob, is that a hand-me down tender or was
> FW&D part of the CB&Q corporate
> family?


http://gowest.coalliance.org/cgi-bin/imager?00011705+OP-11705
ryarger@rypn.org

More cecent photo. Sadly, BN knocked down all rail structures in Childress, which once had the road's main shops. Even the depot is gone.

http://abpr2.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi?august02/08-01-02/BNSF4878_20010606_bf276_ChildressTX.jpg
ryarger@rypn.org

Since the above photo was taken, Childress has done a nice cosmetic restoration on 501 - removal of asbestos, repainting, etc. They have torn down the chain link fence and erected a pavilion over 501. It's real tough to get a decent picture but at least she is out of the weather. 501 is increadibly intact - all the way down to the air gauge lenses. She'd make a great operational candidate.

The BN's scorched earth policy is typical. Very little in the way of old structures exist along old BN anymore.