An update for all you Texans, Ex-SP 2248 has returned to service on the Grapevine Vintage RR, pulling Friday night excursions between downtown Grapevine and Haltom City. Here's to hoping everything holds together for the old gal.

On a side note, who else here thinks "puffy" is not the best nickname for a locomotive? It's definitely too late to reverse it, seeing as how it's painted on the side of the tender. Not to mention every news source covering the locomotive's return used the phrase "affectionately known as puffy" and proceeded to refer to it only with that name.

When exactly did that nickname come about, was it something FWWR started in the 90s? I just think it's not fitting or respectful to call a 117 year old (or 118, not sure when her exact build date is) locomotive something that you use to describe cotton balls and pink eye. Maybe it's a good idea marketing-wise, and helps draw kids and families, but there are countless operations around the country that have been very successful just sticking to prototype appearances and names. Just had to blow off some steam, sorry about that.

Here is the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram report and a video that's up on YouTube, thanks to Bryan's rail channel and whoever shot the video.

http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/10/14 ... p-for.html

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=d7mjYibnpK ... 7mjYibnpKg

It's a 117 years old and steaming again. If the name Puffy puts butts in the seats, who cares?

As one of the last FWWR guys, that name is deplorable...

When I first saw this post I confused SP 2248 with SP 786 (2-8-2), which is part of the Austin Steam Train Association. A quick check on-line shows that 786 is still years away from running. Anyway, I'm glad both of these SP locos have been preserved.

I'm really excited to see that SP #2248 is up and running again. After everything I had been hearing since she went down last time, I wasn't expecting to hear that she was running again for quite a while (if ever). Still, I'm very glad to be wrong about that.

So, that makes Frisco #1630 and Ex. Southern Pacific #2248 two more steam locomotives to return to operation. I'm so excited, and happy, to see more and more steam locomotives coming back. Here's to hoping that steam railroading continues to flourish like this, and that these steam locomotives, along with many others, stay around for future generations to watch, ride behind, and admire.