I am currently reading Richard J. Cook's book Super Power Steam Locomotives. There is a section that has a couple pictures of the T&P 2-10-4's including one right outside the Lima shops. I noticed in the B&W pictures that the boiler jacket is painted something other than black. The only engine I have ever had to go by is the 610 and it is painted black. What color were the T&P 2-10-4s when they left the shop? Did the T&P keep them in that color or did they go to a straight black at some point?

Many of the locomotive builders painted the boilers of steam engines gray for their builder's photo. Afetr the photo session the gray pant was washed off.
The gray color allowed the detail to stand out better for the picture.

The story is that Dallas received a T&P 2-10-4 at the close of steam, but it was so badly vandalized in it's first few months of display, that T&P cut it up onthe spot. The loco was eventually replaced by an NYC Mohawk, which was eventually traded to another museum for a PRR GG1, now at Age of Steam Museum. I have yet to see a photo of the original Dallas 2-10-4. Does anyone have one? How significant was the vandalism which brought about it's demise?

Somewhere I have a photo of the 638 on display, but don't have time to dig for it right now. Somewhere else, I've seen a photo of it being cut up, perhaps in Trains news photos. If I recall, the destruction took place about 1955. Trains were out of favor in those "modern" times, so it did not cause much fervor. Compared to todays rusting park wrecks, it was in good shape. A C&O 2-8-4 in Buffalo was cut up after just a couple of years display also, I think after a child fell from it. The Frisco 2-8-2 in Kansas City's Swope Park nearly got it for the same reason. Last I knew the latter locomotive was stored in Illinois after an aborted restoration attempt.

Here's a picture on the T&P website of the locomotive at Dallas' Fair Park:

http://www.texaspacificrailway.org/bigimage.php?f=3db16e122883b&msg=Texas%20and%20Pacific%20I-1b%20No.%20638&img_id=699

Like the pictures in the book it looks like the 638 is wearing a green paint on the boiler jacket in that picture. I was looking closly at the book and it isn't only the pictures from Lima that has the light jacket color but all the pictures. Anyone know what color these engine were painted?

As Richard commented, locomotives could be painted alternate colors for the builder's photos.

These Texas types were painted "flat black," which photographed as a light grey. An old TRAINS article on Lima's photographer details this process on these engines and on some Virginans.

-Kelly Lynch

I may be wrong on this one, but I believe "Russia Iron" is what color the boiler jackets were painted. If I can dig out the copy of Trains Magazine with the article on the T&P 2-10-4's I'll check it out.

Kelly,
Did you look at the picture? Look at the jacket and then the tender or the cab or even the sand dome. There is a different color there. It certainly isn't flat black.

I was originally referring to your question about what these locomotives looked like when they left the shops.

If the above photo is of the locomotive is at a state fair, then it's possible the loco was painted differently (could be a muted blue?) for the public exposition. Altoona even painted their loco's differently for exposition. Unless I'm looking at the wrong photograph....

-Kelly