<kuid2:96914:4892:4> T&NO E-40 Class 4-4-0

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Although the 4-4-0 had been the 'American Standard' for much of the 19th century, construction of the type tapered off during the first decade of the 1900s. By the mid-1910s, 4-4-0s were rare among the order books of the locomotive builders. Even among narrow gauge and shortline railroads, the type had been mostly supplanted by the Ten Wheeler (4-6-0.) Class one carriers gradually retired the machines as newer equipment became available. In much of the country, 4-4-0s were phased out except for specific niches during the 1920s.

Texas and the south plains, however, was a little different. Possibly due to the late start of railroad development (generally following 10-20 years behind the rest of the country,) and the gentle terrain, 4-4-0s lasted longer there. The San Antonio & Aransas Pass (a small class one in South Texas) had purchased a group of second-hand 4-4-0s between 1908 and 1910. Although the road had acquired a large group of new 4-6-0s in the same time frame, they found a need for more 4-4-0s in the early 1920s.

In 1922, the SA&AP ordered a group of four new 4-4-0s from Baldwin. Compared to the most recent orders of 4-4-0s, the resulting machines were compact: they rode on 62 inch drivers on a short, 7 foot wheelbase. Piston valves actuated by Walscharets valve gear were fed with superheated steam from the oil-fueled boiler. Per the specification sheet, the engines were painted Pullman Green with gold striping instead of Baldwin's standard olive green with aluminum striping. Boiler and cylinder jackets were to be polished steel. Interestingly, tenders were not included. The new engines were numbered 60 to 63.

Little information on the engine's service on the SA&AP is available. However, they must have been satisfactory as they were followed up with an order of lighter 4-4-0s in 1924. The Galveston, Houston, & San Antonio - a Southern Pacific subsidiary - acquired the SA&AP in 1925. The GH&SA was merged with the Texas & New Orleans - another Southern Pacific subsidiary - in the late 1920s. By the time of the earliest in-service photos of the quartet in 1928, the green paint and polished jackets had been covered with the standard SP black and graphite paint scheme. On the TN&O, the engines were renumbered 220 through 223. The 1928 photos of 221 and 222 show the pair in San Antonio, TX. 221 is at the head of train 7, a local passenger train running from Beaumont, TX to San Antonio.

Based on employee time tables, it appears the 220s were assigned to the San Antonio division. In the 1930s time tables, tonnage ratings had been published for the class on the Kerrville and Gonzales subdivisions, suggesting these were the areas they were assigned to at that time. In addition to the San Antonio division, the engines had a published tonnage rating for the Beaumont to Dallas line in the Beaumont division. However, all photographs available show the engines on the San Antonio division.

By the 1940s, engines 220 and 221 were assigned to the mixed trains on the Gonzales subdivision. The trains ran twice daily, and were assigned numbers 216 through 219. No photographic evidence confirming the assignments of 222 and 223 is available; as they were not seen in any photographs taken on the Gonzales branch, it seems likely they were assigned elsewhere. In 1947, 222 and 223 met the torch. 220 and 221 continued operating the Gonzales subdivision, spared by their light weight. In 1950, the TN&O renumbered all of its surviving 4-4-0s into the 260 block, with 220 and 221 receiving numbers 260 and 261.

In 1953, the Gonzales subdivision dieselized, rendering 260 and 261 surplus. Paulson Spence acquired engine 260 for his Louisiana Eastern shortline. On the LE, 260 was renumbered 2 and operated sporadically as a switcher. Mr. Spence passed away in October 1961, putting his collection in jeopardy. LE 2 was sold to the Stone Mountain Scenic Railroad of Georgia in March 1962. At the Stone Mountain Scenic, 2 was renumbered to its original 60 and given the name Texas II. Over the next three decades, Texas II ran the passenger train around the stone monolith. Initially, the engine operated under steam. By the late 1980s, it was cold and being pushed by a diesel. By the late 1990s, Texas II and its stable-mate the General II were set on display tracks.

Texas II was ultimately purchased by the Knoxville & Holston River Railroad in 2013 and moved to Knoxville, Tennessee for restoration to operation.

Specifications
Drivers: 62 in.
Cylinders: 18 in. x 24 in.
Weight: 112,900 lbs
Tractive effort: 19,200 lbs
Boiler pressure: 180 psi
Grate area: 22 square feet
Total production: 4