The Texas in HO scale

So, after so many years, it has come to this. "Texas MK. IIV" in HO scale. I think my journey into building the best possible model of the civil war era locomotive Texas has come to it's final chapter. Ironically, with a rebuilt Bachmenn 4-4-0...which is where it began. Recently Bachmenn released their updated tooling for their 4-4-0, and the results could not be more satisfying. With a locomotive mounted motor, DCC, and the capabilities for sound, it has become a smooth reliable runner. Perfect as the canvas for my build. To make it even better, Bachmenn makes their new model in the colors and name badge of the Texas herself. So, all I had to do was purchase the stock model, and go from there.

The model received a new wood-load, new stack, and the whole front end of the locomotive was cut off a rebuilt to show the frames between the pilotbeam and cylinder saddle, as well as the addition of a brass strap iron pilot. As my model represents the locomotive in an AU of the 1890s, after her 1880 rebuild and with the new tender from the Dalton, she has the piping for an injector, and an air-compressor and reservoir for air brakes. As the locomotive is still in regular service in this AU, she is painted up in her W&A chocolate colors rather the basic black the real thing was in during the 1890s when she served as a switcher. I really should have done a coal load as I have on all my other locomotives...however, it's the Texas. She has to still be a wood-burner. To represent this, she still carries a balloon stack which is made from a Mantua balloon with a cap. A wire painted tan runs from the bell to the cab as a bell cord.

She is equipped with WoWsound with their microspeaker and is DCC chipped. At the moment she carries a Desert Five Chime whistler, however the WoWsound allows for a stupid number of whistles to be available for use.

The Texas was built in October 1856 by the works of Danforth, Cooke, and Co. in Paterson, New Jersey for the Western & Atlantic railroad. She was shipped via clipper to the port of Savannah and run over the rails of the Georgia Railroad & Banking Co to delivery to the W&A in Atlanta. She was built for mixed traffic and could handle a passenger train. However, most of her service life was spent in the movement of goods trains. The locomotive is famous for her involvement in the Great Locomotive Chase in 1862.

The AU for this model splits off in 1880, after the locomotive received a major rebuild that involved the replacement of her Cooke tender with one from a retired Baldwin locomotive, the Dalton. The W&A railroad, which was owned by the state of Georgia was leased to a company for operation in 1887. This company, called the Western & Atlantic Railroad and Navigation Co., purchased newer power from builders such as Baldwin and their Richmond subsidiary. These locomotives were owned by the company and not the state, unlike the Texas which stayed under state ownership. As they contract did not allow for the replacement of locomotives already owned by the state, only obtainment of newer power by the company, the Texas and others like her where rebuilt and modernized for continued service. By 1893, the locomotive is still in mixed traffic duties, and is actually slated to have her firebox rebuilt to allow her to burn coal. As she is one of the last wood-burners on the railroad. However, for the moment, cords of wood fill her bunker, and she continues to wear the great balloon stack.