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With cylinder cocks open and making some smoke for for the fans and camera persons, No. 2248 picks up speed at 23rd Street heading north to cross the Tower 60 Interlocking Plant in North Fort Worth.

100years old in August of 1996, steam locomotive Number 2248 is still hard at work in Fort Worth, Texas. Number 2248 is the oldest steam locomotive operating in regular scheduled service in the United States. This now small 4-6-0 locomotive was called a "Heavy Mountain Class" when built in 1896 by the Cooke Locomotive and Machine Works of Paterson, New Jersey. The oil fired ten wheeler was built for the Southern Pacific Company and spent the first 70-years of her life working out west in California.

For the first 30 years, she pulled both freight and passenger trains and once had the honor of pulling a train that carried the 27th President of the United States -- William Howard Taft. In the 1930s and 40s, she operated as a fire engine on a fire train protecting the foresst, tunnels and wooden snow sheds along the SP's maain line in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

In the 1950s, the Southern Pacific rigged out Number 2248 with a false stack and used her as an exhibition locomotive on special trains. Retired from service in 1959, she was bought by Charles T. Brown, a highway construction contractor, who was a private railroad collector and a close friend of Walt Disney. Number 2248 almost had a new career running around in a circle at a Disney Theme Park and Railroad Museum in Los Angeles. That plan did not work out and she was parked in Mr. Brown's back yard for a few years.

In 1974, she was bought by the Texas State Railroad for their Palestine to Rusk run. 2248 was once again retired in 1981, then she was bought in 1990 by the Fort Worth & Western Railroad and was completely rebuilt for its steam excursion train.

Today you will find this lovingly restored and maintained "museum quality antique" locomotive pounding along on a 5-day a week, 48-mile round trip, that runs between Fort Worth and Grapevine, Texas.

The six passenger coaches now in operation are from two different railroads. The four "standard" looking passenger coaches are not as they seem. These coaches are former self-propelled electric interurban cars from the Deleware, Lakawanna and Western Railroad. They were rebuilt and refurbished in Fort Worth. The two open cars were once standard passenger cars from the Wabash Railroad. Those cars were also rebuilt and refurbished in Fort Worth. Get on Board! Ride the cars, then climb up in the locomotive cab with the crew as they battle the grdes and curves. Visit the 8th Avenue Station, the Stockyards Station and the newly restored 1901 Cotton Belt Station in Grapevine. Watch as 2248 is turned on the turntables at Grapevine and Stockyard Station -- and as the entire train is turned on the Belt Junction Wye. Join in with 2248 as she rumbles over the Trinity River bridges, thunders alongside the famous Chisholm Trail, then whistles a salute to historic Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Stockyards.

Get goose bumps as John Seay, Gold Record Award Winning singer and songwriter, Grammy Award Nominee, Louisiana Hayride and Grand Ole Opry veteran performer, and a FWWR Steam Locomotive Engineer, sings his newest song, The Ballad of the Tarantula Express -- then takes the throttle of 2248, puts it in the corner and makes that little dog bark! A personal note from Bill Harmon: I worked with John 17 years on the Santa Fe. John is one of the most talented men it has been my pleasure to have met. What ever John has done -- singer, songwriter, artist, photographer, airplane pilot, locomotive enineer -- he has done it outstandingly well. I highly recommend this video for the pleasure of John's song alone.

Steam railroading, a 100-year old steam locomotive, picking and grinning -- It don't get no better than this!

28 minutes, Sound, Music, Narration. Please add $4.00 Priority Mail or $2.25 3rd Class. TX residents add 7.50% tax. Checks, Money Orders, VISA or MASTERCARD, turnips.

10-8-96