The War Baby

[SSW9389]

To many the Cotton Belt L1 #819 is a symbol of a past age. The 64-year-old steam engine is slowly being rebuilt at Pine Bluff by members of the Cotton Belt Rail Historical Society. The rebuild group is headed by Cotton Belt Rail Historical Society Vice President and Chief Mechanical Officer Bill Bailey.

Bailey got the job rebuilding the 819 because he is an engineer and can read the original blueprints that exist from the steamers construction. At a recent Symposium in Commerce, TEXAS Bailey said that the 819 is about two years away from steam up. When the 819 is ready for operation again it will be leased out on a per trip basis to those who want to see the old locomotive run again.
The 819 had a 55 mph speed limit on her the last time she was out on the road.

Cotton Belt engineer Joe Hawkins related at the Symposium how he had an L1 up to 80 mph at Saltillo, TEXAS back in his day. Engineer Red Standefer also mentions 80 mph operation of an L1 in his Oral History at the Texas A & M Library in Commerce, TEXAS.

Will post more War Baby news when it is known.

Ed Cooper
Cotton Belt Rail Historical Society

[tnocentex]

That'll be a nice sight to see in the Texas-Arkansas area, our own 4-8-4. Won't that be the largest operating steam locomotive operating out in this part of the western South? ;D

What is the largest operating steamer in AR, LA, OK, TX currently?

[SSW9389]

UP 844 and UP3985.

tnocentex said:

That'll be a nice sight to see in the Texas-Arkansas area, our own 4-8-4. Won't that be the largest operating steam locomotive operating out in this part of the western South? ;D

What is the largest operating steamer in AR, LA, OK, TX currently?

[SSW9389]

The War Baby in fantrip service at Pittsburg, TEXAS in this Terry A. Kirkland photograph. The photo location was identified by former Cotton Belt employee and railfan/historian Chuck Harris. Thanks Chuck.

[SSW9389]

Today is 819!

[SSW9389]

I don't know how many of you reference the Wikipedia pages. It's an online encyclopedia if you have never seen it. I write for Wikipedia, anybody can. Recently I've been going round and round with another writer on when the famous Cotton Belt 819 was built. My research is written on the talk page of the wiki page about SSW 819.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:St._Louis_Southwestern_819

Email correspondence with Author Joe Strapac reaffirms what I had written about the builders plate. A total of ten builders plates for the five Cotton Belt L1s were cast at the same time. They were all cast with the 1942 build date and likely this was done because it was anticipated that all five of the new locomotives would be completed in 1942.

[SSW9389]

The link I posted in the previous post won't work. Try this one and click on the discussion tab:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Louis_Southwestern_819