Southern Pacific No. 982 is a "Santa Fe"-type

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

built by Baldwin in 1919 for the Southern Pacific Co. as #3651. The

locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...

spent most of its life hauling heavy freight trains on the

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...

until November 1922, when it was transferred to the Texas & New Orleans Railroad and renumbered as No. 982. In May 1957, it was donated to the

City of Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, where it used to be on static display at the Hermann Park Conservancy. Later on, the

would transform the area near the lake into the Hermann Park Cultural Plaza, with a café, a covered plaza, and public art pieces. It was then moved to the site of

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

's former

Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...

, now the

Minute Maid Park Minute Maid Park is a retractable roof stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. It opened in 2000 as the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Houston Astros. It has a seating capacity of 41,168, which includes 5,197 club seats and 63 ...

, where it remains today. Recently it was displayed without its tender, which had been moved to the

Heber Valley Railroad The Heber Valley Railroad (HVRX) is a heritage railroad based in Heber City, Utah. It operates passenger excursion trains along a line between Heber City and Vivian Park, which is located in Provo Canyon. The HVRX carries over 110,000 passen ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

. In 2017, the Texas Railway Preservation Association and the

based

vacation A vacation (American English) or holiday (British English) is either a leave of absence from a regular job or an instance of leisure travel away from home. People often take a vacation during specific holiday observances or for specific festi ...

venture startup, Gold Standard Travel Lines began a collaborative effort to use the engine in tourism efforts in the midwest and south

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Selling affordable vacation packages versus in cooperation with events and local businesses. In 2019, the TRPA was awarded No. 982 with support of the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

and the

. In 2022, the TRPA acquired the former Great Northern 2100's tender, which was a larger more long distance Vanderbilt tender that was not only historic but accurate to the class of

by Baldwin for SP long distance. The group is currently preparing to relocate to permanent more public enticing home, and has found interest from local railroads in Texas.

References

{{Locomotives of Southern Pacific Railroad in preservation 0982 ALCO locomotives 2-10-2 locomotives Individual locomotives of the United States Standard gauge locomotives of the United States Railway locomotives introduced in 1919 Preserved steam locomotives of Texas Texas and New Orleans Railroad