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The 2-10-4 Texas Type Steam Locomotive

The Texas Type steam locomotive is essentially a 2-10-2 design that added an extra axle to the trailing truck. Initially an experimental by the Santa Fe the type received its name from the Texas & Pacific Railway, a Missouri Pacific subsidiary, when it acquired the first units of the 2-10-4 wheel arrangement from the Lima Locomotive Works in 1925. In the end the T&P would end up with the second largest fleet of Texas Types at 70, all acquired from Lima (the Pennsylvania Railroad would go on to own the most 2-10-4s with a fleet of 125).

After initial problems with the Texas Type were mitigated the 2-10-4 wheel arrangement did quite well with nearly 500 units built coming from Lima, Baldwin, the American Locomotive Company (Alco), Montreal Locomotive Works (for the Canadian road, Canadian Pacific), and the Pennsylvania’s own Altoona shops (the CP also built some its own Texas Types).

However, like with all steam locomotives developed and built during the 1920s the 2-10-4 wheel arrangement had a relatively short life span with the oldest models in service only about 30 years before all were retired by the 1950s (some, like those owned by the Bessemer & Lake Erie only saw a service life of 10+ years before being retired) in favor of more efficient diesel-electric technology.

The information below lists those railroads that owned Texas Types and how many (of note, the CP and Burlington chose to call their 2-10-4s by a different name labeling them Selkirks on the CP and Colorados on the Burlington):

· Bessemer & Lake Erie: Class H1 – 47

· Burlington: Class M4 – 18

· Canadian Pacific: Class T-1 – 37

· Central Vermont: Class T-3a – 10

· Chesapeake & Ohio: Class T-1 – 40

· Chicago Great Western: Class T-1/T-2/T-3 – 36

· Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range: Class E4-E7 – 18

· Kansas City Southern: Class J – 10

· Pennsylvania: Class J1 – 125

· Santa Fe: No Designated Class – 37

· Texas & Pacific: Class I-1 – 70

Today, (as far as I am aware, please let me know if otherwise is the case) there are no known operating 2-10-4s either in the U.S. or Canada. However, several 2-10-4s do survive, including one each (of Santa Fe lineage) on display at three of the largest railroad museums in the country, the California State Railroad Museum, National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, and the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis.

For more information on the Texas Type please click here to visit SteamLocomotive.com to learn much, much more about this steam locomotive.

For more information on the 2-10-4 steam locomotive design consider How a Steam Locomotive Works by author Karen Parker, which explores in great detail how exactly each component of a steam locomotive works but is also easy enough to read for anyone to understand. The book has received excellent reviews and is a great resource on steam locomotives and a fine reference tool; you should find it very useful.

Also, consider the book American Steam Locomotives from author Brian Solomon. While this publication does not include quite as much technical data as Parker's book, How a Steam Locomotive Works, it is still a very good resource with lots of information and best of all, is loaded with photographs! If you're interested in perhaps purchasing either (or both) of these books please visit the links below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.

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