El Paso & Southwestern Railroad No. 1
Encyclopedia
El Paso & Southwestern Railroad No. 1 is a 4-4-0
type steam locomotive
, preserved in El Paso, Texas
. The engine was built in 1857 by Breese, Kneeland, and Company of Jersey City, New Jersey
, and is the only locomotive built by that firm still in existence.
built for the Milwaukee & Mississippi Railroad Company which later became the Milwaukee & Prairie du Chien Railway Company, and eventually, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad. In 1889, it had been acquired by the Arizona and Southeastern Railroad Company, which later became the El Paso and Southwestern Railroad
and was renamed Locomotive No 1. It is likely to have been converted to coal
burning during this time, thus receiving its current appearance with a straight stack
and extended smokebox
. EP&SW No.1 was used to move mine and mill supplies and products when it arrived here in 1902. As El Paso became one of the great rail hubs of the west, timber
was brought from Cloudcroft and coal from Dawson, New Mexico
.
and Virginia Bruce
.
In 1960, Southern Pacific Railroad
donated it to the University of Texas at El Paso
who displayed it near the Centennial Museum
. The bell clapper was removed because students would ring it to disturb the slumber of residents in nearby dorms. In 1968, El Paso Historical Society and the Junior Chamber of Commerce raised money to build a shelter to protect this important national treasure from the elements.
Save America’s Treasures project. In 2001 more than 1.1 million dollars of Texas State Transportation Commission and local matching funds were allocated for the removal and restoration of the locomotive. The bell clapper was restored to the Museum's collection on June 20, 2002. In May 2007, H.R. 2638 celebrated the sesquicentennial of this national treasure.
4-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels...
type steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
, preserved in El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
. The engine was built in 1857 by Breese, Kneeland, and Company of Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
, and is the only locomotive built by that firm still in existence.
Working life
It was a wood burnerWood fuel
Wood fuel is wood used as fuel. The burning of wood is currently the largest use of energy derived from a solid fuel biomass. Wood fuel can be used for cooking and heating, and occasionally for fueling steam engines and steam turbines that generate electricity. Wood fuel may be available as...
built for the Milwaukee & Mississippi Railroad Company which later became the Milwaukee & Prairie du Chien Railway Company, and eventually, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad. In 1889, it had been acquired by the Arizona and Southeastern Railroad Company, which later became the El Paso and Southwestern Railroad
El Paso and Southwestern Railroad
The El Paso and Southwestern Railroad was a short-line American railway company which operated in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, with line extensions across the international border into Mexico. The railroad was known as the Arizona and South Eastern Railroad from 1888 to 1902.-Founding:James...
and was renamed Locomotive No 1. It is likely to have been converted to coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
burning during this time, thus receiving its current appearance with a straight stack
Chimney (locomotive)
The chimney of a steam locomotive is a part of the exhaust system which helps in the creation of draught through the boiler and carries the exhaust steam and smoke clear of the driver's line of sight...
and extended smokebox
Smokebox
A smokebox is one of the major basic parts of a Steam locomotive exhaust system. Smoke and hot gases pass from the firebox through tubes where they pass heat to the surrounding water in the boiler. The smoke then enters the smokebox, and is exhausted to the atmosphere through the chimney .To assist...
. EP&SW No.1 was used to move mine and mill supplies and products when it arrived here in 1902. As El Paso became one of the great rail hubs of the west, timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
was brought from Cloudcroft and coal from Dawson, New Mexico
Dawson, New Mexico
Dawson is a ghost town in Colfax County, New Mexico, United States and was the site of two separate coal mining disasters in 1913 and 1923. Dawson is located about 17 miles northeast of Cimarron, New Mexico. Dawson was a coal mining company town founded in 1901 when rancher John Barkley Dawson...
.
Preservation
In 1903, it was retired, and around 1909, Locomotive No. 1 was overhauled, painted, and put on display in Downtown El Paso at the intersection of Stanton and Franklin streets. In 1939, the engine was used in the film Let Freedom Ring, starring Nelson EddyNelson Eddy
Nelson Ackerman Eddy was an American singer and actor who appeared in 19 musical films during the 1930s and 1940s, as well as in opera and on the concert stage, radio, television, and in nightclubs. A classically trained baritone, he is best remembered for the eight films in which he costarred...
and Virginia Bruce
Virginia Bruce
Virginia Bruce was an American actress and singer.-Career:Born Helen Virginia Briggs in Minneapolis, Minnesota, she went with her family to Los Angeles intending to enroll in the University of California when a friendly wager sent her seeking film work. She got it as an extra in Why Bring That...
.
In 1960, Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
donated it to the University of Texas at El Paso
University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso is a four-year state university, and is a component institution of the University of Texas System. Its campus is located on the bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. The school was founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy,...
who displayed it near the Centennial Museum
Centennial Museum
The Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert Gardens is a cultural history and natural history museum in El Paso, Texas, United States.The Centennial Museum is located on the campus of the University of Texas at El Paso. Its cultural focus is on the indigenous, colonial, pre-urban, and folk cultures...
. The bell clapper was removed because students would ring it to disturb the slumber of residents in nearby dorms. In 1968, El Paso Historical Society and the Junior Chamber of Commerce raised money to build a shelter to protect this important national treasure from the elements.
Restoration
In October 1999, the engine was officially recognized as a National Trust for Historic PreservationNational Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is an American member-supported organization that was founded in 1949 by congressional charter to support preservation of historic buildings and neighborhoods through a range of programs and activities, including the publication of Preservation...
Save America’s Treasures project. In 2001 more than 1.1 million dollars of Texas State Transportation Commission and local matching funds were allocated for the removal and restoration of the locomotive. The bell clapper was restored to the Museum's collection on June 20, 2002. In May 2007, H.R. 2638 celebrated the sesquicentennial of this national treasure.