Atlanta's Steam Locomotive The Texas, renowned locomotive of the Andrews Raid, is a 4-4-0 American-type engine built in 1856 by Danforth & Cooke of Paterson, New Jersey. It served the state-owned Western & Atlantic Railroad as No. 49. After retirement in 1904 it sat in a railroad yard until 1911 when it was moved to Atlanta's Grant Park. After being displayed outdoors there, it was moved into the basement of the park's Cyclorama building in 1927. In December 2015 the old locomotive was removed from the Cyclorama by way of a temporary tunnel and taken to the Spencer shops at the North Carolina Transportation Museum for restoration. After the work is completed, the engine will be put on display at the Atlanta History Center. The Texas's co-star in the dramatic race, the General, is displayed in Kennesaw at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History. The Cyclorama is the home of the world's largest painting, The Battle of Atlanta, which depicts a battle on July 22, 1864 for control of the Georgia Railroad on the east side of the city. Railroad tracks are incorporated into the scene through a 3-D foreground that merges into the painting. The 50-foot high, 400-foot long panoramic scene was painted in 1886 by a team of German artists. It too will be moved to the Atlanta History Center in the next few years. Another old photo of the Texas. (From: Railway and Locomotive Engineering, March 1914, p. 86-87. Online at Internet Archive here.) See also Great Locomotive Chase. RailGa.com. Georgia's Railroad History & Heritage. © Steve Storey Railroad History | The Depot List | Locomotives On Display | Odds & Ends | Sources & References | Home