Southern Pacific 975

Southern Pacific 975 is a 2-10-2 steam locomotive, built in 1918 by American Locomotive Company at the former Brooks Locomotive Works plant in Dunkirk, New York. It entered service on Southern Pacific subsidiary Texas and New Orleans Railroad in March 1918, where it worked until its retirement in 1957.

Southern Pacific (T&NO) 975
Southern Pacific No. 975 at the Illinois Railway Museum
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder American Locomotive Company, Brooks plant Serial number 57978 Build date January 1918
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-10-2  • UIC 1′E1′ h2 Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Driver dia. 64 in (1.626 m) Length 94 ft 10 in (28.91 m) Width 10 ft 5 in (3.18 m) Axle load 59,600 lb (27,000 kg; 27.0 t) Adhesive weight 282,000 lb (128,000 kg; 128 t) Loco weight 352,000 lb (160,000 kg; 160 t) Total weight 525,500 lb (238,400 kg; 238.4 t) Fuel capacity 3,100 US gal (12,000 L; 2,600 imp gal) Water cap. 10,000 US gal (38,000 L; 8,300 imp gal) Firebox: ​  • Grate area 63 sq ft (5.9 m2) Boiler pressure 200 lbf/in2 (1.38 MPa) Heating surface 4,462 sq ft (414.5 m2) Superheater: ​  • Heating area 950 sq ft (88 m2) Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 27.5 in × 32 in (698 mm × 813 mm) Valve gear Walschaerts
Performance figures Tractive effort 63,300 lbf (281.6 kN)
Career Operators Texas and New Orleans Railroad Class F-1 Numbers 975 Nicknames Deks Delivered March 1918 Retired 1957 Preserved February 2, 1957 Current owner Illinois Railway Museum Disposition On static display

The T&NO donated the locomotive to the city of Beaumont, Texas, on February 2, 1957, with the project spearheaded by then Mayor Jimmie P. Cokinos. No. 975 is now preserved in static display at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois. It is one of only two Southern Pacific locomotives of this wheel arrangement to be preserved; the other is 982, which has moved to Union Station, Minute Maid Baseball Park in Houston, Texas in 2005.

Further reading

• Diebert, Timothy S. & Strapac, Joseph A. (1987). Southern Pacific Company Steam Locomotive Conpendium. Shade Tree Books. ISBN 0-930742-12-5.
• Illinois Railway Museum. "Roster of Equipment: Southern Pacific 975". Retrieved April 3, 2006.

• Isaacs, Aaron (2021). Illinois Railway Museum in Color. Scotch Plains, New Jersey: Morning Sun Books, Inc. ISBN 978-1582487564.