"Another part of the collection to move to the History Center’s new Cyclorama annex is the Western & Atlantic Texas locomotive. Atlanta was founded as the terminus of the Western & Atlantic Railroad, and only two engines are left in existence from that line. The locomotive Texas is one of them, and remains the best historical example of a Western & Atlantic locomotive of the era, prompting the History Center to dedicate $500,000 to the conservation efforts for the Texas locomotive, which was donated to the City of Atlanta in 1908 and has been exhibited with The Battle of Atlanta painting since 1927.
“As railroads are Atlanta’s reason for being, this steam engine is an icon of Atlanta’s founding and growth as the Gate City of the South – the commercial center of the Southeast,” said Sheffield Hale. “The Texas locomotive symbolizes Atlanta’s longtime relationship with railroads and the city’s importance as a hub for people, commerce, and ideas. No artifact can be more important for telling the story of Atlanta’s beginnings than this Western & Atlantic locomotive.”
Text Source: Atlanta Center For History
Backgound:
The Great Locomotive Chase or Andrews' Raid was a military raid that occurred April 12, 1862, in northern Georgia. Union Army volunteers led by civilian scout J. J. Andrews seized a locomotive and drove it northward toward Chattanooga while creating damage to the Western and Atlantic Railroad line between Atlanta and Chattanooga. Confederates pursued them and used the locomotive Texas in the chase. Andrews' raiders cut the telegraph wires; Confederates could not send warnings ahead to forces along Andrews' route. Eventually captured the raiders and some were executed as spies. Others had escaped. The Medal of Honor was created to recognize the raiders efforts and sacrifices. As a civilian, Andrews is not eligible for the medal.
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