This locomotive, among
the largest and most powerful on the Southern Pacific Railroad system,
supported the growth and development of the San Joaquin Valley and the
West.
Engine #2914, called a 4-8-0 because of its wheel configuration, is
characteristic of the type of locomotive used in freight service by
railroads in the early 1900s. Built by the Schenectady Locomotive Works, 4-8-0 locomotives pulled
well for their size, yet were easy to operate.
As the years passed they
were extensively upgraded and modernized until the efficiency of
diesel-powered locomotives made them obsoleteBuilt in 1898, this locomotive arrived in Bakersfield in 1901 and
served the local area until 1955. Originally a coal burner, it was soon
converted to burning oil.
The engine hauled freight over the Tehachapi
Mountains, on the McKittrick, Sunset, and Oil City Branches of the
railroad and was utilized in the Southern Pacific yard in East
Bakersfield.
The Southern Pacific Railroad donated Engine #2914 in 1955.
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To bring the locomotive to the Museum in 1955, tracks were laid off of the line that runs south of the Musuem.
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