Southern Pacific No. 982 is a 2-10-2 "Santa Fe"-type steam locomotive built by Baldwin in 1919 for the Southern Pacific Co. as #3651. The locomotive spent most of its life hauling heavy freight trains on the Southern Pacific Railroad until November 1922, when it was transferred to the Texas & New Orleans Railroad and renumbered as No. 982. In May 1957, it was donated to the City of Houston, Texas, where it used to be on static display at the Hermann Park Conservancy. Later on, the City of Houston would transform the area near the lake into the Hermann Park Cultural Plaza, with a café, a covered plaza, and public art pieces. It was then moved to the site of Houston's former Union Station, now the Minute Maid Park, where it remains today. Recently it was displayed without its tender, which had been moved to the Heber Valley Railroad in Utah.[1] In 2017, the Texas Railway Preservation Association and the Houston based vacation venture startup, Gold Standard Travel Lines began a collaborative effort to use the engine in tourism efforts in the midwest and south United States. Selling affordable vacation packages versus in cooperation with events and local businesses. In 2019, the TRPA was awarded No. 982 with support of the Houston Astros and the City of Houston.[2] In 2022, the TRPA acquired the former Great Northern 2100's tender, which was a larger more long distance Vanderbilt tender that was not only historic but accurate to the class of locomotive by Baldwin for SP long distance.[3] The group is currently preparing to relocate to permanent more public enticing home, and has found interest from local railroads in Texas.
