| Southern Pacific 1673 sits adorned with Christmas decorations at the Southern Arizona Transportation Museum in Tucson, Arizona. The engine, an M-4 Class 2-6-0 Mogul, was built in 1900 by Schenectady Locomotive Works (a predecessor to ALCO). The engine operated for 55 years in Arizona, mostly out of Tucson. In 1906 the engine was converted to an oil-burner. It received a superheated smokebox and piston valves at the Sacramento Shops in 1922, and would return to Arizona shortly after. By the 1950s, SP had begun dieselization, and 1673 was bumped from local work to intermittent yard jobs. One of its last jobs was starring in the 1955 movie "Oklahoma!" 1955 also marked the 75th anniversary of the Southern Pacific reaching Tucson, and at the end of the celebrations the engine was donated to the city. Today the engine is being restored, and the preservation society is actively searching for parts to restore the engine. |