Old Roscoe, Snyder & Pacific Railroad Engine No. 5

Duane's take

The way the marker tells it, here's the story of Old Engine Number Five. A Baldwin locomotive, built in 1920 out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. That's the official word, and I'm just the one bringin' it to you on the road.

Now, before we talk about the engine itself, you have to understand the railroad it belonged to. The Roscoe, Snyder and Pacific. That line reached here in 1908, bringing passenger and freight service to this stretch of Texas, and the marker is plain about what that meant: it contributed greatly to the growth of the city and the area.

Railroads have a way of doing that. They show up, and things change. So by the time 1920 rolled around, the Roscoe, Snyder and Pacific was ordering a new locomotive from Baldwin, up in Philadelphia.

A coal burner. That's how she came into the world, breathing coal smoke across the Texas plains. Somewhere along the way, she was converted to fuel oil.

The marker doesn't tell us when, just that it happened. And then, in 1956, Old Number Five was placed in the park. Retired.

Set down on solid ground after years of hauling freight and passengers across this country. A Baldwin locomotive, built in Philadelphia in 1920, converted from coal to fuel oil somewhere in between, and finally at rest in 1956. Some engines get to become monuments.

This one did.

What the marker says

A Baldwin locomotive of the Roscoe, Snyder & Pacific--the railroad that reached here in 1908 with passenger and freight service, and contributed greatly to growth of city and area. This engine (a coal burner converted later to fuel oil) was built in 1920 in Philadelphia; placed in park in 1956. (1967)