A&WP Number 290

Thanks and a tip of the hat to Davy Cormack.

The Atlanta and West Point extended 87 miles Southwest from Atlanta to West Point, Georgia, on the Alabama state line.

This is the A&WP No 290.  This loco was one of two built by Lima in 1926.  It is more or less a USRA Heavy Pacific copy but had 'delta style' trailing trucks and 73" drivers whereas the USRA heavies (all ERIE machines) had 79" drivers.  This engine powered the Crescent passenger train from Atlanta to Montgomery.  The sister engine of this loco was allocated to the Western Railway of Alabama, numbered 190, retired in1954, and was scrapped.  

However No 290 was kept operational and is now preserved,  She starred in the movie 'Fried Green Tomatoes' (at the Whistlestop Cafe).  She last worked in the early 1990s and is currently out of use pending remedial work at the Southeastern Railroad Museum http://www.srmduluth.org.

 The first photo shows her at East Point, GA in 1957.

The second and third photos are modern era pictures from the 1980s.    There are some subtle detail differences in the locos physical state between the 1950s photo and the 1980s photos but not much.

This excellent shot is from 1990.  A full description and substantial archive with more first class black and white photos on this locomotive is to be found at http://www.dnaco.net/~gelwood/awp.html.  Recommended reading "Steam  Locomotives and History: Georgia Railroad and West point Route" by RICHARD E PRINCE published 1962. 

Click drawing for an expanded view (52 k download).

Changes were made to the tender in later years during renovation work.  As this loco worked into the 90s and will probably run again in future ,it would be a good subject for a 'modern image' model to run with contemporary diesel trains.  

Here's a drawing contributed by Dave Queener.  Click for a larger image (168K download).

This loco would be a fairly easy model to make from the Aristocraft Pacific as she is very close physically indeed.  Comparatively easy detail modifications would be all that would be required to reproduce a good representation of this engine.