Just passing through. Tremont & Gulf Mikado #30 rolls slowly past the little depot in Maydelle, TX as her crew picks up orders for the next segment of her run toward Rusk. Although not historically accurate for the T&G, the scene is a pretty accurate depiction of how shortline railroads would have operated in the early part of the 20th century.
The train depicted here is a photo freight headed up by Tremont & Gulf #30, a 1917-vintage Baldwin Mikado, built new for the Tremont & Gulf Railway. The T&G was a lumber-hauling shortline, founded in Tremont, Louisiana in 1902, and which operated until 1962. It was owned by the Tremont Lumber Company and had a network of lines running from timber sources to their lumber mills, which eventually totaled about 90 miles. They also had a nice collection of steam locomotives, of which this one appears to be the only Mikado type. It has 36,000 lbs of tractive effort and weighs 164,000 lbs. Originally a coal-burner, this engine was converted to oil firing during its tenure at the T&G, and acquired a Vanderbilt-style tender. It was sold by the T&G to the Magma Arizona Railroad in 1954 and served the copper mines until 1967. The Texas State Railroad acquired it for tourist service in 1974 and restored it to operation a few years later. Today, it normally operates as Texas State Railroad #400, but was re-lettered to its Tremont & Gulf livery for this 2019 Lerro Productions charter.
Photographer's note: A large radio antenna on the depot, which is not period-correct was removed from this photo to increase the authenticity of the re-creation.
