I’ve read that the Southern Pacific allocated 4 new GS-1 class 4-8-4s to it’s Texas & New Orleans subsidiary. I also found another source stating there were a total of 11 4-8-4s that operated as T&NO units, so I’m guessing they either sent them another batch (or batches) of new locomotives, or they just transferred some from the Pacific Lines. What were they used for on the T&NO during their operating lives? Did they start out as passenger power for the Sunset Limited before diesels? Were they mostly freight engines? I would assume they ended up being freight engines regardless of their original purpose in their final years. Or were they used as dual purpose power from the very beginning?
I'm no student of the EsPee. But I do know these things: Pretty much every railroad with a Texas subsidiary transferred engines to and from Texas as needed. Very nearly every Mountain and Northern type was used in dual service, and most got more passenger assignments when they were young.
During WWII the SP transferred seven of them to the T&NO. They were all given three digit numbers and used mostly on passenger trains like the Sunset limited and the Argonaut. They often were used in freight service. The Pacific lines locomotives had their tenders replaced with newer rectangular types while the four originally built for the T&NO retained their cylindrical tenders throughout their lives. When Texas law required enclosed accommodations for their brakemen on freight locomotives, the T&NO added dog houses to all their tenders, unlike the Santa Fe who just extended the locomotive cabs for another seat. Here is a dog house added to a cylindrical tender. Here a dog house was added to one of the Pacific Lines locomotives with the rectangular tender that were transferred to the T&NO. Here is one before the dog house was added. Here is one of the GS-1s being worked on at the Hardy Street Shops in Houston.
