Six Flags Over Georgia 4-4-0 No. 49
Austell, GA, United States 		Location: Six Flags Over Georgia
Status: Dieselized
Posted: Jul 24, 2012 @ 19:07:15 by kevin ebert
I visited the park 7/22/2012, and the state of this locomotive is not good. This is the first time I had been there since the conversion to diesel. There are many spots rusting through the boiler jacket, the brass has not been polished in years, all of the original controls have been stripped out of the cab, the wheels and crankpins are covered in grease, and no one seems to care about the pine straw that has built up between the air pump and boiler. the general did look a little better, but beatrice the engine from opryland is sitting behind a fence rusting away. They only have two coaches on the train now I remember when they ran 4 and they were always full. Hopefully all of the fittings, injectors, and valve gear have been saved, and stored. I hope they end the railroad, and get these once beautiful engines to some one who will restore them to steam.
Posted: May 24, 2005 @ 23:05:50 by Ed Kelley
The locomotive was sidelined in need of firebox work after the 2002 season and was later butchered up and motorized. Diesel power is provided from a prime mover in the tender and powers the rear drivers via a direct chain drive. The pistons and valve gear have been removed which was obviously neccessary and will prevent even further accelerated damage to the running gear. Trying to get the locomotive up the grade with an dry boiler apparently had issues, so Six Flags tore out the rear flue sheet and reportedly threw in sand, and stacks of rail. Offers by manufacturers to sell the park steam profile locomotives failed. The locomotive was designed to be powered by steam, as if the boiler and traction issues with a dry boiler shell didn't prove that!
Posted: Apr 21, 2005 @ 20:04:08 by Chris Little
I'm sorry to hear that the railroad had to change the engines had to be turned to motorized but atleast look on the engine you love is operational and it's ok to have it motorized besides it might have been the only way for the engines to run again and besides the engine still looks great and it is still officially a steam locomotive.
Posted: Apr 8, 2005 @ 08:04:13 by
Status: Motorized
Posted: Jan 23, 2005 @ 02:01:43 by Sam Shull

Rumor has it that Six Flags has now gutted the firebox, cutting out the crown sheet and backhead to make way for a chain drive to the rear axle.  Whatever happened to the rule about leaving the locomotive intact? 

Posted: Jan 12, 2005 @ 15:01:36 by Andrew Durden
The latest news out of SFOG is not good...apparently the Texas has had it's tender replaced with a new one containing a diesel powerplant. 
Posted: Oct 24, 2004 @ 17:10:33 by Stephen S. Syfrett
When I worked on these engines in 1984 and 1985 they burned No. 2 diesel.  I was not aware the fuel was changed to kerosene, but anything is possible.  To my knowledge the General and Texas were never fired with propane.
Posted: Mar 8, 2004 @ 01:03:28 by Andrew Durden
We burned about 12-15 gallons an hour, depending on who was running and who was firing.  The kerosene was fine, except for on the 1.5 percent grade at the front of the park.  A good fireman could get over the grade just fine, but number 2 diesel would have been ideal.
Posted: Dec 7, 2003 @ 18:12:04 by Dale
I was told SFOG steam engines burned kerosene, not propane.  Also that they burned a lot of it too.
Posted: Jul 30, 2003 @ 14:07:47 by Andrew Durden
The "Texas" is no longer operational.  She is in need of firebox work, and probably a boiler survey as mandated by the state of Georgia.  This is unlikely to ever happen, as SFOG has dieselized.  On a personal note, I was the last person to run the Texas under her on power in October 2002.  My fireman was James "J.C" Caldwell, a veteran of regular service steam on the Southern Railway.