This Prairie type (2-6-2) oil burning locomotive appeared to have
been newly painted when we visited. The engine was built for the Texas, Oklahoma & Eastern Railroad in 1912 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, PA. The TO&E was incorporated
in 1910 by the Dierks Lumber Company as an extension of the DeQueen & Eastern Railroad from the Arkansas state line to
Valliant, OK.
The DeQueen & Eastern ordered two of these 2-6-2s as near-duplicates of three it already operated (#200-#202 built by Baldwin in 1905). The 1912 locomotives had more firebox heating surface in an oil-fired layout, but were required to operate on similarly "rough track" metalled with 56 lb/yard rail.
#207 has a 10’ driver wheelbase and engine wheelbase of 26’. It weighs 103,000 lbs, 77,000 lbs on its 46” drivers. With Walschaert valve gear and 16” x 24” cylinders it has a total heating surface of 1,366 sq ft, with a 16 sq ft grate and 112 sq ft firebox. Operating at a boiler pressure of 180 psi it delivered 20,435 lbs tractive effort.
The tender weighs 60,000 lbs light with a of 3,000 gallon water and 1,500 gallon oil capacity.
At some point, probably in the late 1950s, #207
was donated to the Tulsa Exposition Fair Corporation. It is now on display at the junction of St. Louisville Ave and E 21st St on the Tulsa
State Fairgrounds. In 1969, the Dierks Company sold all its holdings to the Weyerhaeuser
Company and, although a wholly owned
subsidiary of the DQ&E, the TO&E operated independently until it was absorbed by Weyerhaeuser in 1996.
