On December 21, 2015, the Texas left Grant Park in Atlanta, Georgia, where it had been a part of the Cyclorama exhibit for many years. 

The Atlanta History Center documented the incredible 16-month journey from Grant Park to the day the Texas was revealed as the headliner of the 100 Years of Steam event at the N.C. Transportation Museum.  >> View photos from the restoration 

The restoration to the Texas included:  

• Construction and installation of a new pilot/cow catcher on the front of the engine.
• Construction and installation of a new smokestack.
• Construction and installation of the Russia-iron boiler jacket, to be set off by brass bands that have been treated to lend them the patina of weathered metal.
• The gloss-black smoke box also was “weathered” with flat black paint.
• The locomotive’s wooden cab was stripped and repainted.
• Rusted out sections of the tender were replaced with new steel.
• A new number plate was cast.

>> Learn more about the restoration process 

Learn more about the Texas