Texas State Railroad No. 126 is an FP9A type diesel locomotive built by General Motors Diesel (GMD) in May 1958, originally for the Canadian National Railway (CN) as their No. 6533. After serving with the CN in passenger service for several years, it would then operate for VIA Rail of Canada as their No. 6302. After its retirement from VIA Rail, its days of pulling passenger trains would be put on an indefinite hiatus. It was eventually sold to a shortline called the Georgia Southwestern Railroad alongside another former CN FP9A type diesel, No. 6308 (originally numbered as CN 6521). However, after a few years, the Georgia Southwestern Railroad would eventually sell off both diesels to Larry's Truck & Electric (LTEX) in McDonald, OH.
Eventually, in early 2018, both diesels would be sold again to the Texas State Railroad between Palestine and Rusk, TX to operate tourist excursion trains. No. 6302 was renumbered to 126 and made its debut on the TSRR in June 2022. No. 6308 was renumbered to 125 and made its debut on the TSRR four years earlier in April 2018.
Trivia[]
- TSRR 126, alongside TSRR 125, were both originally constructed for the Canadian National during the golden age of passenger railroad service, including the surviving F unit type diesels in charge of both the Kansas City Southern and the Canadian Pacific business trains.
- The paint work on TSRR 126 is inspired by the Texas Special, a passenger train service operated by both the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railway and the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway, also known as the Frisco. TSRR 125 was also painted into this special livery as well.