One of the interesting things about Travel Town in Griffith Park, Los Angeles, is that you can get up close and personal, so to speak, with several fascinating steam locomotives. One of the coolest is #1273 seen here.
#1273 was built by the Southern Pacific Railroad in their Sacramento shops. It is an 0-6-0, meaning it has no leading wheels, six drive wheels, and no trailing wheels. I am not a train expert, but when I first saw this locomotive I thought it might be a Baldwin. Maybe there is some sort of resemblance, but I wasn’t sure so I checked and discovered that there is a good short history of this engine at www.laparks.org/traveltown/locomotives/southern-pacific-1273.
As with many of the engines on display at Travel Town, this one could use a bit of a touch up. Fully resorted it would be magnificent, and a true treat to see operating. But the fact is, if you visit Griffith Park it is worth checking out Travel Town just to see this locomotive. Most engines were made by outside manufacturers such as Baldwin, ALCO, or Heisler, so seeing one made “in house”, so to speak, is quite special.