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Spirit of Slaton

Everything is bigger in Texas and nothing was bigger than the Slaton Division of the Santa Fe Railroad. It grew to 1,184 miles: the largest division on the Santa Fe system as far as mileage is concerned. The branches of the Slaton Division traversed 37 counties in Texas and Oklahoma. It extended from Farwell and Canyon to Sweetwater and from Altus, Oklahoma to the Rio Grande. AT&SF 1809 was part of the phenomenal growth of the Slaton Division.

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  • 1911: The Slaton line was established by the Santa Fe Railroad (Amarillo to Sweetwater). Slaton was established as a terminal point with a roundhouse, Reading Room, and Harvey House.

  • 1917: The Slaton Division was established with the South Plains lines now headquartered in Slaton rather than Amarillo. It included branch lines between Canyon and Lubbock; Farwell and Lubbock; Plainview and Floydada; and Slaton and Lamesa. These lines were a total of 397 miles.

  • 1918: The Crosbyton and South Plains railroad was purchased. This branch line was 38.5 miles in length.

  • 1918: The Seagraves branch, extending from Lubbock to Seagraves, was completed and turned over to the Slaton Division for operation. This branch line was 64 miles in length.

  • 1925: The Bledsoe branch was completed and turned over to the Slaton Division for operation. This branch line was 2.8 miles in length.

  • 1929: Part of the Orient railroad extending from Altus, Oklahoma to Alpine, Texas was turned over to the Slaton Division for operation. This branch line was 170.9 miles.

  • 1930: the Sonora branch, extending from San Angelo to Sonora, was completed and turned over to the Slaton Division for operation. This branch line was 5.8 miles in length.

  • 1930: The line from Alpine to Presidio was added to the Slaton Division. This branch line was 82.4 miles.

The Importance of the Railroad in West Texas

It is difficult to underestimate the value of the railroad to the growth of West Texas at the turn of the 20th century. The 40,000 square miles of the 40 counties of the South Plains were ready to boom. In 1890 there was no farming or manufacturing. By the 1930s, over 7,000,000 acres were under cultivation, and over a million bales of cotton were produced. Lubbock County alone accounted for 163,500 bales . Many of our ancestors rode the rails to Texas to share in this prosperity. The population of the South Plains would rise from 4,477 in 1890 to 305,270 in 1930 .

 

  Reed, S.G., A history of the Texas railroads and of transportation conditions under Spain and Mexico and the republic and the state, (Houston, Texas : The St. Clair Publishing Co., 1941, pp 732-6.

  https://www.texasalmanac.com/drupalbackup/images/CityPopHist%20web.pdf

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The Afterlife of 1809​

AT&SF 1809 is the last of the Class 1800 locomotives standing in Texas. Two sister engines, AT&SF 1880 in Newton, Kansas and AT&SF 1819 in Lamar, Colorado have survived through the good efforts of their civic minded citizens. However, AT&SF 1809’s legacy is in peril. It has had our admiration but no protection from almost 70 years of blowing dust, hail, and wind. Her rusting boiler jacket and frame are in immediate need of our tender loving care.

 

But, how can we help? Please consider donating today and keeping the legacy of AT&SF 1809 alive.

Donor Levels:

  • Become an AT&SF 1809 Passenger: $30 (Passengers 12 years or under pay $18.09) donors will receive email updates and invitations to restoration events.

  • Become an AT&SF 1809 Engineer: $250 donors will be recognized with a 4" X 8" brick paver laid around the engine on a sidewalk. Maximum of 25 letters.  This will be limited to the first 250 donors to reach the goal of $62,500 to pay for remediation & hazardous materials removal

  • Become an AT&SF 1809 Trainmaster: $750 donors will be recognized with a 12" X 12" granite plaque laid around the engine in a prominent spot next to the sidewalk. This will be limited to the first 150 donors to reach the goal of $112,500 to pay for repair, repainting, and electricity for lighting.  Maximum of 35 letters

  • Become an AT&SF 1809 Yardmaster: $5,000+ donors will be specially recognized with signage featuring their generosity to pay for a $250,000 covering to protect the engine from sun and rain deterioration for future generations.

  • Become a Volunteer: Opportunities for marketing directors, digital content coordinators, restoration site docents and historians, membership managers and graphic designers are developing. Please see our contact page.

If you would like to contribute to the Spirit of Slaton Project, please click the button below:​

If you prefer to donate by check, please make payable to Slaton Area Endowment with 
"Spirit of Slaton" on the memo line.

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Checks can be mailed to: 

Community Foundation of West Texas
6102 82nd Street, Suite 8b
Lubbock, TX 79424

FAQs:

  • How can I donate?

    • You can donate online by clicking HERE or with Slaton Area Endowment by check, please make payable to "Spirit of Slaton" on the memo line.

    • Checks can be mailed to: 
      Community Foundation of West Texas
      6102 82nd Street, Suite 8b

             Lubbock, TX 79424

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  • Is my donation tax deductible?

    • Yes, donations are tax deductible, as the Slaton Area Endowment is a non-profit organization.  Donors should check with your tax preparer to confirm.​​​​​

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  • What is the citizen advisory committee of the AT&SF 1809 restoration project? 

    • The Slaton Area Endowment, has put together the following committee to oversee the fund raising and disbursement of expenditures for the Spirit of Slaton project:

      • Ann Marie Wright and Mark Meurer: Slaton Area Endowment

      • Julie Wells and Tami Swoboda: Community Foundation of West Texas

      • Robert Mamlok: Slaton Railroad Heritage Association

      • Jim Taliaferro:  Slaton City Commission

      • Patrick Pritchett:  Lubbock Model Railroad Association

 

  • Why doesn't the City of Slaton pay for this? 

    • Unfortunately, the City's current financial situation does not allow them to put significant dollars toward this effort. They are helping with in-kind services and will look for other ways they can assist as the project moves forward.  

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  • What is the Slaton Area Endowment?

    • ​The Slaton Area Endowment is a local organization led by a local board of advisors. Its purpose is to address issues, identify opportunities, develop resources and help educate donors on nonprofits in the Slaton community. The Slaton Area Endowment was created in 2013 as a regional affiliate of Community Foundation of West Texas – the Community Foundation for the Texas South Plains. The Slaton Area Endowment is dedicated to improving the quality of life in Slaton.

PHOTO GALLERY

Thank you to Jimmy Dunn, (earthandairphotography.com), O.D. Kenney, Richard Kirkpatrick, Michael Mamlok, Benny Arguello and Trevor Barnes for generously allowing us to use your photos for this project.

Thank You to Our Donors:

Trainmaster

  • The Mamlok Family

  • Susan and Kevin Golden

  • Mike and Mona Tumlison and Donna and Dan Andrews Families - In Memory of M.M. Tumlinson - Engineer 1949-1975, C.E. Corley - Engineer 1949-1976, and B.C. Skip Tumlinson - Brakeman, Fireman and Engineer 1957-1964

  • George and Linda McMahan

  • Linda Payne - In honor of F.T. (Tom) Longtin Conductor AT&SF

  • ​Barry Wicker - In memory of Joe Wicker, Sr – long-time employee of the AT&SF

Engineer

  • Glenn Culver - In memory of Erskine Culver

  • George and Nawanna Privett

  • Tony and Judy Privett

  • Nina Willson - In honor of Roger Oehmke

Passenger

  • Katherine and Alan Fondy

  • Keri Hill - In memory of Bob Kern

  • Gideon Menken - In memory of Dirk Abrams Menken

  • Jeanette and Leon Moore

AT&SF 1809: “The Spirit of Slaton” Restoration Project

Meet the AT&SF 1809

A citizen-led effort in conjunction with the Slaton Area Endowment

On September 15, 1955, the City of Slaton became the proud new owner of a steam locomotive: AT&SF 1809 “The Spirit of Slaton”. This donation from the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (AT&SF) honors our heritage as the town the Santa Fe Railroad built.

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We hope you will enjoy learning a little more about this magnificent machine and our need to come together as a community to ensure it will be here for many generations to come.

 

Thank you for your interest and all aboard!

AT&SF 1809 was born at the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, PA, in 1906. It was the ninth of fifty-seven Class 1800 2-6-2  Prairies delivered to the Santa Fe Railroad. They were the largest steam locomotives with a 2-6-2 wheel configuration ever built!

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A few numbers to brag about: AT&SF 1809 has a wheelbase of 13’8” and weighs 248,200 lbs. It pulls a 175,000 lb. tender with a capacity of 9,000 gallons of water and 14 tons of coal. That US engineered marvel of steel, coal and water had a tractive effort of over 42,500 pounds from 25” by 28” cylinders and 70” wheels.

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And those wheels saw a lot of West Texas. The AT&SF estimated that 1809 operated more than 1,500,000 miles during its 46 years of service (over 32,000 miles/yr.) on the Slaton Division.

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  Steam locomotives are classified by their wheel arrangements. When you look at AT&SF 1809, notice that it has two leading wheels, six driving wheels, and two trailing wheels.

The Growth of the Slaton Division

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