Locomotive No. 5
Livingston, Polk County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Built in 1911 by Philadelphia's Baldwin Locomotive Works, this locomotive was first used to transport timber in Florida. In the 1920s, it was purchased for use in Texas' logging industry by the Angelina County-based Carter-Kelley Lumber Company. The locomotive traveled between Angelina and Polk County mill towns on Houston, East and West Texas Railway tracks, picking up logs and finished lumber that frequently had been hauled from local cutting areas by oxen. In use until 1952, the No. 5 contributed to the development of the area's timber industry.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built in 1911 by Philadelphia's Baldwin Locomotive Works, this engine first hauled timber in Florida before being bought in the 1920s for the Carter-Kelley Lumber Company's East Texas operations. Running on the Houston, East and West Texas Railway between mill towns in Angelina and Polk counties, it carried logs and finished lumber—much of it first dragged from the woods by oxen. It stayed in service until 1952, a workhorse of the region's booming timber industry.
Why it matters
It preserves a tangible piece of the railroad-and-sawmill economy that reshaped the pine forests and towns of East Texas.
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Themes & tags
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