Amon Carter Jr (not Amon Carter Sr) was the financial benefactor for the rebuild of 610. When returned from the Southern RR it was returned to the Federal Center which had through Carter's political association of James Wright, congressman, had let the engine stay on its yard trackage. Then Carter provided funds for the metal building for 610 to say out of the weather. It included a pit so men could get under the engine. While at the Federal center it was fired up many times and run back in forth in the yard.
Amon one day, said: now that the engine has been to the east I want it to go to the west and be run on excursions. He died from a heart attack and it never happened..
It didn't take long for the feds to reclaim the land where 610 was kept since it no longer had Amon and his political connections. After his death his foundation made it know that they had no desire to be involved with 610. . The feds told the people who helped maintain the engine to "get it out of here". Blair Lavell was a very well liked employee of Texas State Railroad and he convinced TSR to take the engine for display and he also got the building for TSR. And, got UP to take the engine to Palestine. By the way, Blair never met a stranger. What a nice man he was.
I never heard of Bill Davis having anything to do with 610. The city of Ft Worth never had any interest in the engine. When donated by T&P it was given to the Fat Stock Show, not the city. Will Rogers (the name of the stadium of the stock show) , was painted on the sides of the oil bunker on the tender. For many years it was on display with no fence and anyone could get in it. In spite of that it was not vandalized like the 638 in dallas although, that did cause the Stock Show to put a fence around it. In addition it was repainted a couple of times.
