After a two-year hiatus for repairs and restoration, the 1896 Cooke Locomotive Works Steam Engine 2248, best known as "Puffy," is going back to work in Grapevine.

Repairs alone took 15 months, said Leigh Lyons of the Grapevine Convention and Visitors Bureau on Wednesday. Additional time was needed for restoration and maintenance.

Puffy originally was used by the Southern Pacific Railroad in California for passengers and freight. The Texas State Railroad bought the old steam engine in 1976. A private collector bought it next, and Puffy became part of the Fort Worth & Western Railroad's Tarantula run. The train first came to Grapevine in 1993.

The old engine will take passengers on a short excursion route at 7 p.m. Fridays starting Oct. 18 until Thanksgiving, when the North Pole Express begins. Lyons said Puffy will take passengers 45 minutes west, to Bransford Park. Tickets for the all-ages excursion are $20.

For more about Puffy and other trips on the Grapevine Vintage Railroad, call 817-410-3185 or visit www.grapevinetexasusa.com.