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The Santa Fe 2900 Class was a series of 30 4-8-4 type steam locomotives built between 1943 and 1944 for Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad and pulled freight and passenger trains until retirement in the early to late-1950s.
Today, six 2900s survive, with five units on static display and one, No. 2926, has been restored to operating condition in Albuquerque, New Mexico. When it was fully restored in July 2021, it is considered to be the largest operating 4-8-4 type steam locomotive in the United States.
Being built during World War II, wartime shortages of lightweight metals resulted in ordinary metals being used for their construction. This resulted in the class being the heaviest 4-8-4s ever built. They outweighed their nearest rivals by over 2,000 pounds. They have Timken roller bearings on all axles. [1] Between 1946 and 1948, they were then approved for 110 mph speeds with the Santa Fe's express passenger trains after being fitted with Timken roller bearing tandem side-rods, up from 100-mph when delivered with its original side-rods.
Though they were designed to haul passenger trains, wartime exigencies required that they also haul fast freight until the war ended. After the war, they hauled passenger trains such as the Chief, Scout and Grand Canyon Limited . After diesels took over, the class was retired by 1959.
Six 2900s survived into preservation:
Number | Baldwin serial number | Date built | Disposition | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2900 | 69788 | 1943 | Sold for scrap. | |
2901 | 69789 | 1943 | Sold for scrap. | |
2902 | 69790 | 1943 | Sold for scrap. | |
2903 | 69791 | 1943 | On display at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois. | |
2904 | 69792 | 1943 | Sold for scrap. | |
2905 | 69793 | 1943 | Sold for scrap. | |
2906 | 69794 | 1943 | Sold for scrap. | |
2907 | 69795 | 1943 | Sold for scrap. | |
2908 | 69796 | 1943 | Sold for scrap. | |
2909 | 69797 | 1943 | Sold for scrap. | |
2910 | 69798 | 1943 | Sold for scrap. | |
2911 | 69799 | 1943 | Sold for scrap. | |
2912 | 69801 | 1943 | On display in Pueblo, Colorado. | |
2913 | 69800 | 1944 | On display in Fort Madison, Iowa. | |
2914 | 69802 | 1944 | Sold for scrap. | |
2915 | 69803 | 1944 | Sold for scrap. | |
2916 | 69804 | 1944 | Sold for scrap. | |
2917 | 69805 | 1944 | Sold for scrap | |
2918 | 69806 | 1944 | Sold for scrap. | |
2919 | 69807 | 1944 | Sold for scrap. | |
2920 | 69808 | 1944 | Sold for scrap. | |
2921 | 69809 | 1944 | On display at the Amtrak Station in Modesto, California. | |
2922 | 69810 | 1944 | Sold for scrap. | |
2923 | 69811 | 1944 | Sold for scrap. | |
2924 | 69812 | 1944 | Sold for scrap. | |
2925 | 69813 | 1944 | On display at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, California. | |
2926 | 69814 | March 1944 | Operational in Albuquerque, New Mexico. | On the National Register of Historic Places |
2927 | 69815 | 1944 | Sold for scrap. | |
2928 | 69816 | 1944 | Sold for scrap. | |
2929 | 69817 | 1944 | Sold for scrap. | |
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-8-4 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and four trailing wheels on two axles. The type was first used by the Northern Pacific Railway, and initially named the Northern Pacific, but railfans and railroad employees have shortened the name since its introduction. It is most-commonly known as a Northern.
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996.
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-10-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels, ten powered and coupled driving wheels, and two trailing wheels. In the United States and elsewhere the 2-10-2 is known as the Santa Fe type, after the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway that first used the type in 1903.
The California State Railroad Museum is a museum in the California State Parks system that interprets the role of railroads in the West. It is located in Old Sacramento State Historic Park at 111 I Street, Sacramento, California.
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe 3751 is a class "3751" 4-8-4 "Heavy Mountain" type steam locomotive built in May 1927 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Eddystone (Philadelphia), Pennsylvania for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway (ATSF). No. 3751 was the first 4-8-4 steam locomotive built for the Santa Fe and was referenced in documentation as type: "Heavy Mountain", "New Mountain", or "Mountain 4-wheel trailer". No. 3751 served in passenger duties until being retired in 1957.
The California Limited was one of the named passenger trains of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. It carried train Nos. 3 & 4 and ran between Chicago, Illinois, and Los Angeles, California.
The Timken Roller Bearing Company was one of the first to introduce roller bearings for railroad cars. Railroad cars owned and operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway were some of the first to use roller bearings rather than "oil waste journal" boxes. Henry Timken, a German immigrant, invented an improved bearing and founded the company in 1899. It was later renamed The Timken Company.
Timken 1111, also called the Timken Four Aces, was a 4-8-4 steam locomotive built in 1930 by American Locomotive Company (Alco) as a demonstration unit for new roller bearings produced by the Timken Roller Bearing Company. It was the first locomotive built with all sealed roller bearings rather than plain bearings or a combination of the two. It was later operated by the Northern Pacific Railroad as their 2626.
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe 2926 is a class "2900" 4-8-4 type steam locomotive built in May 1944 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway (ATSF). It was used to pull passenger and fast freight trains, mostly throughout New Mexico, until it was retired from revenue service in 1953. Three years later, it was donated to Coronado Park in Albuquerque for static display.
The Modesto and Empire Traction Company is a Class III short-line railroad operating in California's San Joaquin Valley. It is owned by the Beard Land & Investment Company; the Beard family has always owned the railroad. The Beards also created the Beard Industrial Park where the MET's customers are located. The railroad was unique in that it had operated for nearly 50 years exclusively with GE 70-ton switchers built between 1947 and 1955; however, a former Southern Pacific EMD SW1500 switcher was added to the roster as of late. The MET operates on 5 miles (8 km) of mainline track, as well as an additional 48.7 miles (78.4 km) of yard and industry track, providing switching services in the Beard Industrial Park. The MET interchanges with the Union Pacific at Modesto and with the BNSF Railway Stockton Subdivision at Empire.
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway's 3460 class comprised six 4-6-4 "Super Hudson" type steam locomotives built in 1937 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for service between La Junta, Colorado and Chicago, Illinois, a fairly flat division of the railroad suited for the 4-6-4 type. They were substantially larger than the road's earlier 3450 class locomotives, and all were built oil-fired, although in a manner that would allow for easy conversion to coal firing. All were fitted with SKF roller bearings on every axle.
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway No. 1010 is a 2-6-2 type steam locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1901 for Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. It started out as a Vauclain compound locomotive before it was rebuilt into a conventional locomotive in the 1910s. It was primarily used for various passenger trains across the Southwestern United States, including the record breaking 1905 Scott Special on the segment between Needles, California, and Seligman, Arizona, before it was reassigned to freight service in the 1940s. It was retired in 1955 and was kept by the Santa Fe for several years for preservation purposes. In 1979, Santa Fe donated No. 1010 to the California State Railroad Museum, where the locomotive resides there in Sacramento as of 2024.
The GE U30CG was a passenger-hauling diesel-electric locomotive built by GE Transportation Systems. It was a passenger variant of GE's U30C design purchased by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. ATSF had purchased ten U28CG locomotives in 1966, and while these locomotives were satisfactory operationally, the railroad felt that their utilitarian appearance was unsuitable for its passenger trains. Desiring smooth-sided passenger power, the railroad ordered the first cowl units from both GE and GM-EMD. GE produced the U30CG to meet this requirement. It was mechanically identical to a U30C except that the bodywork was replaced with a full-width long hood with fluted stainless-steel panels, and a full-width rounded nose and slanted cab front were fitted.
Santa Fe 2913 is a 4-8-4 locomotive, part of the Santa Fe Class 2900. It was built in 1943 and pulled freight and passenger trains until its retirement in 1959 and is now on display in a park in Fort Madison, Iowa, having been donated to the town upon retirement.
The Santa Fe Southern Railway is a short line railroad in New Mexico, United States. In addition to carrying freight on occasion, it also operates as a tourist railroad called Sky Railway that carries passengers between Lamy and Santa Fe: a distance of 18.1 miles (29.1 km). The Santa Fe Rail Trail, a multi-use trail, parallels its route.
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe 3759 is a class 3751 4-8-4 "Heavy Mountain" type steam railway locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1928. It is on display in Locomotive Park, located between Andy Devine Avenue and Beale Street in Kingman, Arizona. The park was established in August 1957 with AT&SF 3759 donated to the City of Kingman in recognition of Kingman's history with the railroad. The locomotive is termed a Mountain type on the nearby information plaque, and also in the city's descriptive material which is correct for the Santa Fe. ATSF 4-8-4s were referenced in documentation as type "Heavy Mountain", "New Mountain" or "Mountain 4-wheel trailer."
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe 3415 is a preserved class "3400" 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive built in June 1919 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Retired in 1954, it sat in Eisenhower Park in Abilene, Kansas, until 1996. At that point, it was put on display in the Abilene and Smoky Valley yard. Restoration began in 2005 and was completed in early 2009. The engine was taken out of service in October 2023, undergoing its federally mandated 15-year overhaul. Restoration began in April 2024, and is expected to take a minimum of 18 months. The engine is the only operating steam locomotive in Kansas and is one of four Santa Fe steam engines still operating can the U.S. In April 2024, the iconic locomotive was designated as the Kansas steam locomotive by an act of the Kansas Legislature, effectively making it a state symbol.
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway class 5011 was the last class of steam locomotives to be purchased by AT&SF. The class was introduced by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1944.
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe No. 769 is a preserved 769 class 2-8-0 "consolidation" type steam locomotive originally built by the Richmond Locomotive Works in 1900 as one of the Santa Fe Pacific Railroad's final locomotives. It was originally numbered 266 before the SFP had completely merged into its parent company, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, and the locomotive was renumbered 3045, and it was eventually renumbered again to 769. The locomotive was put into use for short-distance freight trains and for yard switching before being sold again in 1950 to the Albuquerque and Cerrillos Coal Company in Madrid, New Mexico for more yard switching and short distance coal trains. As the 1950s progressed, however, the company shut down due to bankruptcy, and No. 769 was abandoned along with the rest of the locomotive yard and the rest of Madrid. In the late 1970s the town was recovered and converted into a heritage town, and No. 769 was then put on static display just behind the shed it was stored in, which was converted to the Engine House Theatre. In early 2020, No. 769 was selected for a future project to restore it to operating condition to eventually run on reconstructed trackage between Madrid and a nearby BNSF interchange near Los Cerrillos.
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe No. 1316 is a preserved 1309 class 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1911 for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. It was frequently used for pulling fast passenger trains in Texas, until it was reassigned to freight service in the late 1940s. After being retired in 1954, it was donated to the Fort Concho Museum in San Angelo, Texas for static display. In 1980, No. 1316 was acquired by the Texas State Railroad, who moved it to Rusk, Texas and restored it in 1982 as their No. 500. It continued to operate there until 2002, when it was found to be due for an overhaul, and it spent several years in storage, disassembled. As of 2024, No. 1316 has been put back together during a cosmetic restoration and it is awaiting the necessary overhaul required to operate it again.