The AT&SF paid Baldwin Locomotive Works $99,712.77 for No. 3751, the thirteenth 4-8-4 of 892 constructed between 1926 and 1950 for U.S. railroads. A joint design effort of Santa Fe Mechanical Engineer Harold H. Lanning, his staff, and Baldwin, Santa Fe’s first 4-8-4 (and Baldwin’s first 4-8-4 as well) was a mixture of conservative design and the best locomotive technology of that time. Boiler pressure was set at 210 pounds, even though many engines had been set at 250 pounds since 1917. Modern features included cast steel cylinders keyed to the engine bed, front-end American multiple throttle, Elesco feedwater heater, Duplex stoker, Nicholson thermic siphons in the firebox (which had a large grate of 108 square feet) and the Type E high-temperature superheater.
Walschaert valve gear with a multiplying lever to provide 9” of maximum valve travel, operated with a Ragonnet power reverse gear, was provided. The Santa Fe’s own Layden exhaust nozzle was used as well. The tenders had a one-piece cast steel underframe, used six-wheel trucks, and held 15,000 gallons of water and 20 tons of coal. The 30”x30” cylinders resulted in high back-pressures at higher speeds, resulting in a decrease in the expected horsepower output. The 73” drivers were a good compromise for an engine used on both mountain and level territories, at a time when passenger train speeds seldom exceeded 65 miles per hour. The total engine weight of 421,000 pounds was only about four tons heavier than the heaviest 3800 class 2-10-2s but enough to make No. 3751 the largest engine on the system in 1927.
Tested against 4-8-2 No. 3714 between La Junta and Albuquerque, No. 3751 demonstrated savings of 19.4 percent in coal consumption while increasing water evaporation per pound of coal by 43.4 percent. It could handle 26 all-steel passenger cars on level track and 15 on two-percent grades. Maximum drawbar horsepower at 40 miles per hour was 3,220 with indicated or cylinder horsepower of 3,600 at that speed.
No. 3751 entered into passenger service on the difficult New Mexico division, with grades of 3.5 percent westbound and 3.3 percent grades eastbound over Raton Pass (where 2-10-2 helpers were employed). Performance as compared to the 4-8-2s was so strong that Santa Fe ordered nine additional 4-8-4s, Nos. 3752-3760, which were delivered in early 1928and four more, Nos. 3761-3764, followed in 1929.
On site restoration work on the AT&SF 2926 is again proceeding in accordance with the New Mexico Governor's announcement of the Public Health Order rules that went into effect as of Wednesday, December 2, 2020 with Bernalillo County currently in 'RED' status.
Atsf 3751 Class
- Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 3751 is a 4-8-4 Northern type steam locomotive built in 1927 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Built as the first Northern type steam locomotive for the Santa Fe, the 3751 served in passenger duties until being retired in 1953.
- The train was officially BNSF OLACSAE13 RailFair'99 Special. #3751 was the ATSF's first ever 4-8-4 Northern (thus, the 3751 Class engine on Santa Fe), having been delivered by Baldwin Locomotive Works in May 1927.
- 3751 was the first Santa Fe 4-8-4. That class was built in two series # 3751-3775. They had 6 wheel tenders instead of the larger 8 wheel tenders as modeled by Bachmann. The 3776 class and the identical looking 2900 class had the larger tenders that carried more fuel and water for a longer range between water stops.
The 14 engines were assigned to a La Junta-Winslow passenger pool, over 636.5 miles, with engines cutting out at Albuquerque for boiler wash and inspections when required. Five daily trains in each direction were handled, including the crack Chief, the all-Pullman California Limited, the Fast Mail Express, the Grand Canyon Limited, and the Navajo. Depression-era reductions in passenger train mileage saw four trains each way via La Junta, making the 4-8-4s available for trains No. 9 and No. 22 between Winslow and Clovis, 503.5 miles.
The May 1936 inauguration of the diesel-powered Super Chief and the need for relief steam power put No. 3751 in the San Bernardino shop for conversion to burn oil, which was completed in December of that year. A 5,071 gallon oil tank was fabricated for the coal compartment in the tender and the engine was assigned to operate between Winslow and Los Angeles. On the days that the weekly Super Chief operated, No. 3751 was held at one intermediate engine terminal for possible relief. Through engine runs were established between La Junta and Los Angeles effective December 7, 1937; No. 3751 was put on this run, alternating with 11 new 4-8-4s (Nos. 3765-3775) when they were delivered beginning in April 1938. This 1,235-mile run was the longest steam engine assignment in the country at that time.
In 1938 the Santa Fe began an upgrading program on ten of the fourteen 4-8-4s. New 80-inch Boxpok driving wheels were applied, along with Timken roller bearings on all engine axles. The Elesco closed type feedwater heaters were replaced with Worthington 6-SA open type on the last four engines, which were out shopped at Albuquerque during 1941. No. 3751 was the next to last to be improved, leaving the shop on August 30. With steam pressure raised to 230 pounds, the maximum drawbar horsepower was 3,600 at 50 miles per hour, with 3,900 indicated horsepower at that speed. Increasing the size of the steam passages to and from the cylinders overcame part of the high back-pressure problem of the engine as built. A maximum speed of 90 miles per hour was permitted with the rebuilt engines, although documentation shows that No. 3751 exceeded 100 miles per hour several times.
Atsf 3751 Status
The original 4-8-4s had been handling the Grand Canyon Limited between Los Angeles and Wellington, Kansas (1,534 miles) since January 1940; upon completion of its rebuilding, No. 3751 entered this pool. Operating requirements sometimes saw No. 3751 on a La Junta-bound train out of Los Angeles, but after delivery of the 10 newest 4-8-4s, Nos. 3776-3785, in the summer of 1941, this became less frequent. Effective May 23, 1942, the original 4-8-4s started running through from Los Angeles to Kansas City via Amarillo, a distance of 1,789 miles, setting a new record for through steam locomotive runs. During World War II, these engines handled both the Scout and the Grand Canyon Limited. On-time performance was not the best with long stops to work heavy mail and express, but seldom was one of these engines cut out at an intermediate terminal due to failure. During the typical month of August 1943, the 14 engines averaged 18,435 miles per locomotive with a repair cost of 23 cents per mile at a time when 3,600-horsepower diesels handling lightweight trains cost 32.4 cents a mile for repairs.