Santa Fe #2926 Runs Under Steam For The First Time Since 1954

[Jones1945]

A video by Arkansas Locomotive Works. Congratulations to the New Mexico Steam Locomotive & Railroad Historical Society!

[Overmod]

Amen! Amen!! AMEN!!!

[Flintlock76]

Wow.  Oh wow!

The "Sleeping Beauty" awakens.  Maybe they should name it the "Princess Aurora?"

And you can tell it's ready to come alive when that smokestack extender pops up, like an opening eyelid!

And those campaign ribbons on the cab?  Those are the American Theater of Operations Medal (WW2) and the National Defense Medal.  Makes sense, we wouldn't have won WW2 without locomotives like 2926.

Thanks Mr. Jones!

[pennytrains]

She needs to run the route of the Chiefs just like 3751 did all those years ago! 

[SD70Dude]

Sure would be awesome to see 3751 and 2926 together again!

Can you imagine either one of them tackling the grades on the Grand Canyon Railway!?

Or perhaps both......

[mudchicken]

The fact that six of those 30 WW2 era beasts still survive is amazing. Just reminded that only one DRGW standard gage steam engine survives and it was a relatively small engine. Wonder if they will let it out on Glorietta hill or find somewhere to turn that beast?

[Jones1945]

Flintlock76

And those campaign ribbons on the cab?  Those are the American Theater of Operations Medal (WW2) and the National Defense Medal.  Makes sense, we wouldn't have won WW2 without locomotives like 2926.

Thanks Mr. Jones!

You are welcome, Wayne. Thank you so much for reminding us about those campaign ribbons. 

I can't wait to see those sexy 80" drivers spinning at high speed once again. The tender trucks are the same type used on the PRR S1, looking forward to seeing them traveling at higher speed!

[Flintlock76]

mudchicken

The fact that six of those 30 WW2 era beasts still survive is amazing.

The Santa Fe was pretty generous in donating retired steam engines, so were some other 'roads like the Union Pacific and the Nickle Plate.  Too bad we can't say the same for some others.

[kgbw49]

Can't wait to see that big-barreled Baldwin blasting up the mainline!

If I remember correctly, the 2900s were The Biggest Northern That Ever Was in terms of weight of locomotive and tender, with the Northern Pacific A-5 class (another Baldwin) coming in a close second.

[Flintlock76]

kgbw49

If I remember correctly, the 2900s were The Biggest Northern That Ever Was in terms of weight

Certainly the heaviest, due to the wartime shortages of lightweight steels.

[7j43k]

Flintlock76

 

...lightweight steels.

 

 

Lightweight steels?

I think perhaps "high strength" steels.

 

 

Ed

[Flintlock76]

7j43k

 

 

Flintlock76

 

...lightweight steels.

 

 

 

 

 

Lightweight steels?

I think perhaps "high strength" steels.

 

 

Ed

 

Well, the information I've read described them as "lightweight."  I'm not a metallurgist by any means but I do know there's different grades of steel for different applications.  2926 is a "war baby" when you comedown to it and the War Production Board was tasked with "who got what" during the war years. 

[kgbw49]

Here is a link to the 4-8-4 page on steamlocomotive.com

Not sure how they pull the data on tractive effort, as Sante Fe rated their 4-8-4 locomotives in the mid-60,000s, but still an interesting table.

 

http://steamlocomotive.com/locobase.php?country=USA&wheel=4-8-4

 

 

[Overmod]

7j43k

Lightweight steels? I think perhaps "high strength" steels.

What he means are "alloy steels" permitting lighter weight.

Of course the 'lightweight steel' important as such is the 'High Dynamic' used in the thin-section roller-bearing Timken rods and associated valve gear -- which you will note 2926 is now equipped with. The WPB initially attempted to restrict this based on the 'strategic metal' alloy constituents... hence the fiasco of the N&W J1s and fairly brisk about-face on railroad inability to spec the Timken rods and their bearings as needed.

[Flintlock76]

kgbw49

Here is a link to the 4-8-4 page on steamlocomotive.com

Not sure how they pull the data on tractive effort, as Sante Fe rated their 4-8-4 locomotives in the mid-60,000s, but still an interesting table.

 

http://steamlocomotive.com/locobase.php?country=USA&wheel=4-8-4

 

 

 

Great list!  Thanks!

I couldn't help but notice there's no numbers for drawbar horsepower.  Is it because it wasn't as important as tractive effort, or was there no reliable way to measure it at the time?

[kgbw49]

'76, of course dbhp is on a curve, but the New Mexico Steam Locomotive & Railway Historical Society has this FAQ page about 2926:

http://www.nmslrhs.org/FAQ/faq.php

It says 2926 produces 4,590 dbhp at 40 MPH.

[Flintlock76]

Thanks!

[kgbw49]

Interestingly, 4,590 dbhp is in the ballpark with an ET44AC or SD70ACe-T4, but I would dare to say delivered in a way cooler manner!

[Shadow the Cats owner]

What's is scary is that figure is only about 85 percent of what the 2900s could actually do.  Santa Fe was always conservative on ratings to avoid needing helpers if possible.  So the 2900 class was more than likely over 5000 hp or more.  

[Flintlock76]

Shadow the Cats owner

So the 2900 class was more than likely over 5000 hp or more.  

Yeah, I was wondering if that was the case myself, that thing is a beast!

[kgbw49]

Here is the "little" 80-inch-drivered Santa Fe Baldwin 3751 in 2010.

It is about a 1 minute film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eggYBVAYiI

And this one just for fun - paced down the middle of the I-10 Freeway - an 11-minute film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp-b4Ce4Mf4

 

 

[Flintlock76]

Incredible.  Not only can 3751 move, but it makes it look effortless!  

[Shadow the Cats owner]

Just imagine her bigger sister's of the 2900s doing that routinely across Kansas hauling named trains like the Chief or Grand Canyon until replaced by diesel.  

[M636C]

kgbw49

Here is the "little" 80-inch-drivered Santa Fe Baldwin 3751 in 2010.

It is about a 1 minute film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eggYBVAYiI

And this one just for fun - paced down the middle of the I-10 Freeway - an 11-minute film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp-b4Ce4Mf4

 

 

 

The "little" 3751 class were not that much smaller than the 3765, 3776 and 2900 classes.

Even as built with the smaller driving wheels, the 3751 had the same grate area of 108 square feet, the same maximum boiler diameter of just less than 100 inches and the same length between tubeplates of just under 21 feet..As rebuilt, the 3751 class were about three feet shorter than the later locomotives, due to the boiler having a shorter combustion chamber.

Of course the 3751 class had a lower boiler pressure (230 Lbf/sq in against 300 Lbf/sq in) but had larger cylinders to compensate for this.

Interestingly the 5001 class 2-10-4 and the 3760 class 4-6-4 also had boilers of around 21 feet between tubeplates, and both had grates of the same width, 108 inches, although the 4-6-4 grate was shorter and the 2-10-4 was longer than that on the 4-8-4. The 2-10-4 boiler was bigger in diameter, 104 inches compared to just under 100 inches for the 4-8-4, while the 4-6-4 boiler was 92 inches maximum diameter.

I recall that Bachmann made an HO scale model of the 2-10-4 using the existing boiler and cab moulding for the 4-8-4. It was relatively close to correct, given the small difference in dimensions when reduced to HO scale.

Peter

[kgbw49]

Agree M636C! The ATSF "little" 4-8-4s were not very little, just as the UP 800-814 were not very little.

Santa Fe's mechanical department sure knew what they were doing when they rebuilt the 3751-3764.

[M636C]

kgbw49

Agree M636C! The ATSF "little" 4-8-4s were not very little, just as the UP 800-814 were not very little.

Santa Fe's mechanical department sure knew what they were doing when they rebuilt the 3751-3764.

 

And they rebuilt them beginning in 1938, which allowed the improved power at speed to improve the timings of all the passenger trains, just as the very first passenger diesels were arriving, and when the first 3765 class were just entering service.

 

The 3400 class Pacifics and 3450 class 4-6-4s were also rebuilt, and some of the new 3460 class 4-6-4s were held as reserve power for the diesel hauled trains.

 

There was a well organised process to provide faster service for passengers and freight.

 

Peter

[kgbw49]

M636C,

Thank you for such great historical information! Just as a follow up to that I linked to a couple of photos of 3751-class locomotives for comparison.

Here is a builder's photo of ATSF 3764 as built in 1927:

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/628000/

Here is ATSF 3761 as rebuilt in 1946:

https://www.kshs.org/km/items/view/61553

This shows how extensive the rebuilding of the 3751 class was - my goodness, they almost don't look like the same class of locomotive!

 

[Flintlock76]

Amazing.  In a way, it reminds me of the change of appearance of the battleships salvaged from Pearl Harbor and repaired and refitted.

They called them "The Pearl Harbor Ghosts."  They got their revenge at Suragao Strait in 1944, but that's another story.

[kgbw49]

Roger that, '76! Crossing the "T"!

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

kgbw49

Roger that, '76! Crossing the "T"!

 

It wasn't quite that much revenge after the PT-boats, destroyers and some cruisers pounded the Japanese force pretty severely before it got within range of the battle line.