1950s End Of Steam

[Deggesty]

SPer

The real reason Santa Fe stopped using steam in 1953 because steam locomotives do not fit Santa Fe's corporate image. that's why Santa Fe moved on with diesel-electrics.

 

I am curious: what was the "corporate image" that steam did not fit?

[RME]

SPer

The real reason Santa Fe stopped using steam in 1953 because steam locomotives do not fit Santa Fe's corporate image.

According to all the sources I have seen on ATSF modern power, the Santa Fe intended to optimize on diesel-electric power as quickly as it could, as soon as the 'bugs' in the technology (e.g. those evidenced by the One-Spot Twins) had been satisfactorily resolved.  I believe Lloyd Stagner, Jr. has indicated ATSF would have taken all F units, instead of building the wartime steam classes, had the WPB permitted; they certainly nipped the desirable-improvements program (cf. the welded boilers for the 3460s, which were fully fabricated but never installed) very early on.  Big steam, especially big steam relatively intolerant of caustic water contaminants (silicon boiler steels, anyone???) was rapidly deprioritized as soon as a practical diesel-electric alternative was provided in the market.

Note that the "corporate image" for fast passenger trains was Diesel even before the NYC decided to stress 'Dieseliners' to replace the Great Steel Fleet.  Admittedly 3765 never got its shroud because it would have been overweight, but you did not see any later streamlining to match the pretty trains, nor did you see any particular postwar emphasis on that 6-4-4-4 design that was the 'true' high-speed passenger design for ATSF (as the C1a was for NYC).

[Firelock76]

SPer

The real reason Santa Fe stopped using steam in 1953 because steam locomotives do not fit Santa Fe's corporate image. that's why Santa Fe moved on with diesel-electrics.

 

I wouldn't say that.  Look at where the Santa Fe ran, a lot of it was through some VERY arid parts of the country.  Water was a problem and steam engines had to have it.  Diesels, not so much aside from the radiators.

Also, a lot of Santa Fe steamers ran though areas where coal was non-existant, so they had to burn oil.  If you're going to burn oil you might as well burn it in the most efficient way possible, right?  Back to diesels.

Corporate inage?  Can't say it wasn't a factor but probably not as much as you think. 

I'll say this much, I wish the New York Central was as generous in donating steam engines for preservation as the Santa Fe was!  That tells me when all is said and done Santa Fe was pretty proud of their steamers, moving on to diesels when circumstances dictated they should.

[BaltACD]

SPer

The real reason Santa Fe stopped using steam in 1953 because steam locomotives do not fit Santa Fe's corporate image. that's why Santa Fe moved on with diesel-electrics.

So economics had nothing to do with it?

[SPer]

The real reason Santa Fe stopped using steam in 1953 because steam locomotives do not fit Santa Fe's corporate image. that's why Santa Fe moved on with diesel-electrics.