Santa Fe 2926

Santa Fe 2926 is a former Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF) class 2900 4-8-4 type steam locomotive, built by Baldwin in 1944. It was used to pull passenger and fast freight trains, mostly throughout New Mexico until it was retired from revenue service in 1953. It was subsequently donated to a park in Albuquerque for static display. In 1999, it was purchased by the New Mexico Steam Locomotive and Railroad Historical Society to be rebuilt for operational purposes. After over twenty years of work, the restoration was finally completed, and No. 2926 was steamed up again on July 24, 2021. It will eventually be used in mainline excursion service between Albuquerque and Las Vegas, New Mexico.

Santa Fe 2926
Santa Fe No. 2926 on display at Coronado Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderBaldwin Locomotive Works
Serial number69814
Build dateMarch 1944
Rebuild date1999–2021
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte4-8-4
Gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Leading dia.42 in (1,067 mm)
Driver dia.80 in (2,032 mm)
Trailing dia.50 in (1,270 mm)
Length120 ft 10 in (36.83 m)
Height16 ft 0 in (4.88 m)
Axle load77,500 lb (35,200 kg)
Adhesive weight293,860 lb (133,290 kg)
Loco weight510,150 lb (231,400 kg)
Tender weight464,700 lb (210,800 kg)
Total weight974,850 lb (442,180 kg)
Fuel typeOil
Fuel capacity7,000 US gal (26,000 L; 5,800 imp gal)
Water cap.24,500 US gal (93,000 L; 20,400 imp gal)
Fuel consumption6,000 US gal (23,000 L; 5,000 imp gal) of water an hour
Firebox:
 • Firegrate area		108 sq ft (10.0 m2)
Boiler102 in (2,591 mm)
Boiler pressure300 psi (2.1 MPa)
Cylinders2
Cylinder size28 in × 32 in (711 mm × 813 mm)
Performance figures
Maximum speed120 mph (190 km/h)
Power output4,590 hp (3,420 kW) at 40 mph (64 km/h)
Tractive effort66,000 lbf (293.58 kN)
Factor of adh.4.45
Career
OperatorsSanta Fe
New Mexico Steam Locomotive and Railroad Historical Society
Class2900
Numbers
  • ATSF 2926
RetiredDecember 24, 1953
PreservedJuly 1956
RestoredJuly 24, 2021
Current ownerNew Mexico Steam Locomotive and Railroad Historical Society
DispositionOperational
ATSF Locomotive No. 2926
Santa Fe 2926 is located in New Mexico
Santa Fe 2926
Santa Fe 2926 is located in the United States
Santa Fe 2926
Location1600 Twelfth St. NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Coordinates35°6′11″N 106°39′15″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1944
ArchitectBaldwin Locomotive Works
NRHP reference No.07000388[1]
NMSRCP No.366
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 1, 2007
Designated NMSRCPFebruary 28, 1975[2]

History

Revenue service

No. 2926 was among the last group of steam passenger locomotives built in 1944 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Eddystone (Philadelphia), Pennsylvania for the Santa Fe Railway.[3][4] This class of locomotives comprised the heaviest 4-8-4's built in the United States,[5] and among the largest. The railroad used the locomotive in both fast freight and passenger service, and it accumulated over one million miles of usage before its last revenue run on December 24, 1953. Equipped with the latest Timken roller-bearing tandem side-rods between 1946-1948, it was then approved for 110-mph speeds with the Santa Fe's crack passenger trains: up from 100-mph when delivered with its original side-rods. The locomotive and a caboose were donated to the City of Albuquerque, New Mexico in July, 1956 in recognition of the city's 250th anniversary, and placed in Coronado Park.[6][7]

Preservation
No. 2926 during the beginning of its restoration process on November 19, 2008

The city displayed the locomotive as a static exhibit in the park until it was sold to the New Mexico Steam Locomotive and Railroad Historical Society (NMSL & RHS) on July 26, 1999. On June 23, 2000, the locomotive was moved by Messer Construction Company to a BNSF Railway rail siding just south of Menaul Boulevard.

Restoration

In May 2002 the locomotive was moved by the railroad to its current location near the intersection of 8th Street and Haines Avenue, where it underwent a complete restoration to operating condition by the Society. When the restoration is completed, No. 2926 will be the largest operating 4-8-4 steam locomotive in the United States.

On February 11, 2016, House Memorial Bill 100, introduced by Don L. Tripp and adopted by the New Mexico Legislature, recognized the Santa Fe No. 2926 steam locomotive as "New Mexico's steam locomotive and a representative of the railroads' contributions to the economic and cultural growth and stature of New Mexico".[8]

Excursion service

In January, 2018, it was reported that the restoration was nearing completion and that the locomotive could be operational by the end of the year. As of that date, NMSL&RHS members had put in 166,000 hours of volunteer labor and spent over $2.8 million on the project.[9]

On August 20, 2018, the boiler of ATSF No. 2926 was fired up for the first time in sixty-five years.[10] The locomotive was scheduled for a test run on March 20, 2020, when it would move under its own power for the first time since 1953. However, that event and most other restoration efforts were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New Mexico.[11] On July 24, 2021 the No. 2926 locomotive moved under its own power for the first time in sixty-eight years.[12] On May 6, 2023, No. 2926 visited a nearby brewing company for a fundraiser, a distance of about four blocks.[13]

The locomotive has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since October 1, 2007.

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. "New Mexico State and National Registers". New Mexico Historic Preservation Commission. Retrieved 2013-03-13.
  3. Worley, E.D. Iron Horses of the Santa Fe Trail. Southwest Railroad Historical Society. 1965.
  4. "Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 4-8-4 "Northern" Locomotives in the USA". www.steamlocomotive.com. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  5. Stagner, Lloyd E. Santa Fe Steam: The Last Decade. South Platte Press. 1995.
  6. Holmes, Abercrombie (July 9, 1956). "Christening Marks Railway Milestone". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved January 12, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Locomotive Dedicated At Park". Albuquerque Journal. November 1, 1956. Retrieved January 12, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "House Memorial 100: Santa Fe 2926 Steam Locomotive". New Mexico Legislature. 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  9. Reed Jr., Ollie (January 20, 2018). "Locomotive restorers hope to steam ahead". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  10. Reed Jr., Ollie (August 22, 2018). "Boilers fired up in old Santa Fe 2926". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  11. "AT&SF 2926 News" (PDF). New Mexico Steam Locomotive & Railroad Historical Society. 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  12. "Fully-restored steam-powered locomotive up and running". KRQE. July 25, 2021. Archived from the original on August 25, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  13. "Santa Fe 4-8-4 No. 2926 to steam up next month". Trains. 2023-04-18.

Further reading
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.