Santa Fe 3450

Santa Fe 3450. . , A Brief History of this Engine , Hudson type locomotive 3450 was presented to the Chapter Railway. Designed for high speed passenger service, 3450 was the first of ten similar 4-6-4 locomotives built for Santa Fe in 1927 at a cost of $73,735.60 each. In the early days of its life, 3450 charged across the mid-western plains leading sleek transcontinental passenger trains using coal for fuel. It was rebuilt in 1937, converted to oil, and more modern appliances were added to increase speed and performance. Number 3450 was later assigned to service in California's San Joaquin Valley, between Bakersfield and Oakland. The massive, 20,000 gallon tender was a 1952 modification. Mileage exceeding 100 times the distance around the earth was accumulated by the 3450 by the time of its retirement in 1953. , , Engine Specifics , Total Weight: Over 374 tons , Length: 98 ft., 1 3/8 in. , Steam Pressure: 228 psi , Built: Baldwin, 1927 , Top Speed: 110 mph , Fuel: Oil , Drivers: 78 in. , The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe... Trailblazer to the Frontier , A former railway that was one of the largest in the United States, it was chartered in Kansas as the Atchison and Topeka Railroad Company in 1859, and it later exercised great influence on the settlement of the southwestern United States. It was renamed the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad in 1863 and acquired its modern name in 1895. Its founder was Cyrus K. Holliday, a Topeka lawyer and business promoter, who sought to build a railroad along the Santa Fe Trail, a 19th century trading route that ran from Independence, Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico. The railroad's main line to the Colorado state line was completed in 1872. , , The railroad was further expanded in the 1880s and early 1890s to reach about 9,000 miles (14,480 km), but it lost some of this mileage in a reorganization brought on by the financial crisis of 1893. Under Edward Payson Ripley, its president from 1895 until 1920, the Santa Fe flourished and grew to more than 11,000 miles (17,700 km) of track. By 1941 it had more than 13,000. miles (21,000 km) of track, but it shrank gradually thereafter. In 1968 the company became a subsidiary of Santa Fe Industries, Inc., a holding company. In 1983 this company and the Southern Pacific Transportation Company agreed to merge into the Santa Fe Southern Pacific Corporation, but the merger was rejected by the ICC in 1987. The Southern Pacific rail system was sold off in 1988, and in 1989 the Santa Fe parent company became known in. simply as the Santa Fe Pacific Corporation. Burlington Northem, Inc., purchased the Santa Fe Pacific Corporation in 1995, Santa Fe and the resulting company took the name Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation (BNSF). , , Before it was acquired by the Burlington Northern railroad, the Santa Fe Railway covered 12 states, with most of its trackage in the midwestern and southwestern portions of the United States. Its freight revenues came principally from intermodal traffic, farm and food products, chemicals, motor vehicles and parts, and industrial raw materials. The days of its famed passenger trains such as the Super Chief were largely over by 1970, and it sold its passenger service to the National Railway Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) in 1971. , , Want More? , Students and Educators: , Information handouts on this locomotive are available in our Depot Gift Shop. , Internet Access: , For more information on this locomotive and our exhibit, go to our website at www.ralgiants.com