Santa Fe 3751

We congratulate our hometown team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, on securing their spot as the 2020 World Series Champions!

Although 19 years have passed...our commitment to remember those who served, those we lost and those who carry on their legacy is stronger than ever. We Will Never Forget.

Our new support cars bid farewell to Illinois last night before passing through Iowa and Missouri. This morning finds them making tracks northeast of Wichita as they pass through Kansas on their journey west. Interested is seeing where the cars are now? You still can! Visit the "Support Railcar" page on our website to find the latest updates on their location. As always, please remember that if you happen to be in an area our cars pass through and you would like to see them,... always put safety first. Never trespass on railroad property and to always stand at least 25 feet from the tracks. Thank you! Looking back at their time in Illinois one last time, we thank Seth Reynolds for sharing this great photo of the cars highballing through Naperville, Illinois on BNSF's "Racetrack" on the afternoon of July 30, 2020.

Our new support railcars are back on the move! Following a short stay in Chicago, IL, the cars are currently on a BNSF train bound for Galesburg, IL. Upon their arrival, they will be placed on a new train that should take them on the majority of their journey west to California. If you would like to stay up to date on the location of the cars, visit our website at www.sbrhs.org and click on the "Support Railcars" button under the Equipment page. ... Please remember, if you happen to be in an area our cars pass through and you would like to see them, always put safety first. Never trespass on railroad property and to always stand at least 25 feet from the tracks. Thank you!

It's Moving Day! We are excited to make our first post regarding the movement of our three new support railcars as they begin their journey to California. As of 3:00 p.m. EST, our cars have departed Cincinnati, OH (after a short trip from Beech Grove, IN) on a CSX freight train that will take them to Chicago, IL. From there they will make the rest of the trek to California on the BNSF Railway.... Want to keep up with the car's latest location? You can! Visit our "Support Railcars" webpage by clicking on the link below to see where they are and learn more about them. If you happen to be in an area our cars pass through and you would like to see them, please remember to never trespass on railroad property and to always stand at least 25 feet from the tracks. Thank you! https://www.sbrhs.org/equipment/support-railcars.html

Freshly cleaned, 3751's throttle covering is now wearing a fresh coat of paint and is back in its rightful place atop the locomotive. The crew even went as far as individually polishing and repainting every piece that holds the throttle covering down before locking things in place.

Yesterday's 4th of July celebrations were different for many of us due to COVID-19. In an effort to share some good news, here are five updates for July 5 regarding the status of 3751 and other projects underway: 1) Adhering to all required and recommended safety regulations, the steam crew has returned to work on 3751! Projects underway include the re-wrapping of steam lines with brand new insulation and installing firebrick back inside the firebox. Sheet metal jacketing is ...being prepped for paint and the reinstallation of cab appliances is soon to follow. 2) After more than two years of faithful service, the wooden platform at the front of the locomotive has been taken down - allowing for the closure of the smokebox door. Any time a steam locomotive's smokebox door is opened, it generally means heavy maintenance is on the horizon. Following the removal of all 52 superheater units from 3751's the boiler in 2018, the steam crew built this custom wooden platform over the pilot of the locomotive. The platform allowed much easier access in and out of the smokebox and greatly assisted in the removal of petticoat pieces and old tubes and flues, along with the reinstallation of these items. The recent break down of the platform and closing up of the smokebox door means one thing - we're one step closer to steam! 3) High temperature paint has been applied to the entire boiler. This specialized material will not only withstand heat, but also provide a protective barrier to keep any moisture and condensation off the shell. 4) SBRX 1517, our veteran ex-Seaboard Air Line dormitory car, was inspected by the BNSF Railway in late June and has been cleared to move. As early as tomorrow, July 6, billing for the car will be initiated for its movement to the Fillmore & Western Railway by rail. While this car does not have a GPS tracker installed on it, we will do our utmost to share its movements with you! You can learn more about the movement of SBRX 1517 in the press release posted on our website: https://www.sbrhs.org/news/media.html 5) Our three new support cars, the SBRX 1161 / SBRX 2505 / SBRX 2523, are now 100% cleared for departure from Amtrak's Beech Grove, Indiana facility and could leave as early as tomorrow, July 6. The delay of the cars departure came after crews working to install end-of-train brackets on each car for movement over CSX rails were forced to pause due to COVID-19 restrictions. We look forward to utilizing the GPS tracker onboard these cars to share their movement locations with you soon.

There might be 2,511 miles between us - but it almost feels like we are there thanks to Trains Magazine's live stream! We welcome our Santa Fe 3751 supporters and fans to tune in and watch this morning's exciting fire up of ex-Chesapeake & Ohio Railway 2-6-6-2 #1309 being restored at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad (WMSR). What links 3751 and 1309 together, you might ask? Both locomotives are products of the Baldwin Locomotive Works, with 3751 built in 1927 and 1309 buil...t in 1949. Of particular interest, 3751 was the first 4-8-4 built for the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe (ATSF) while the 1309 was the last steam locomotive produced by Baldwin for domestic service. Congratulations to the WSMR on the fantastic work they have accomplished so far. We can't wait to see 1309 once it's 100% complete!

Take a moment to remember what today is really about.

It's the end of another Moday and you survived! To celebrate, we're inviting you to sit back, relax and turn up your volume to listen to the sounds of Santa Fe 3751 as we thunder through the Fullerton train station on the trip home from Railroad Days in Fullerton in 2016. Interested in seeing other videos from this outing? Let us know and we'll share some more!

What could make a picture of 3751 better? Well, Mom of course. Happy Mother's Day!

On this day 81 years ago, Santa Fe 3751 made history as it led the first revenue passenger train into Union Station Los Angeles. T. Nixon was on hand that morning in 1939 to capture the young, 12-year-old locomotive lead Train No. 1, "The Scout," into the newly built station that had its grand opening just four days prior. Near the end of her career with the Santa Fe, 3751 became a regular at Union Station as it pulled trains in and out Los Angeles. With your support, these ...two icons of Southern California will continue to meet many more times to come. Learn more about how you can help by visiting www.sbrhs.org

On this International Firefighters Day, we take you back to 2002 and onto the platform of the Barstow train station as a thirsty Santa Fe 3751 takes on water from a 1902-built, American Steam Fire Engine. This unique engine, besides weighing in at 9,500 pounds and being able to pump 1,000 gallons-per-minute, even saw on the railroad when it saw service on the Southern Pacific for a short period on firefighting trains protecting the snow sheds along the California Sierras. We thank Dave and Barbara Hubert, who restored this beautiful fire engine to the spectacular condition it is in, The California State Firefighters' Association, Barstow Fire and all the dedicated men and women of the fire service across the country for their daily work to serve our communities.

When the Empire closes in, #maythe4thbewithyou. Here’s a screen grab of a scene that was cut from one of the early #StarWars movies as 3751 pulled a Rebel supply train across Tatoonie.

On this day 34 years ago, 3751 took her first steps toward a second life when the locomotive was moved out of Viaduct Park in San Bernardino. Carefully guided by crews from the San Bernardino Railroad Historical Society (SBRHS) and the Santa Fe Railway, the first 4-8-4 for the Santa Fe was pulled onto sections of panel track that were lined down West 3rd street near the San Bernardino depot. Once the engine and tender were brought far enough out, the panel track was realigne...d west to connect with a live track beneath the N Mt. Vernon Ave. bridge where the locomotive returned to active rails. A few days later, 3751 rolled onto the grounds of the Kaiser Steel Mill in Fontana where a 5 year restoration would take place to return the 1927-built locomotive to operation. This day in 1986 was 3751's first movements in 28 years, and today the SBRHS is proud to have operated the locomotive in excursion service for almost 30 years. We couldn't do what we do without the backing of our Supporters, and we'd like to take a moment to thank all of you. To learn how you can be a part of this journey by becoming a Supporter, visit our website at www.sbrhs.org today.