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the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe began in Kansas in 1860 and grew to become one of the great American railway systems; it was the only steam-era company to directly connect Chicago with California. The extreme conditions imposed across Santa Fe’s territory produced some unusual twentieth-century locomotive developments. Operations

across Southwestern deserts encouraged utmost efforts to conserve water, while a dearth of coal on its western routes resulted in Santa Fe’s pioneering of oil-fired steam locomotives. The road’s almost fanatical interest in compound locomotives was in part a result of its desire to use less water; it embraced a full scope of compound types, including Baldwin’s Vauclain and balanced compound designs. Early in the twentieth century’s second decade, Santa Fe pushed the Mallet articulated concept to bizarre extremes, including high-driver 2-6-6-2s built with jointed boilers for fast passenger work and massive 2-10-10-2s for freight service. Despite these curiosities, most of its locomotives

T Santa Fe introduced the 2-10-2 in 1902. This was a specific adaptation to 10-coupled helpers working Raton Pass to ease reversing the big engine’s downgrade; later 2-10-2s, such as No. 3847 photographed at Barstow, California, were intended for service as heavy freight haulers. F. J. Peterson photo, Solomon collection

3 aTChISOn, TOpEka & SanTa FE raILway W Among the most impressive late-era steam

locomotives were Santa Fe’s Class 2900 4-8-4s. Thirty were built during 1943 and 1944, offering 300 pounds boiler pressure. They were capable of running more than 100 miles per hour. Here 2928 works with passenger-service FTs leading the Chief on Cajon Pass. Paul Fredrickson photo, Solomon collection

FACTSATSF CLASS 2900Builder: BaldwinWheel arrangement: 4-8-4 Type: Northern Cylinders: 28x32 in.Drivers: 80 in.Engine weight: 510,000 lbs.Tractive effort: 66,000 lbs. (typical)Intended service: mainline freight and

passenger service Overall production: 30Years built: 1943–1944

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were simple types. Santa Fe ultimately concluded, as did all American railroads (except Norfolk & Western), that the cost efficiencies offered by compounding were outweighed by higher maintenance. Many compounds were rebuilt as simples or scrapped. Santa Fe’s last three decades of steam were typified by large, well-designed Baldwin types. Having already bought many 4-8-2s, in the late 1920s it embraced the 4-8-4 for general road service and continued to order these through World War II. Its 2900 series weighed in at more than 500,000 pounds, making them the heaviest 4-8-4s built. Its 4-6-4s were built for long-distance passenger work and boasted some of the longest steam runs in the United States. At the turn of the twentieth century, Santa Fe had pioneered the 2-10-2, originally using trailing wheels to aid reverse helpers downgrade on Raton Pass. In the 1930s, it ordered some of the most impressive 10-coupled engines ever built; its 5001-class 2-10-4s had 74-inch drivers, worked at 310 pounds boiler pressure, weighed 545,260 pounds, delivered 93,000 pounds tractive effort, and exhibited the largest piston thrust of any two-cylinder locomotive ever built.

Despite these late-era steam achievements, Santa Fe’s water problems resulted in it being first in America to adopt road freight diesels on wide scale. In 1938, it had been among

the first to buy E-units for fast passenger service. Then in the early 1940s, it invested in the largest fleet of EMD’s pioneering FTs. These were assigned to desert service in Arizona and southern California. After World War II, Santa Fe bought hundreds of F-units for both freight and passenger service, as well as other types. Despite these early efforts, it was among the last western lines to complete dieselization.

In the late 1950s and 1960s, Santa Fe bought even more powerful road diesels, adding to its roster large numbers of EMD GP20s, SD24s, GP30s, GP35s, and SD45s,

S Santa Fe’s first Northern was No. 3751, a pioneering Baldwin machine built in 1927. Fourteen of the class were built over the next two years. Although originally a consume burner in the 1930s, Santa Fe converted them for oil firing. At the end of steam operations, Santa Fe preserved many fine examples of its fleet, including No. 3751. In the 1980s, No. 3751 was operationally restored, and it occasionally works trips in home territory. On June 1, 2008, it is seen on the Surf Line at San Clemente, California, working its way to San Diego. Brian Solomon

T Working in an A-B-B-A set, Santa Fe freight service F3s lift an eastward freight over California’s Cajon Pass on November 23, 1953. Santa Fe was one of several railroads with distinct fleets of freight and passenger service EMD F-units. Where the passenger Fs were painted in the famous warbonnet scheme, freight units wore the more conservative cobalt and yellow scheme. Frank E. Meitz Santa Fe Railway

S None of these diesels were unique to Santa Fe, but no other line could produce such a collection of modern second-generation EMDs. These are as seen eastbound near Port Chicago, California, in November 1990. An SD40-2 with snoot nose section (intended for radio control equipment) leads GP60 No. 4032, SD45-2 No. 5709, and an F45. Brian Solomon

as well as equivalent models from GE. In the late 1970s, Santa Fe encouraged development of cowl types, and it was the first and most enthusiastic buyer of FP45 and F45 models. To meet a need for fast high-horsepower diesels, Santa Fe continued to buy large numbers of four-motor models into the early 1990s. In the late 1980s, it pushed for development of the modern North American Safety Cab, and it was the only railroad to order GP60Ms and GE’s Dash 8-40BW models, as well as EMD’s cab-less GP60Bs. Its last new locomotives were six-motor types, including GE’s Dash 9s and EMD’s SD75s.

W Santa Fe was the only modern freight railroad to order four-motor high-horsepower locomotives equipped with North American Safety Cabs. Santa Fe reintroduced Leland Knickerbocker’s classic warbonnet by repainting the FP45 in the late 1980s, but its first modern diesels in this super fleet scheme were EMD GP60Ms delivered in 1990. Brian Solomon

FACTSEMD GP60M Builder: EMDWheel arrangement: B-BTransmission: DC electricEngine: 16-710G Horsepower: 3,800Intended service: road freightNumber operated: 63 Year built: 1990