Friday Night Steam

 What a wonderful way to avoid traffic jams!!

There is a train track in the middle of a freeway in California, the Freeway is called Interstate 10 and the train is the Santa Fe 3751 Steam Train, built in 1927. After researching this topic is seems fairly common in America for putting rail lines in Highway medians, down middle of freeways or even down the main streets on a small town. But I still found it interesting as it looks so close to the cars on the Freeway.

Built in 1927 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, 3751 was Baldwin's and the Santa Fe railway's first 4-8-4. It had a Santa Fe 5-chime freight whistle mounted on it. Tests showed that 3751 was 20% more efficient and powerful than Santa Fe's 4-8-2 3700 class steamer, which at the point was Santa Fe's most advanced steam locomotive. In 1936, the engine was converted to burn oil. Two years later, the locomotive was given a larger tender able to hold 20,000 gallons of water and 7,107 gallons of fuel oil. 3751 was also present at the grand opening of Union Station in Los Angeles on May 7, 1939 pulling the Scout, one of Santa Fe's crack passenger trains as it arrived from Chicago. It was the first steam locomotive to bring a passenger train into LAUPT. In 1941, along with other 4-8-4s, 3751 received major upgrades including: 80-inch drive wheels, a new frame, roller bearings all around, and more. That same year, it achieved its highest recorded speed at 103 mph. It continued to be a very reliable working locomotive until 1953, when it pulled the last regularly scheduled steam powered passenger train on the Santa Fe to run between Los Angeles and San Diego on August 25, this was its last run in revenue service. After that, it was stored at the Redondo Junction, California roundhouse in Los Angeles for four years before it was officially retired from the roster by the railroad in 1957, and in 1958 it was placed on display in San Bernardino.

Restoration

In 1981, the San Bernardino Railroad Historical Society was formed with intentions of restoring and operating 3751. Four years later, they achieved their goal when 3751 was sold to them with the condition that the SBRHS must restore and operate the locomotive. In 1986, 3751 was moved from its display to California Steel Industries, where it was restored at a cost of $1.5 million. In 1991, it operated for the first time in 38 years, running with two Santa Fe FP45s and 16 passenger cars on a four-day trip from Los Angeles to Bakersfield. Since then, it has been utilized for a large number of excursions and special trips as well as being on display at many events.

:o)