Santa Fe No. 3751
Specifications
| Number | 3751 |
| Original Railroad | Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway |
| Builder | Baldwin Locomotive Works, Eddystone, PA |
| Build Date | May 1927 |
| Wheel Arrangement | 4-8-4 |
| Gauge | Standard gauge (4 ft 8½ in) |
| Weight | Locomotive 478,100 lb; tender 396,246 lb |
| Tractive Effort | 66,000 lbf as built (~65,981 lbf after 1938-39 rebuild) |
| Boiler Pressure | 210 psi as built; 230 psi after 1938-39 upgrade |
| Driver Diameter | 73 in as built; 80 in after 1938-39 upgrade |
| Years Operated | 1927–1953 |
| Current Status | Operational — oldest surviving 4-8-4 type steam locomotive in the world |
| Current Location | Los Angeles, California |
| Current Owner | San Bernardino Railroad Historical Society |
No. 3751 was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in May 1927, the first of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway’s pioneering 3751-class “Northerns.” It entered service on Santa Fe’s demanding New Mexico division and was later rebuilt with larger 80-inch drivers and a higher boiler pressure, enabling speeds clocked at a record 103 mph in 1941. It hauled premier passenger trains including the Chief and the Grand Canyon Limited.
By the early 1950s diesel power was displacing steam, and No. 3751 pulled Santa Fe’s last regularly scheduled steam-powered passenger run between Los Angeles and San Diego before retirement in August 1953. It sat on deteriorating static display for nearly three decades and came close to being scrapped.
In 1981 a group of enthusiasts formed the San Bernardino Railroad Historical Society specifically to save it, purchasing the locomotive for one dollar in 1985–86 on condition it be restored to operating condition. It returned to steam in 1991 after roughly five years and $1.5 million of volunteer restoration, and has since operated numerous mainline excursions across Southern California, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.