Steam Power Rolling Along | August 1945

On this #throwbackthursday, read all about the battle between steam and diesel on U.S. railroads in the 1940's. The cover story of the August 1945 Fortune Magazine addresses experimental advances in steam technology that locomotive manufacturers were pursuing.

While there is some discussion of the ATSF 2900 class towards the end, this article addresses primarily the experiments the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) was undertaking in advancing steam. From the T1 to the S2, this article has detail and perspective from the era on advances the steam engineers were pursuing.

Download and read the entire piece by clicking on this link (4.37 MB) or the image 

Stay Up-to-Date on Work in Germany

CSR announced today that it has been retained to assist the Harzer Schmalspurbahnen, GmbH (HSB), known as the Harz Narrow Gauge Railways in English, to re-engineer the front-end of a 1918-built steam locomotive, including the addition of a moden, "Lempor" exhaust system. The test locomotive, shown above, is an 0-4-4-0T Mallet-type steam engine that is in need of a replacement smokestack. Management at HSB saw the impending replacement as an opportunity to improve operational efficiency and safety.

Images of testing performed on the locomotive and an account of the on-site visit of our Technical Advisor Wolf Fengler, MSME, can be found on our site at csrail.org/HSB. 

Presidents Day - Teddy Roosevelt an ATSF Man?

View fullsize

On this Presidents Day (a.k.a. President's Day, Presidents' Day, or Washington's Birthday), CSR reflects on the work of so many great presidents in American history. In terms of conservation, Theodore ("Teddy") Roosevelt is nearly unmatched. A rugged outdoorsman and bold leader, Roosevelt worked diligently during his years in office (1901-1909) to set aside lands for conservation. All told, Roosevelt set aside 230 million acres (930,000 square kilometers) into conservation spaces. This included formation of 5 national parks, 18 national monuments and 150 national forests.

What, then, of this image of T.R. on the fireman's side of an ATSF steam locomotive?

During 1903, Roosevelt went on a multi-state, multi-month whistle stop tour, traveling through many western states, including Kansas, Wyoming, Colorado, California and Nebraska. The multi-month journey employed trains on many rail lines, including the Union Pacific Railroad, Southern Pacific Railroad and, as evidenced through this picture, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway.

This image depicts Roosevelt in Redlands, California, sometime around May 1903, in the cab of an ATSF steam locomotive with a crew member behind him. The locomotive is most likely an early 4-6-0 type steam locomotive built with Vauclain Compound pistons.

Roosevelt was quite popular with train crews, having been inducted as an Honorary Member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Fireman in November 1902. That said, it is certain that railroad management had a different view of the President, as one of his lasting legacies upon the industry was strengthening the ability of the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to regulate tariffs the railroads could set.

This was achieved through the Hepburn Act of 1906, which gave the ICC right to set maximum railroad rates, among other items. Not only applicable to the railroads, it had jurisdiction over bridges, ferries, sleeping cars, express companies (e.g. Railway Express Agency), oil pipelines and shared terminals. In the end, the Hepburn Act, and predecessor Elkins Act of 1903, may be the most important legislative actions the railroads faced in the first 50 years of the 20th Century, and both were championed by Roosevelt. This regulation too may have contributed somewhat to the increased and unregulated growth in the trucking industry, something which took off post Second World War.

It was this trucking competition and overbearing regulation which contributed significantly to the downfall of freight railroads, but following passage of the Staggers Act in 1980, which effectively "deregulating" freight railroads, the industry has never done better.

RFIRT Rebuild Photos 1 - Move and Disassembly

Thanks to the generosity of G&G Metalmecanica SRL and its President, Mr. Gabriel Asenjo, CSR is able to provide images of the move of RFIRT locomotives 107 and 119 from Rio Turbio to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Also shown is preliminary disassembly work of the locomotives.

Note: some time ago, RFIRT renumbered locomotive 107 to 116. The design of its tender and tube plate reveal it is, indeed, from the first order of steam locomotives to the RFIRT.

Below is an embedded version of the CSR Photostream on Flickr.

CSR Web Exclusive: Steam Returning to the Rio Turbio Railway

This photo by William E. Botkin shows RFIRT 119 hauling a train in 1996; it is currently one of two locomotives being rebuilt in Buenos Aires.

CSR is thrilled to announce that, following more than a decade of hard work, steam is once again going to return to the remote and scenic Ramal Ferro Industrial de Rio Turbio (RFIRT). Known for its fleet of 20 advanced steam locomotives, the RFIRT has been entirely mainline diesel-hauled since November 1996 when the last steam locomotives were retired and stored, though steam was used on switching duties at Rio Turbio coal yard and workshops well into 1997.

Beginning in 2003, however, a small contingent within the Argentine National Government, owner of the railroad, began plans to return steam tourist service to the line. CSR Director of Engineering, Shaun T. McMahon, was brought in to the project in 2004 to attempt to make it a reality.

Some ten years later, two steam locomotives and a Sentinel steam truck, have been shipped from Rio Turbio to Buenos Aires for reconstruction for operational purposes. The reincarnated steam-hauled service is to be initially passenger-hauling, and as such new passenger rolling stock is being manufactured at the same time as the historic steam equipment is being rebuilt.

"This is truly an amazing opportunity, and one that has been many years in the making," said McMahon. "I have been brought on by INTI and the Government of Argentina to serve as a quality control expert in the rebuilding, which is being handled by G&G Metalmecanica SRL under the direction of the company's owner Mr. Gabriel Asenjo here in Buenos Aires, Argentina."

One locomotive from each of two original orders is being rebuilt to operation – numbers 107 and 119. The railroad itself is quite unique; constructed as a narrow gauge line (750 mm or 2' 5.5"), it operated more like a mainline coal hauling line as would be seen around the world today. Unit trains of coal up-to 2,000 tons were hauled by single steam locomotives that weighed only 48 tons.

Of significant importance to the development of modern steam is the fact that Engineer Livio Dante Porta served as General Manager of the railroad from 1957 until 1960, during which time he worked to perfect many of the key developments crucial to the theory of modern steam locomotion, including the important Gas Producer Combustion System.

"Though the locomotives had been de-modernized by previous management at the railroad, this rebuild should take the locomotives back to their as-built performance, which is quite impressive," said McMahon. "It is also worth mentioning that a Sentinel steam wagon, the last overseas order of those trucks, will also be brought back to life under steam. This is an amazing thing for both Argentina and lovers of steam world-wide."

Restoration is already underway on the equipment, with Cromwell Marine subcontracted in order to provide workshop facilities and skilled staff with CM's manager Richard Campbell providing liaison between the companies. An aggressive timeline has been set to have the equipment under steam; if all goes according to plan, locomotives could be chugging down the railroad by August 2015.

CSR will continue to provide updates on this interesting rebuild on this blog and on CSR's facebook page www.facebook.com/csrail. To get a detailed background on the railroad operation, be sure to read CSR's white paper on the RFIRT, which can be downloaded here.

--

Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that Cromwell Marine had been awarded the contract to rebuild the equipment. Cromwell Marine is, in fact, serving as a subcontractor to G&G Metalmecanica SRL, under the direction of its owner Mr. Gabriel Asenjo. Further, the locomotives were shipped from Rio Turbio, not Rio Gallegos, to Buenos Aires.

Remembering the Distance Record of Santa Fe 3461

ATSF Train 19, No. 19, the Chief, with engine 3461, rounds the curve at Clark Street on the way out of Chicago. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey and courtesy of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, www.railphoto-art.org.

When designed, the ATSF 3460-class of steam locomotives, of which locomotive 3463 is a member, were among the most modern locomotives in operation. With high pressure boilers, all roller bearing axles, large capacity tenders and significant pulling power, the class of locomotives set the stage for the last developments in traditional steam in the U.S. In fact, the locomotives were designed to operate over a 992 mile Chicago – La Junta passenger rail service, one of if not the longest steam locomotive runs to that time.

The locomotives were delivered to the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway (ATSF) by road number throughout October, November and December of 1937 in consecutive order (except 3460 which, due to its streamlining, was delivered to the railroad last). Since 3461 was delivered to the ATSF first (October 15, 1937), it was the locomotive on which the railroad performed its detailed tests. A series of commissioning, clearance (note how close the locomotive comes to the "tell tales" in the picture above), performance and track stress tests were conducted on the 3461 from October through December of that year, and the culmination was a highly publicized, continuous run of the locomotive from Los Angeles to Chicago beginning December 9, 1937, some 77 years ago today.

Prior to beginning this historic run, locomotive 3461 made its way from Chicago to Los Angeles, leaving Dearborn Station on December 5 with train 7 – the Fast Mail Express. The engine ran from Chicago to Kansas City without issue, but it soon began experiencing loose fire bricks (used on an oil burning engine to maintain thermal mass and protect certain steel surfaces of the firebox). When the train got to La Junta, it was held for almost a day while crews repaired the firebrick issues. As a new locomotive to the railroad, and one of revolutionary design, 3461 experiencing "teething" issues at that time was not unexpected – in fact the ATSF had placed extra firebrick at La Junta prior to this run anticipating such an issue.

EMD E1s photographed by Jack Delano

Once repaired, 3461 continued West, using pushers where required to make grades, and arrived in Los Angeles on time. Again, loosening fire brick was addressed in Los Angeles following the run, but this both marked the successful first major trip of advanced steam on the ATSF and proved that advanced steam could perform favorably in running time with the diesel-locomotives of the era (the EMC E-1s that had also been delivered to ATSF in 1937 - shown at RIGHT).

On December 9, 1937, locomotive 3461 took ATSF Train 8, the Fast Mail Express, out of La Grande Station in Los Angeles and headed east. The train consisted of 11 cars with a trailing weight of 757 tons. Assisted by various pusher engines through the mountainous West, the train made good time upgrade despite being involved in a grade crossing collision that delayed it by 57 minutes.

When the train reached Albuquerque, two additional cars were added, bringing the train to 13 cars and 917 tons. Again, a series of helper and pusher engines were added to the train to help it over the toughest grades on the railroad, including the 3.5% grade over Raton Pass. The helper and pusher locomotives that had aided Train 8 over Raton Pass were cut off at Wootton, and once the train reached La Junta, Colorado, one car was dropped, lowering the train to 12 cars and 830 tons.

Prior to La Junta, average speeds varied between 42.2 mph and 66.2 mph (67.9 kmh and 106.5 kmh), dependent upon ruling grade. From La Junta to Dodge City, Kansas, 3461 hauled its train at an average speed of 60.8 mph (97.8 kmh) over the 202 mi (325 km) run. At Newton, Kansas an additional car was added, bringing the train back to 13 cars and increasing its weight to 899 tons. Between Newton and Emporia, Kansas 3461 averaged 63.6 mph (102.4 kmh). From Emporia, through Topeka, and on to Kansas City, the train averaged 58.0 mph.

At Kansas City, a car was swapped off the train for another, increasing its weight to 939 tons. From Kansas City, Missouri to Shopton, Iowa, the train began to lose significant time, eventually departing Shopton some 69 minutes behind schedule. The last dash from Shopton to Chicago, however, had the train making up 47 minutes, arriving at Dearborn Station on December 12, 1937 53 hours and 40 minutes after departing Los Angeles.

The numbers of the run are quite impressive. Locomotive 3461 attained top speeds of 92 mph (148 kmh) on the Albuquerque Division and 90 mph (145 kmh) on the Colorado and Western Divisions. Total actual running time of the train was 43 hours, 17 minutes and 15 seconds, while the trip took 53 hours and 40 minutes (allowing adding / subtracting of cars, servicing of the train, stops at stations, and fueling / watering the locomotive).

Conclusively, this record breaking run was important in that it proved modern steam power on the ATSF could maintain similar performance as the diesel-electric power. Even with a heavier consist, 3461 was able to handle its train with comparable time to diesels on the lighter, streamlined Super Chief.

Following this historic run, no other steam-hauled trains have made such a distance without stopping for layover. The 3461 went on to be a "guinea pig" of sorts for the class of locomotives at the Santa Fe. In 1945, it was rebuilt at Topeka to include the addition of a 25" long combustion chamber that included the addition of one safety circulator and two duplex siphons, increasing the direct heating surface in the firebox from 280 to 325 ft2 (26.0 to 30.2 m2). Because of the location of the steam dome in the boiler, however, this addition had the unwanted consequence of lifting water into the dry pipe and down into the superheaters, causing issues with steaming and corrosion.

Details of the 3461's modifications, and the historic 3460 class as a whole, will be included in an upcoming CSR White Paper on the locomotives.

The 3460 class of locomotives served the Santa Fe for nearly two decades, eventually being retired between 1954 and 1956. The engines reliably hauled passenger trains at speeds of between 90 and 100 mph over the ATSF, handling trains in excess of 2,000 tons without issue.

Stay tuned to CSR for more information on the class. As always, if you enjoy what you read, consider making a tax deductible donation to our organization to support our research, preservation and innovation.

--

Thanks is due to the Center for Railroad Photography & Art who has graciously provided CSR with rare images of the 3460 Class of locomotives taken by Wallace W. Abbey, including the cover photograph.

Sources for this article include:

• Brasher, Larry E. Santa Fe Locomotive Development. Wilton, CA: Signature Press, 2006.
• Farrington, Jr., S. Kip. The Santa Fe's Big Three. New York: David McKay Co., Inc., 1972.
• Smith, Vernon L. One Man's Locomotives. Glendale, CA: Trans-Anglo Books, 1987.