No. 10658 Baldwin Class 3751 4-8-4 "Northern" Type Steam Locomotive and Tender, heading up the "Chief" Deluxe Heavyweight Passenger Train

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad

By the mid-1920s the need for more passenger capacity between Chicago and Los Angeles had become evident, necessitating longer and heavier passenger trains. To provide power for these trains, the Santa Fe railroad placed an order with the Baldwin Locomotive Works for a fleet of ten of the heaviest and most powerful passenger locomotives ever manufactured, the 4-8-4 "Northern" type, first delivered to the Santa Fe in 1927 as Class 3751. By the time the last "Northerns" were delivered to the Santa Fe in 1944, the fleet had grown to 64 locomotives.

These locomotives proved extremely successful, pulling the deluxe "name"  trains, such as the "Chief," the entire 2223 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles with speed and comfort. The train was partially streamlined in 1938, with new Alco and Electro-Motive diesel locomotives gradually replacing steam (1947-1950) to head up the "name" trains (see Nos. 10218, and 10526).

No. 10658 represents an accurate model in "0"gauge by Lionel of the Baldwin Class 3751 4-8-4 "Northern"-type steam locomotive #3751 as it would have been seen in the 1940s, pulling the 7-car deluxe heavyweight all-Pullman passenger train, the "Chief" (Nos. 10659, 10660, and 10661).

As a footnote, the "Chief" began service between Chicago and Los Angeles in November, 1926 as Santa Fe's flagship train, supplementing "California Limited" service, established in 1892, attracting film stars and celebrity businessmen traveling from coast to coast. Once in Chicago, they would board New York Central's famous "20th Century Limited" (see No. 10073) or Pennsylvania Railroad's prestige train "Broadway Limited" (see No. 10078) to New York City. The "Chief" was all-Pullman 1926-1954.  Motto:  "Extra Fast, Extra Fine, Extra Fare."  There were seven cars on the new train:  four sleepers, club car, dining car, and the traditional brass-railed lounge/observation car. 

It was a 63-hour trip from Los Angeles to Chicago in 1926, pared to 58 hours by 1936 and 50 hours by 1938. In 1938 the "Chief" received new lightweight stainless steel cars, though still steam powered and by then secondary to the newer, faster "Super Chief," with service first established in 1937 (see No. 10088). By 1939, the "Chief" was the only deluxe all-Pullman train to run daily between Chicago and Los Angeles in each direction (there were six "Chief" consists). Starting in 1947, new 4000 horsepower Electro-Motive E-7 AB twin-unit diesel locomotives replaced steam on the refurbished "Chief," permitting a reduction in travel time to under 47 hours.

In January, 1954, the "Chief" lost its all-Pullman status with the addition of reclining-seat coaches, but appeal was maintained with the addition of Budd-built "Big Dome" lounge cars at this time.  Travel time was reduced to 39-3/4 hours and the extra-fare was dropped.  

A new train, the Pullman-equipped "San Francisco Chief," was introduced in June, 1954 (Chicago-Oakland) (2555 miles), featuring daily service and Budd-built "Big Dome" lounges, adding bi-level "Hi-Level" coaches in 1965, also by Budd.    

The jet airliner came of age in the 1960s, dramatically affecting Santa Fe's transcontinental ridership and revenues. The "Chief" became an early casualty, and was terminated in 1968, but the "San Francisco Chief" continued its excellent service, along with the "Super Chief," right up to Amtrak in May, 1971, when it was discontinued.

The locomotive model No. 10658 represents an important steam survivor, Santa Fe's #3751. After a distinguished 26-year career on the Santa Fe and later decades spent dormant as a park display, the big "Northern" has been brought back to life as a fully operational steam locomotive that still makes excursion runs.

Following a joint effort between the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad and the Baldwin Locomotive Works, Santa Fe #3751 left Baldwin's Philadelphia erecting hall in 1927. The new coal-burning 4-8-4 "Northern" filled the railroad's need for faster, more reliable power to handle the heavier steel passenger trains of the modern steam era.  Santa Fe #3751 marked the first "Northern" ever built by Baldwin and proved to be the first of the eventual fleet of 64 to run along the Santa Fe's vast 2223-mile mainline.

This scale-sized model depicts the #3751 locomotive in her prime, after a 1936/37 oil conversion that equipped the steamer with a massive tender with a capacity of 20,000 gallons of water and 7,107 gallons of bunker oil in the locomotive's conversion from coal to oil as fuel.

This locomotive also accurately recreates the 4-8-4 after a major 1941 rebuilding that installed larger 80-inch drivers and replaced the twin sand domes with a single dome. The rebuilt 4-8-4 produced 66,000 pounds of starting tractive effort and generated 3,600 drawbar horsepower. Her maximum speed reached 90 miles per hour.

Such performance brought Santa Fe #3751 to record breaking duty between Kansas City and Los Angeles in the early 1940s. The 1,789-mile stretch marked the longest regularly scheduled run of any steam locomotive. It's no wonder that the big "Northern" led some of the most prestigious trains in the West, including the"Chief."

The distinguished career of the Santa Fe's first "Northern" ended in 1953, when her fire was extinguished. Later the railroad donated the locomotive to the city of San Bernardino where she remained on display in Viaduct Park for over a quarter century.  Rebuilt by the San Bernardino Railroad Historical Society during the 1980s, Santa Fe #3751 has made excursion runs since 1991 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The entire fleet of 64 Santa Fe "Northerns" was retired between 1953 and 1957, replaced by more efficient diesel locomotives on all Santa Fe trains.

Amtrak has adopted the "Chief" name for its currently operating coach and sleeper train "Southwest Chief" between Chicago and Los Angeles. This fine streamliner features a full-service Dining Car and a Cafe'/Lounge with sandwiches, snacks, and bar service. Notable are the bi-level "Superliner" stainless steel coach, sleeping, lounge, and dining cars (see Nos. 10359 and 10600).