Steam & Excursion > 3751 over Metrolink Antelope Valley next week

    Got a text from a friend that 3751 will be making a trip over Metrolink Rails that hasn't seen steam since the 1980s and 1990s. 
According the 3751 Group:
"SANTA FE 3751 TO JOIN METROLINK’S VINCENT GRADE / ACTON STATION PLATFORM DEDICATION ON SEPTEMBER 28, 2016The San Bernardino Railroad Historical Society (SBRHS) is pleased to announce Santa Fe 3751 will participate under steam at Metrolink’s Vincent Grade/Acton Station’s second platform dedication ceremony on the morning of Wednesday, September 28, 2016. During this outing, 3751 will be the first steam locomotive to travel north of Los Angeles in 24 years and the first through Soledad Canyon in 32 years.Preparations for this historic, 120-mile round trip to Acton and return will begin as early as Saturday, September 24, as SBRHS crewmembers ready the locomotive over the course of next three days. On Tuesday, September 27, the engine will move to Los Angeles Union Station sometime in the mid-afternoon. There, 3751 will join a designated, non-revenue Metrolink consist it will take to Acton.To not impact any regularly scheduled Metrolink trains, 3751’s window to depart Union Station will open at 7:30 p.m. before beginning the 60-mile trip to Acton where, upon its arrival, it will then spend the night. The next morning, Wednesday, September 28, the locomotive will join Metrolink officials and invited guests, taking part in the dedication ceremony of the new, second platform at the Vincent Grade/Acton Metrolink Station that morning. While at the station, there will be no public cab tours and the SBRHS merchandise booth will not be present. At the conclusion of the ceremony, 3751 and its train will depart for Los Angeles tentatively scheduled to follow Metrolink train 216 – pending conditions on the railroad at that time. The locomotive will operate in reverse on the rear of the consist for the return to LAUPT.Noted earlier, this outing will be the first time in 24 years that a steam locomotive will operate north of Los Angeles. The last recorded time any steam locomotive traveled north of Los Angeles was in September of 1992 when Southern Pacific, 4-6-2 No. 2472 pulled the “Earth Train” from San Jose to Los Angeles and return. Breaking away at Burbank for the trip up the now Metrolink Antelope Valley Line (ex-Southern Pacific), a steam locomotive has not traveled this segment of the San Fernando Valley and through Soledad Canyon since 1984 – some 32 years ago. The last recorded time a steam engine traveled here was when Southern Pacific 4-8-4, No. 4449 traveled south with a train bound for the World’s Fair in New Orleans, Louisiana.As with past outings, the SBRHS advises those in the media and fans that wish to stay up-to-date on the locomotive’s whereabouts to follow the updates on the Santa Fe 3751 Facebook page and Instagram account.In conclusion, the SBRHS would like to thank the following organizations and people for their generosity in helping make this trip possible: Metrolink, donations from a small group of BNSF employees through the BNSF Foundation and a donation from members Richard and Kim Casford. We also thank all SBRHS supporters for their continued donations that help keep 3751 operating for outings like this and many more to come."

Would be a great time for anyone able to get off work and/or school.

Patrick



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/23/16 07:59 by PeaBock619.

I believe 3751 has been through Mojave and over Tehachapi Pass since 4449's run to New Orleans...

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

MojaveBill Wrote:
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> I believe 3751 has been through Mojave and over
> Tehachapi Pass since 4449's run to New Orleans...

Yes 3751 did run over Tehachapi twice before,  however both the 1991 and 1999  runs 
all were routed via San Berdoo--Cajon Pass and Barstow .
The ATSF 3751 has NEVER run on the former SP Saugus Line , now Metrolink Valley SUb.
This TUESDAY the 27th will be a big FIRST for this grand lady of ATSF steam.
   ------- Daniel
 

It says that Tuesday is an evening run north from LA, returning south Wed just after lunch and on the rear of the consist and in reverse, am I correct? Guess Im getting old.

Yes, Tuesday evening 3751 will run up to Acton, stage overnight for the morning event, and return after in reverse.
 

GrandePete Wrote:
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> Yes, Tuesday evening 3751 will run up to Acton,
> stage overnight for the morning event, and return
> after in reverse.
>  
I assume a diesel is at the end of the cars?

Posted from iPhone

Exact Consist has not been determined.  At least one MetroLink unit will be included.

I remember when Acton was in the middle of nowhere and there was still an SP station at Ravenna!

Out

Will there be a crew at Acton to clean the engines and cars once the train arrives there?

After all, being the first time a steam engine will be going through the tunnels and steam cleaning them. lots of built up crud on the ceiling I bet.

Anyone remember the conditions of the 2 ATSF units on the California Limited back in 1991?

jst3751 Wrote:
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> Will there be a crew at Acton to clean the engines
> and cars once the train arrives there?
>
> After all, being the first time a steam engine
> will be going through the tunnels and steam
> cleaning them. lots of built up crud on the
> ceiling I bet.
>
> Anyone remember the conditions of the 2 ATSF units
> on the California Limited back in 1991?

That happened because the Engineer, Vince Cepola, would NOT ease off on the throttle of 3751! There was absolutely no need to do what he did there!

HotWater Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> jst3751 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Will there be a crew at Acton to clean the
> engines
> > and cars once the train arrives there?
> >
> > After all, being the first time a steam engine
> > will be going through the tunnels and steam
> > cleaning them. lots of built up crud on the
> > ceiling I bet.
> >
> > Anyone remember the conditions of the 2 ATSF
> units
> > on the California Limited back in 1991?
>
> That happened because the Engineer, Vince Cepola,
> would NOT ease off on the throttle of 3751! There
> was absolutely no need to do what he did there!

Interesting, never knew that. Was/is he a 3751 crew member or guest engineer?

jst3751 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> HotWater Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > jst3751 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Will there be a crew at Acton to clean the
> > engines
> > > and cars once the train arrives there?
> > >
> > > After all, being the first time a steam
> engine
> > > will be going through the tunnels and steam
> > > cleaning them. lots of built up crud on the
> > > ceiling I bet.
> > >
> > > Anyone remember the conditions of the 2 ATSF
> > units
> > > on the California Limited back in 1991?
> >
> > That happened because the Engineer, Vince
> Cepola,
> > would NOT ease off on the throttle of 3751!
> There
> > was absolutely no need to do what he did there!
>
> Interesting, never knew that. Was/is he a 3751
> crew member or guest engineer?

He was a "guest Engineer", since he was an "old SP steam Engineer", supposedly "qualified" over that territory as an SP employee/Engineer. As a side note, he even allowed the 3751 to go into a pretty violent slip, which he didn't correct right away, then reached for the sander valve while still slipping! Luckily, one of the 3751 experienced folks was in the cab, and slapped his hand away from the sander valve.

Google caught the train at Vincent CA near highway 14, next week's stop of the 3751 in SoCal.

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Poor quality photo from the 1991 maiden voyage train, but shows the tunnel crud on 3751 and the warbonnets.  It still was a great experience riding over the Tehachapi Loop, both ways on subsequent days.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/23/16 16:19 by nycman.

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1991 Tehachapi tunnel-cleaning train. Pic by Steve Brown. Some say it was a prank by the crew?

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Spikes Wrote:
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> 1991 Tehachapi tunnel-cleaning train. Pic by Steve
> Brown. Some say it was a prank by the crew?

Absolutely, positively NOT a "prank by the crew"!!!!   Simply an incompetent Engineer!!!!

nycman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Poor quality photo from the 1991 maiden voyage
> train, but shows the tunnel crud on 3751 and the
> warbonnets.  It still was a great experience
> riding over the Tehachapi Loop, both ways on
> subsequent days.

My son and I enjoyed the trip very much as well. It was snowing in Tehachapi when we went through.

-Fred-

Spikes Wrote:
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> 1991 Tehachapi tunnel-cleaning train. Pic by Steve
> Brown. Some say it was a prank by the crew?

4449 did some tunnel cleaning early in its runs south of Oregon, as I recall.

-Fred-

flyingfred Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Spikes Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > 1991 Tehachapi tunnel-cleaning train. Pic by
> Steve
> > Brown. Some say it was a prank by the crew?
>
> 4449 did some tunnel cleaning early in its runs
> south of Oregon, as I recall.
>
> -Fred-

Not really Fred, as Doyle always throttle down for tunnels. The one exception was on the 1977 Amtrak Transcontinental Steam Excursion on Cuesta when the Amtrak diesel failed to return to "forward" after the photo run-by.

HotWater Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Spikes Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > 1991 Tehachapi tunnel-cleaning train. Pic by
> Steve
> > Brown. Some say it was a prank by the crew?
>
> Absolutely, positively NOT a "prank by the
> crew"!!!!   Simply an incompetent Engineer!!!!
From my experience, the smoke turns black whenever an Fireman doesn't fire the engine right. You are correct on that. Hotwater, here's a photo I took of 3751 when I chased it in May 2012. I believe the engineer wasn't firing 3751 right at that moment I took the shot. I also recall Doyle was supposed to be an "Engineer", on that trip, but that didn't happen.

On a side note, I am looking forward to seeing 3751 on lines it never traversed before. Plus getting pictures of that, and I hope to show whatever photos I take to a person I know named, Amy Finley, if/when she asks me if I like trains again. Amy was the winer of the Third Season of The Next Food Network Star in 2007. I find it Pretty Neat that a Chef of the Food Network knows a Railfan.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 09/23/16 20:11 by PeaBock619.

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