Steam & Excursion > mundo: A study in AT&SF 3757

Santa Fe had relatively few steam locomotives fitted with high-mounted Elesco feedwater heaters, generally preferring to stuff the bundle underneath the smokebox on engines fitted with the device. Engine 5000, the 2-10-4 nicknamed "Madam Queen," was a prominent exception, serving its entire career with a high-mounted Elesco. Also worthy of note were the 3751-class 4-8-4's. They were modest engines when built in 1927-29, with 73-inch spoked drivers and the feedwater heater in the low position beneath the smokebox:

http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15330coll22/id/59338

The railroad converted the class to oil-firing in 1937-38, and followed up in 1938-39 with an extensive rebuild program aimed at making the 3751's into better passenger engines. The 4-8-4's emerged from the shops with new one-piece cast engine beds with integral cylinders, 80-inch drivers, and on all but three of them, the Elescos were moved up on top of the smokebox (3751, 3754, and 3755 were fitted with Worthington feedwater heaters instead). Following WWII, Santa Fe began replacing Elescos with Worthingtons on the rest of the class, but the program was never completed. Three engines went to scrap with their beetle-brows intact: 3753, 3756, and 3757.

I have to admit I have a bit of a soft spot for high-mounted Elescos, and on my most recent visit with Ed Von Nordeck, TO user mundo, I was happy to see that he had taken a number of photos of Santa Fe 3757 in the late 1940's and early 1950's, when the locomotive was assigned to the Los Angeles Division. A selection of these photos are below.

1. A black and white view at Corona, CA on December 28, 1949 shows 3757 double-headed with younger-but-much-heavier sister 2912. The 3757 sadly did not survive retirement, but 2912 was put on display at Pueblo, CO.

2. Two years later, Ed caught 3757 double heading again, this time with F3 #26.

3. Westbound, 3757 was perfectly happy to go it alone, thank you, at Corona in 1951.

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4. The 3757 departing Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal eastbound in September 1951...

5. ...and entering LAUPT in November 1951.

6. One final view of engine 3757 passing the depot at Summit, CA on Cajon Pass in June 1952 as funeral streetcar Descanso looks down from its display site.

With the end of steam in regular service on the LA Division, AT&SF 3757 was transferred to the Colorado Division effective November 16, 1953, but probably didn't find much work there, either. She was sold for scrap on November 20, 1956. Thanks, Ed, for recording and sharing these images of a fine-looking locomotive.

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What a fantastic group of Santa Fe steam shots!
The picture quality (slides?) has held up so well.
Thanks Ed and Evan (great scans).
Gary

In picture # 3, to the left of the box car can see a green building.  This was the Corona Model RR Club/1948/mid 50's.  Building built by club members, Not much beyond bench work before group disbanced mid 50' account small membership.  It was ahead of its time.

My memory is that the building was moved to the Corona Airport.  I am the only liviing past member in high school when building was built.

Now the Metrolink Station.

 

What a great set of photos. Perhaps in a couple of years a similar scene as picture 1 can be recreated.

I did not know a 4-8-4 with a top mounted elesco survived that long. Was it the only one?

"A+" steam images.
Thanks for posting these.
Bob

Thanks for posting these great photos.

My understanding is that the purpose of a feedwater heater was to heat the water from the tender to a temperature approaching (though not reaching) the temperature of the water in the boiler. If that's correct, why was an Elesco feedwater heater located as far away from the tender as it was possible to be? Why wasn't it located closer to the rear of the locomotive, i.e., closer to the tender?

Thanks again.

Probably because the available exhaust steam is always at the front of the engine.

During the rebuild, when they put the air compressors on the pilot, you could see why the Santa Fe threw the Elesco on top. But my question is why did Santa Fe switch from Elesco to Worthington? Were Worthingtons easier to maintain, more efficient, or both?

I'm with you Evan, I like the Elesco on top, and always admired their looks over the other 3750 Class. It's a shame one wasn't saved.

Mundo: Did you see and photograph the other two -- 3753 and 3756?

Also, thanks for spending the time and money to shoot these wonderful scenes, in color, no less. And thanks Evan for the wonderful scans.

As to the other two, I do not recall.   Evan has all of my SFE steam photos at present, he may find more, but doubt it.l  Not sure they were assigned to the west coast in my era of photos 1948-1952.

BCHellman Wrote:

> Mundo: Did you see and photograph the other two --
> 3753 and 3756?

I haven't come across photos of those two in his collection. Locomotive assignment lists from 1950-53 show engines 3753 and 3756 moving around among the Colorado, Eastern, New Mexico, and Pecos Divisions. Both ultimately wound up on the Colorado Division in 1953, as did 3757, and Santa Fe Steam - The Last Decade shows all three active in June of that year in freight service out of La Junta, CO to Pueblo or to Newton, KS. The book also says steam on the Colorado Division made its last run on November 21, 1953, and those three 4-8-4's show no subsequent re-assignment to divisions where steam was still in use. There's a photo of 3753 standing cold and alone at La Junta, CO in 1957 on p.43 of Santa Fe 1940-1971 in Color v.2, and while it wouldn't go to scrap until 1959, the caption indicates it hadn't run since July 1953.

Two of the finest classes of engines ever. Watched them on the Grand Canyon through Riverside many times.

BCHellman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> During the rebuild, when they put the air
> compressors on the pilot, you could see why the
> Santa Fe threw the Elesco on top. But my question
> is why did Santa Fe switch from Elesco to
> Worthington? Were Worthingtons easier to maintain,
> more efficient, or both?
>
> I'm with you Evan, I like the Elesco on top, and
> always admired their looks over the other 3750
> Class. It's a shame one wasn't saved.
>
> Mundo: Did you see and photograph the other two --
> 3753 and 3756?
>
> Also, thanks for spending the time and money to
> shoot these wonderful scenes, in color, no less.
> And thanks Evan for the wonderful scans.


You will find some answers to your questions of Elescos vs Worthingtons in this thread:

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?10,4138118


Scott Griggs
Louisville, KY

Wow. Fabulous stuff! Imagine being a young railfan in 1950. Mind boggling! Thanks for the photos Ed, and scanning and posting them Evan!

Lee Hower - Sacramento