Steam & Excursion > mundo: Santa Fe's first and last 4-8-4's at Corona, CA

An undated roll of black and white film shot by Ed Von Nordeck in the early 1950's includes this interesting pair of images at Corona, CA.

Frame #8 on the roll shows the first 4-8-4 Santa Fe purchased, 1927-built #3751 (albeit in its final form, much rebuilt and updated). It appears to be powering (or overpowering) train 51, a westbound passenger local between San Bernardino and Los Angeles, CA that generally drew smaller motive power such as 4-6-2's and boiler-equipped GP7's.

The very next frame of film on the roll, frame #9, shows the last 4-8-4 Santa Fe purchased, 1944-built #2929. It is probably powering train 23, the westbound Grand Canyon, whose 13 cars seem like a much better match to the capabilities of a 4-8-4.

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Ed and Evan - fantastic photos as usual!
Gary

Ed, you knocked it out of the ballpark on #2 !! Thanks for sharing .

Might the 3751 be on that assignment as a first day of duty after some shop work?

I look at these photos and try to imagine the sounds, smells and the speed of these trains. They make me smile. Thanks for posting these.

Can't wait to see a double header with the 3751, and the 2926. Wouldn't that be something to see ? Keepin my fingers crossed.

Craig Hanson
Vay, Idaho

Yes, a shop testing trip it could have been. Saw lots of these.

That second picture is a "10." Ed, you even managed to trip the shutter when the side rods were down! Note the inverted wig-wag and the little island it's mounted on with the black and white striping to keep motorists from clobbering into it, plus the lights that illuminate it at night. Motorists running into it would probably be a daily occurrence if it were there today. Is that Main Street that is now an overpass?

Both photos are great. Thanks Ed and Evan!

Yes thats Main Street.

All changed now with the Metrolink Station. The former Santa Fe station is behind me.

Awesome photos ... and poignant to me personally. My grandfather, Jasper A Dyer, (who is guilty of leading me into a love for trains), was section foreman at Prado Dam during the early 50s (later section foreman at Santa Ana living in the old section house at the railroad tracks and 1st St. ... before the underpass) and probably witnessed those two trains over his territory that very day. He picked up his paycheck at the Corona Depot.
-bill

Jasper Dyer....a fixture on the 3rd District and Corona and Prado.