Nostalgia & History > Crowds turned out to watch ATSF 3415 leave park

April 1, 1996 was a special day in Abilene, KS. It had nothing to do with April Fool's Day.

Leaders of the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad excursion line proved all doubters wrong by having old Santa Fe Railway steam locomotive 3415 moved from Eisenhower Park to the A&SV Railroad line (former Rock Island/OKT/Union Pacific). The one mile-plus move was accomplished within just a few hours and drew crowds of spectators all along the route, especially in the center of Abilene's downtown business district.

Old 3415 had been on display in Eisenhower Park since late 1955 or early 1956. The engine has been subject of several posts this past year after being fully restored and placed in limited operation on the excursion line.

I've attached several pictures of that special day in 1996 in Abilene. It was a first for me. I had never witnessed a locomotive being moved by truck down a city street.

There is one special thing I would like to point out in my last picture in the post. It shows two fellows facing the camera at my request. The fellow on the left with the camera around his neck is the late Lloyd E. Stagner of Newton, KS, an author of many railroad books. One of his final books was "Santa Fe Steam Survivors." Mr. Stagner wrote about ATSF 3415 but never lived to see the engine have fire in her belly again. He died in early 2007 before the locomotive restoration work was completed. Mr. Stagner was one of our country's most noted railfans and railroad author. Like engine 3415, his books will be around a long time to continue to educate and provide enjoyment to future generations of railfans.

I'd like to dedicate this post to Mr. Stagner's memory. It was great fun on April 1, 1996, watching Mr. Stagner and others personally confirm that 3415 was truly on the way to having an eventual "second life." It was also a special time in railroad history. Culmination of the project did not occur until late last fall when the engine made its first test run.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 10/20/09 18:26 by thtinc41ed.

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Three more pictures...

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Final three picturesL

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I have a feeling Mr. Stagner was there when 3415 was fired up.

Thanks for the report and the photos.

The person to Lloyd's left, is L.M. "Mike" Hurley, a retired Sfe conductor and Santa Fe historian and author. Both really nice fellows.
wag216

I think the year was 1986, not 1966. We gained an operating ATSF steam locomotive in the interim
but lost two great ATSF people. Thanks for posting.

P.S. Anyone in 1986 who believed that engine would operate again was truly visionary !

My apologies. I screwed up the post at the start. It should have been 1996 instead of "1966". Sorry for the mess-up in front of the first 165-plus viewers. Thanks for catching my glaring error. The appropriate corrections have been made.

tht



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/20/09 18:30 by thtinc41ed.

Great shots, thanks for sharing. The extra flags were a nice touch! I know Lloyd and Mike both would have loved to see the old girl fired up again. I didn't get a chance to visit with her but Lloyd's wife, Marilyn, was present for the inaugural run in May.