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ATCHISON TOPEKA & SANTA FE 3776 CLASS 4-8-4 In 1941 the Santa Fe placed an order with the Baldwin Locomotive Works for ten 4-8-4 locomotives. These were to speed up and lengthen passenger trains operated between La Junta, Colorado and Los Angeles over the heavy grades of the western lines. Delivered from July through November, numbers 3776-3785 were similar to the previous 3765 class, but included many improvements. The most obvious was a much larger tender carried on eight wheel Buckeye trucks. These huge tenders were capable of carrying 7,000 gallons of oil and 25,000 gallons of water which was found to be of critical necessity over the long stretches of track through the New Mexico, Arizona and California deserts where water was at a premium. The new 4-8-4's also had two cross compound air pumps (mounted on the pilot beam) and multiple bearing crossheads with Baldwin disc drivers. Timken roller bearings were installed on the tender and driver axles. Weight problems in the previous 3765 class were eased with these locomotives by the use of lightweight materials, including the use of nickel steel boilers. Numbers 3784 and 3785 were also equipped with Timken roller bearings on the main and side rods. This group of 4-8-4's was the largest, heaviest and most powerful locomotives of that wheel arrangement built to that time. The new 4-8-4's were immediately placed into passenger service. They saw regular service on all the top name trains except for the SUPER CHIEF and EL CAPITAN. They were also used for mail, express and troop trains where their power and stamina soon became evident. Santa Fe was so impressed with these new engines that preparations were made to order more. In December 1941 the United States entered World War Two and locomotive production became rationed and the order was never placed. Later during the War, the War Production Board directed that thirty more 4-8-4's similar to the 3776's be built for Santa Fe freight service, to be based on the design of the 3776 class. The new engines, built in 1943 and 1944 were numbered in the 2900-series. After the War, deliveries of the new diesels allowed the 3776 class to be used in other mainline services. They were regularly run as far east as Argentine Yard (Kansas City) and into Los Angeles. While seeing some passenger service on the Surf Line between San Diego and Los Angeles, they were considered too large for the route over Tehachapi or the Gulf Coast Lines in Texas. The economies of diesel operation convinced the Santa Fe that they would eventually dieselize, but the modern 4-8-4 fleet was considered a valuable resource that should be modernized to supplement the diesels. The nickel steel boilers on numbers 3776, 3778, 3779, 3780, 3782 and 3784 developed cracks and were replaced with new carbon steel boilers. All 3776 and 2900 engines were given roller bearing rods (numbers 3784 and 3985 were delivered with them). In 1947 the Interstate Commerce Commission directed that only those locomotives equipped with Automatic Train Control could operate at high speed. As Santa Fe locomotives were regularly operated faster than the minimum, numbers 3776-3780 were given ATC gear to allow them to operate up to 90mph. After this time numbers 3781-3785 were used primarily for fast freight runs, while the others could be used for passenger and freight. Additional diesel deliveries allowed the big 4-8-4's to be assigned primarily to freight service after 1952. They were concentrated on the Belen-Mountainair, New Mexico line. Traffic downturns required their use less and less and they were stored serviceable for seasonal rushes and emergencies. Number 3780 (along with three 2-10-4's) was among the last Santa Fe steam locomotives to see service when it finished a helper assignment out of Belen on August 17, 1957. Most of the class remained available for use until 1959.
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