National Register of Historic Places

ATSF Steam Locomotive No. 3415

Abilene, Dickinson County, Kansas
Listed
April 15, 2012
Type
Structure
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
12000203

About this property

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe 3415 is a preserved 3400 class 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive, built in June 1919 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF). It is preserved and operated by the Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad (ASV) and is the only operating steam locomotive in Kansas. No. 3415 was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in June 1919 as the sixteenth member of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway's (ALCO) fifty 3400 class locomotives. The 3400 class was designed by John Purcell, and this was also the last class of 4-6-2s bought by the Santa Fe. The class was similar to the United States Railroad Administration's Heavy Pacifics in its tube and flue counts, but it was also fitted with a grate area similar in size to the USRA's Light Pacifics, and it was delivered with driving wheels close in size to the latter. The first forty locomotives initially burned coal, but were later converted to burn oil while being rebuilt between 1936 and 1947. The 3400 class locomotives were initially assigned to pull top-tier heavy passenger trains at high speeds throughout divisions with moderate grades, and No. 3415, in particular, pulled such trains through the Kansas City-La Junta and Newton-Galveston divisions. On December 31, 1934, No. 3415 suffered a broken bell ringer valve while in Carrollton, Missouri, and one crew member was injured. After the Santa Fe invested in adding diesel locomotives to their roster, No. 3415 was reassigned to pull freight and mail trains throughout Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, until it was retired on July 29, 1953. The Santa Fe subsequently donated the locomotive to the city of Abilene on December 9, 1955, for static display in Eisenhower Park. On April 25, 1996, the city of Abilene decided to redevelop the park, and they removed No. 3415 from its display location and donated it to the nearby Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad (ASV), who put it on display near their depot. In August 2005, the ASV decided to restore No. 3415 to operating condition for use on their tourist excursions. The locomotive was moved inside the ASV's locomotive facility, and restoration work was started by Wasatch Railroad Contractors from Cheyenne, Wyoming. No. 3415 was test fired on November 8, 2008, and made its first movements under its own power there days later for the first time in fifty-four years. After being inspected by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) in December, the engine was certified to operate and it hauled its first inaugural run the following year on May 23, 2009, for the next twelve years it subsequently pulling tourist trains over the ASV's ex-Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific trackage between Abilene and Enterprise. However, it was limited to operate at fifteen miles per hour, due to the rails lacking the strength to support trains that traveled at higher speeds.

Location

411 S. Elm St.
Abilene, Dickinson County, Kansas
38.91118, -97.21955

Categories

ARCHITECTURETRANSPORTATION
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Union Electric Warehouse
Civil War
0.2 mi
Smith, D. G., Building
Industrial
0.3 mi
Rock Island Depot
Industrial
0.3 mi
Elms Hotel
Industrial
0.4 mi
Abilene Union Pacific Railroad Freight Depot
Civil War
0.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was ATSF Steam Locomotive No. 3415 listed on the National Register?

ATSF Steam Locomotive No. 3415 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 15, 2012.

What type of historic resource is ATSF Steam Locomotive No. 3415?

ATSF Steam Locomotive No. 3415 is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for ATSF Steam Locomotive No. 3415?

The period of significance for ATSF Steam Locomotive No. 3415 is recorded as the industrial era.

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