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‘Cadillac of steam’ to ride the rails again
LA Times ^ | April 30, 2010 | Scott Gold

Posted on 04/30/2010 7:14:14 AM PDT by Willie Green

The Santa Fe 3751, bought for $1 by train fans in 1986, will rumble to life again this weekend, hauling passengers from L.A. to San Diego.

About 25 years ago, a group of Southern California train enthusiasts made either the best or the worst investment of their lives, depending on how you look at it.

For the grand sum of $1, they bought the Santa Fe 3751, a 430-ton locomotive that had once played a seminal role in introducing high-capacity, high-speed passenger rail service to the West. Then they set out to get the thing working again, which wound up taking five years, $1.3 million, including cash outlay and in-kind contributions, and the work of nearly 400 volunteers.

Now, the 3751 is about to make a triumphant return to the public rails, the latest turn in what has been both a glorious and tortuous history.

On May 1 and 2, the locomotive will ferry as many as 500 people between Los Angeles and San Diego, pulling 10 Amtrak cars.

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: History; Travel
KEYWORDS: amtrak; coal; trains
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1 posted on 04/30/2010 7:14:14 AM PDT by Willie Green
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To: Willie Green
They are absolutely delusional.
2 posted on 04/30/2010 7:16:15 AM PDT by allmost
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To: Willie Green

I hope they can make a go of this. That’s an impressive locomotive, and it would be a shame to see it sitting idle on a siding somewhere.


3 posted on 04/30/2010 7:25:56 AM PDT by IronJack (=)
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To: allmost

I don’t know what they’re charging but 50k a year isn’t alot for upkeep. People love old trains. They won’t get back their investment of 1.3mm but that doesn’t appear to be the goal anyway. Covering the 50k should be easy. Its $136.98 a day so with one round trip a day its $68.50 each way.


4 posted on 04/30/2010 7:26:28 AM PDT by wiggen (Government owned slave.)
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To: allmost

Of course they are, but I like Steam Locomotives. More pictures:http://www.sbrhs.org/Pages/imagegalleries.html


5 posted on 04/30/2010 7:27:40 AM PDT by ontap
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To: Willie Green

That’s a neat story, thanks. I love old cars, motorcycles and trains. Good to see the ole girl back up and running.

We have a steam train here in CT (narrow gauge), and it has lots of tourists riding it, but really doesn’t go anywhere. I’ve also ridden the one from Chama NM to Silverton CO and that was a treat. This one sounds like much less of a ‘toy’ if it can haul that many cars.


6 posted on 04/30/2010 7:31:19 AM PDT by Betis70 (Go Bruins!)
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To: wiggen; IronJack; allmost

Hollyweird would probably kick-in some $$$ every year, just to have an old coal fired steam engine available for any new movies or TV episodes they might want to make.


7 posted on 04/30/2010 7:32:28 AM PDT by Willie Green ("You can observe a lot just by watching.")
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To: Willie Green
Is this the last of the bigboys?
They might make a comeback one day.(If the oil for internal combustion engines runs out!)
8 posted on 04/30/2010 7:32:34 AM PDT by cavador (Wash your Hands-Cover that sneeze!It helps stop the H1N1 Virus)
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To: wiggen

50k a year is not a lot for upkeep. WTF? Bad libertarian!


9 posted on 04/30/2010 7:32:36 AM PDT by allmost
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To: wiggen

>Covering the 50k should be easy. Its $136.98 a day so with one round trip a day its $68.50 each way.

Indeed, if they were to charge $8 a ticket for one-way and $15 for two-way they would need to average only 10 tickets per day to turn a little profit.


10 posted on 04/30/2010 7:32:51 AM PDT by OneWingedShark (Q: Why am I here? A: To do Justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God.)
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To: cavador

Now that is an engine.


11 posted on 04/30/2010 7:33:46 AM PDT by bmwcyle (Free the last Navy Seal)
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To: Betis70

Oops, Chama to Antonito CO. I think Silverton has a rr too though.


12 posted on 04/30/2010 7:35:41 AM PDT by Betis70 (Go Bruins!)
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To: OneWingedShark

Don’t forget the cost of carbon offsets.


13 posted on 04/30/2010 7:35:58 AM PDT by 1rudeboy
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To: OneWingedShark

It will pull 10 cars. They cover the 50k easily just on weekends. Trains are a passion for many,especially the old steam driven ones.


14 posted on 04/30/2010 7:36:32 AM PDT by wiggen (Government owned slave.)
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To: cavador

That’s not a BigBoy. The Bigboys were articulated, and had two sets of drivers. The locomotive you have there is a 4-8-4, with only one set of (8) driver wheels. It’s big, no doubt, but it’s not a Bigboy.


15 posted on 04/30/2010 7:38:30 AM PDT by Little Pig (Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici.)
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To: cavador

I should add that the 3751 hit a top speed in it’s heyday of 103mph. The big articulated locomotives couldn’t manage much over 80, though they could do that with a lot more rolling stock behind them.


16 posted on 04/30/2010 7:40:17 AM PDT by Little Pig (Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici.)
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To: allmost

How it it un-libertarian for a private group to charge for rides, then use the 50k for annual upkeep on the engine? The tracks aren’t government owned, neither is the locomotive. Did i miss something implying that they want government funding?


17 posted on 04/30/2010 7:43:00 AM PDT by DesertRhino (I was standing with a rifle, waiting for soviet paratroopers, but communists just ran for office)
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To: 1rudeboy

>Don’t forget the cost of carbon offsets.

There’s no carbon in steam. ;)


18 posted on 04/30/2010 7:43:38 AM PDT by OneWingedShark (Q: Why am I here? A: To do Justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God.)
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To: OneWingedShark

>Don’t forget the cost of carbon offsets.

There’s no carbon in steam. ;)

What does it burn to heat the water to make the steam?


19 posted on 04/30/2010 7:51:03 AM PDT by Louis Foxwell (He is the son of soulless slavers, not the son of soulful slaves.)
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To: Amos the Prophet

>>>Don’t forget the cost of carbon offsets.
>>
>>There’s no carbon in steam. ;)
>
>What does it burn to heat the water to make the steam?

Who says they’re not using solar electricity? Or parabolic mirrors?


20 posted on 04/30/2010 7:53:25 AM PDT by OneWingedShark (Q: Why am I here? A: To do Justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God.)
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