3751 Timeline
1926 - Santa Fe Railway, in cooperation with Baldwin Locomotive Works, designs Santa Fe’s first 4-8-4, as a coal burner.
1927 - In May, 3751 emerges from the erecting hall as the Santa Fe's and Baldwin’s first 4-8-4, builder’s number 60004.
1928 - Tests show 3751 to be 20% more efficient and powerful than Santa Fe class 3700 4-8-2’s.
1936 - 3751 is converted to burn oil at the San Bernardino Shops.
1938 - 3751 receives a larger roller bearing equipped tender with capacities of 20,000 gallons of water, and 7,107 gallons of oil. It is also assigned as a standby for the new diesel-electric streamliner the Super Chief.
1939 - 3751 hauls the first named passenger train 'The Scout' into the new Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal on opening day, May 7.
1941 - 3751 completes it's modernization for high speed operation with a new frame, 80 inch drivers, and roller bearings all around, along with other upgrades. It's highest recorded speed was 103 miles per hour.
1953 - 3751 pulls the last steam powered passenger train from San Diego on August 23, the engine’s last revenue run before being stored serviceable temporarily at Los Angeles' Redondo Junction Roundhouse.
1957 - Officially retired from the Santa Fe Locomotive roster and donated to the city of San Bernardino.
1958 - 3751 is placed in Viaduct Park, San Bernardino as a static display May 14, 1958. It also becomes the oldest existing 4-8-4 as the first 12 built by Alco are scrapped by the Northern Pacific - as that railroad fully dieselizes.
1981 - The San Bernardino Railroad Historical Society is formed with intentions of protecting the locomotive and possibly restoring her to operational condition.
1985 - 3751 is sold to the SBRHS by the city of San Bernardino for $1, with conditions - the SBRHS must restore and operate the locomotive.
1986 - With the help of volunteers, the Santa Fe and a lot of panel track 3751 is moved out of Viaduct Park on April 30, and into California Steel Industries in Fontana, where the majority of restoration is performed (please see Restoration Gallery).
1991 - 3751 returns to steam on August 15. December 20 is the official Christening and Dedication Ceremony for the 3751 as she is returned to steam, the newly restored locomotive pulls a freight train from San Bernardino to Los Angeles as a break in run. The California Limited Excursion operates December 27-30 from Los Angeles to Bakersfield and return via Cajon and Tehachapi passes.
1992 - Santa Fe Railway Employee Recognition Excursions, August 30 to September 16, Los Angeles - Chicago - Los Angeles (please see Tehachapi & Chicago Gallery).
1995 - On April 21 the 3751 is the last locomotive serviced at the Santa Fe's San Bernardino Yards Complex. Most of the 72 buildings in the yard complex will be demolished to make way for an intermodal facility. 3751 had been stored in the Car Shops of the complex, then the Santa Fe offered the SBRHS a siding between Lytle Creek wash and the Metrolink flyover just west of the Depot in San Bernardino - as a temporary home. April 22-23 3751 is displayed under steam at Riversides 'Sunkist Orange Blossom Festival'.
1996 - 3751 is again displayed under steam at Riversides 'Sunkist Orange Blossom Festival', in April.
1999 - The siding that the Santa Fe provided as a temporary storage site needed to be vacated, the SBRHS negotiates a lease with Amtrak to store the locomotive and tool car in the Redondo Junction Roundhouse in Los Angeles. To physically get there 3751 pulls a BNSF train to Hobart Yard in Los Angeles on January 12, and is stored at Amtrak’s Redondo Junction Roundhouse (see Moving To Redondo Gallery). SBRHS signs a lease for our museum property (east of Santa Fe Depot) in San Bernardino on April 21, but the San Bernardino mayors office gets cold feet and never follows through by signing the lease themselves. Displayed under steam for Amtrak employee picnic on May 1 at Redondo Junction. Attend CSRM’s 'Railfair 99' June 18-27 (see RailFair 99 Gallery).
2000 - 3751 becomes the last steam locomotive to be serviced at the Redondo Junction Roundhouse before it was dismantled by Amtrak in August (sound familiar?). 3751 is again stored outside in the elements, however Amtrak provides a huge tarp to cover the locomotive with during the winter. Yes, it does rain in southern California. On October 4, 2000, steam locomotive No. 3751 was listed on the 'National Register of Historic Places' (NR Reference Number 00001178).
2001 - In May the locomotive participates in a local event in Fullerton, CA and is displayed hot for the weekend at 'Fullerton Railroad Days'. Immediately after this event the engine is torn down to begin the FRA recertification process.
2001/2 - 3751 undergoes rebuilding for a new 15 year FRA boiler recertification.
2002 - 3751 pulls a flawless trip to the NRHS Convention in Williams, Arizona - August 19-25. 3751 is also 75 years young this year, and still running strong (see Canyon Rails 2002 Gallery). In December the results of the Photo Contest were posted on the website, in February of 2003 the same results are published in the Crew Car.
2003 - Volunteers are busy early this year and raise a new compound fence, reorganize the Reefer Car, and work to replace cylinder rings and valves with funds raised through the 'Presidents Challenge'. Organization reviews operational opportunities and new locations for a home - not in San Bernardino. SBRHS volunteers work to complete the cylinder work and prepare the engine for its scheduled trip to San Diego in September. Volunteers participate in fundraising projects at Fullerton Railroad Days on May 5 and the San Bernardino Orange Show on May 24-26. The trip to San Diego is cancelled since insurance is not available, an attempt to reschedule is planned for the spring of 2005. That doesn't come about because the North Country Transit District is notified by engineers that several key bridges need serious repairs before the 3751 can be allowed to pass.
2004 - 3751 is invited to participate in the re-opening of the San Bernardino depot after the city has given it a facelift. It is an extremely successful trip, and as soon as the org returns home they begin planning and organizing their next trip - to San Pedro to kick off the new Educational Outreach Program on October 27-29. This program is a new addition to the SBRHS and works at educating school children about railroad history, safety, mathematics and science during a field trip visit to see the 3751 and other historic equipment. For more information check out the Educational Outreach Program webpage.
2005 - 3751 does appear at a private steam up at Los Angeles Union Station for Metrolink as they host the APTA (National Commuter Rail Conference) on April 2-3. Another private steam up occurs on April 30th for the Los Angeles Railroad Historical Foundation (LARHF) when they tour the locomotive at Redondo Junction during a Santa Fe retrospective in Los Angeles. The 3751 also attends Fullerton Railroad Days on May 7-8. One more performance on June 23, the 3751 is steamed up and on display at Los Angeles Union Station for the Santa Fe Railway Historical & Modeling Society Convention.
2006 - 3751 is rolled out for another edition of the Educational Outreach Program at Los Angeles Union Station of February 6-9 to the delight of 850 school children. Schools from Wilmington, Burbank, Los Angeles and San Pedro attended this event.
2007 - Two more hugely sucsessful Educational Outreach Programs are performed this year, the first is held February 11-17 at Los Angeles Union Station and the second being held in San Pedro in April between the 15 and 22. Between these two events 3751 was visited by 1,550 school children during the SBRHS's Educational Outreach Program this year.
This page updated on Saturday, October 13, 2007.
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