Uploaded May 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
I grew up in the Skykomish Valley in Washington State. A narrow valley with a train running through it. There were the sounds of Saw mill steam whistles, steam donkey engines and the thundering sounds of the trains and their horns echoing up the pass.
I was raised on the stories of loggers and mill workers. Terms like “Spring Boards”, “Green Chain”, Chokers”, “High Lead” and “Swedish Fiddle” were staples in the vernacular of our home.
Is it any wonder that when I come across a steam train in my travels that I get excited. While traveling Route 66 in Kingman Arizona, right there between Andy Devine Avenue and Beale Street I saw the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe 3759 Heavy Mountain Steam Locomotive.
This Locomotive was built in 1928 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Eddystone PA. It is a Class 3751, 4-8-4 Coal powered unit with massive 73” drive wheels. These huge wheels made for a smoother ride for the passenger cars it pulled between Sacramento CA and Galveston TX. It passed through Kingman AZ along the way. In the years 1938-1941 the SF Railroad converted their fleet to oil from coal. At this time since 73” wheels were so yesterday, Old 3759 got a new pair of shoes. The new drivers were an impressive 80” tall just 4” shy of 7 feet tall or 203 cm for my metric friends.
In 1953 after some 2,585,000 miles 3759 was retired. But, she wasn’t done just yet. In feb 1955, 3759 came back to life. As the diesel-electric trains were quickly replacing the steamers, there was a special excursion run called “Farewell To Steam” sponsored by the Railway Club of Southern California where 3759 became the last Santa Fe revenue steam train to leave Los Angeles and to traverse Cajon Pass.
This special trip ran on February 6,and it was a round trip between Los Angeles Union Station and Barstow, California with stops in Pasadena and San Bernardino .
Not long after that trip, 3759 ended up on display here in Kingman.
In May of 1987 the people of Kingman got together and using ropes, pulled 3759 forward enough to add a retired caboose to the back. It was dubbed “The Great Locomotive Pull of 1987”.
Retired Caboose 999520 was added to the back that year.
This train car is a Standard Cupola Caboose. This served as a bedroom and the office for the conductor. It was heated with a coal stove which could also be cooked on.
In the Steam Years, the conductor would ride in the caboose and operate the switches and watch for problems such as freight falling off or hot wheel boxes.
This is a wheel box. Every axle on every train car has two per axle. One on each side. At the stations, these boxes would be filled with grease, As the train went along, it would use up the grease to lubricate the train axles. If one ran out of grease it would get hot. Sometimes they would catch fire.
The Conductor would communicate with the Engineer using either hand signals, lantern colors and movements and sometimes there was an air horn that was sounded similar to Morse Code. In the event that the Conductor needed to stop the train he could let the air out of the brake system from the caboose and the brakes would engage.
This caboose was upgraded with a kerosene stove and electricity. This generator ran off of the spinning axle and charged some lead acid batteries to provide power to the caboose.
I highly recommend stopping to see this monument to railroad history. It is a bit sad that this train has not ran in almost 70 years. However if you stand next to these mighty 80 inch drivers and close your eyes, I swear you can hear the huffing and puffing, the hiss of the steam and the sound of the horn that is the heart beat of the steam locomotive and the birth of the industrial revolution.
This Video contains My Theme music which I own all rights to. It was written and performed by Warren Hartz. His Youtube Channel is: youtube.com/user/silkfromthehartz
His web page is: silkfromthehartz.com
I grew up in the Skykomish Valley in Washington State. A narrow valley with a train running through it. There were the sounds of Saw mill steam whistles, steam donkey engines and the thundering sounds of the trains and their horns echoing up the pass.
I was raised on the stories of loggers and mill workers. Terms like “Spring Boards”, “Green Chain”, Chokers”, “High Lead” and “Swedish Fiddle” were staples in the vernacular of our home.
Is it any wonder that when I come across a steam train in my travels that I get excited. While traveling Route 66 in Kingman Arizona, right there between Andy Devine Avenue and Beale Street I saw the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe 3759 Heavy Mountain Steam Locomotive.
This Locomotive was built in 1928 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Eddystone PA. It is a Class 3751, 4-8-4 Coal powered unit with massive 73” drive wheels. These huge wheels made for a smoother ride for the passenger cars it pulled between Sacramento CA and Galveston TX. It passed through Kingman AZ along the way. In the years 1938-1941 the SF Railroad converted their fleet to oil from coal. At this time since 73” wheels were so yesterday, Old 3759 got a new pair of shoes. The new drivers were an impressive 80” tall just 4” shy of 7 feet tall or 203 cm for my metric friends.
In 1953 after some 2,585,000 miles 3759 was retired. But, she wasn’t done just yet. In feb 1955, 3759 came back to life. As the diesel-electric trains were quickly replacing the steamers, there was a special excursion run called “Farewell To Steam” sponsored by the Railway Club of Southern California where 3759 became the last Santa Fe revenue steam train to leave Los Angeles and to traverse Cajon Pass.
This special trip ran on February 6,and it was a round trip between Los Angeles Union Station and Barstow, California with stops in Pasadena and San Bernardino .
Not long after that trip, 3759 ended up on display here in Kingman.
In May of 1987 the people of Kingman got together and using ropes, pulled 3759 forward enough to add a retired caboose to the back. It was dubbed “The Great Locomotive Pull of 1987”.
Retired Caboose 999520 was added to the back that year.
This train car is a Standard Cupola Caboose. This served as a bedroom and the office for the conductor. It was heated with a coal stove which could also be cooked on.
In the Steam Years, the conductor would ride in the caboose and operate the switches and watch for problems such as freight falling off or hot wheel boxes.
This is a wheel box. Every axle on every train car has two per axle. One on each side. At the stations, these boxes would be filled with grease, As the train went along, it would use up the grease to lubricate the train axles. If one ran out of grease it would get hot. Sometimes they would catch fire.
The Conductor would communicate with the Engineer using either hand signals, lantern colors and movements and sometimes there was an air horn that was sounded similar to Morse Code. In the event that the Conductor needed to stop the train he could let the air out of the brake system from the caboose and the brakes would engage.
This caboose was upgraded with a kerosene stove and electricity. This generator ran off of the spinning axle and charged some lead acid batteries to provide power to the caboose.
I highly recommend stopping to see this monument to railroad history. It is a bit sad that this train has not ran in almost 70 years. However if you stand next to these mighty 80 inch drivers and close your eyes, I swear you can hear the huffing and puffing, the hiss of the steam and the sound of the horn that is the heart beat of the steam locomotive and the birth of the industrial revolution.
This Video contains My Theme music which I own all rights to. It was written and performed by Warren Hartz. His Youtube Channel is: youtube.com/user/silkfromthehartz
His web page is: silkfromthehartz.com
