Atsf 2 10 4 5021
by Jim Thompson
Title
Atsf 2 10 4 5021
Artist
Jim Thompson
Medium
Photograph - Photographic Art
Description
The 5011-class 2-10-4's were the last steam locomotives purchased new by the Santa Fe. They were war babies, built in 1944 at a time when freight dieselization on the Santa Fe was well underway. Due to wartime materials shortages, the War Production Board imposed strict controls on new locomotive purchases, particularly diesels. Santa Fe was awarded the lion's share of road freight diesel production in the form of EMD's FT, but it still wasn't enough to meet the railroad's needs. The 2900-class 4-8-4's and 5011-class 2-10-4's were constructed to try to make up the deficit. Had it not been for the war, these final examples of Santa Fe big steam would almost certainly never have been built.
The 5011-class were impressive machines. Resting on 74 inch drivers, the locomotives measured 123 feet, 5 inches from stem to stern, three feet longer than Santa Fe's immense 3000-class 2-10-10-2's of thirty years earlier! The length was largely due to the huge tenders the 2-10-4's were equipped with. In the interest of minimizing fuel and water stops, the 16-wheel tenders were designed to hold 24,500 gallons of water and 7,000 gallons of oil. The 5011's were nevertheless lighter than the 3000's, 538,000 lbs total compared to 616,000.
Though capable of handling passenger assignments, the 5011's were basically freight locomotives throughout their careers. The early 50's found them assigned to the New Mexico and Pecos Divisions of the railroad. The summer of 1955 was the last stand for Santa Fe steam in long distance mainline freight service. The following year, the only place active steam could be found on the railroad was on Abo Pass in New Mexico. During the produce rush in the summers of 1956 and 1957, seven steam engines saw service as helpers for diesel-powered freights on the 1.25% grade from Belen to Mountainair, NM. 5011-class engines 5019, 5021, 5027, and 5029 were among those used. The 5021 became the last of its class to see service, and the second-to-last steam engine o operate in revenue service on the railroad when it assisted a diesel-powered freight up the pass on August 27, 1957. After two or more years of inactivity, most of the 5011-class were retired and sent to scrap in April of 1959, after the railroad was confident it could do without them. In the end, none of the 5011's saw more than 13 years of service.
In 1986, Santa Fe donated the entire historical collection of locomotives at Albuquerque, including 5021, 2925, and many of the diesels listed on the main page, to the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, CA. The collection was moved west in early April 1986. Unfortunately, the CSRM had neither the facilities nor the resources to properly house, restore, and care for the engines. The 5021 and most of the rest of the Santa Fe historical collection was stored outdoors, and mostly out of public view, at the former Southern Pacific Sacramento Shops. Environmental remediation of the former SP facilites resulted in the engines being moved to a spur along the museum's excursion train track in 2008. The museum took the precaution of removing the boiler insulation and most of the "collectable" items on the engine, but the resulting appearance is truly heartbreaking. The museum's long term plans for the locomotive are not known.
Uploaded
September 30th, 2014
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