Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe 2926 is a class " 2900"

4-8-4 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and four trailing wheels on two axles. The type wa ...

type

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, Fuel oil, oil or, rarely, Wood fuel, wood) to heat ...

built in May 1944 by the

Baldwin Locomotive Works The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railway locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, Eddystone in the early 20th century. The com ...

for the

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Railroad classes, Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight tra ...

(ATSF). It was used to pull passenger and fast freight trains, mostly throughout

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

, until retired from service in 1953. In 1956, ATSF donated no. 2926 to the City of Albuquerque for static display. In 1999, the non-profit ''New Mexico Steam Locomotive and Railroad Historical Society'' purchased no. 2926 for restoration. In 2021, no. 2926 moved under its own power for the first time in almost 70 years. It is the world's heaviest 4-8-4, and the sole operating class ''2900'' locomotive among the last six in existence. The ''Society'', under the trade name ''New Mexico Heritage Rail'', plans to operate historic rail excursion trains behind no. 2926 between

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

and

Las Vegas, New Mexico Las Vegas, often known simply as Vegas, is a city in and the county seat of San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States. Once two separate municipalities (one a city and the other a town), both were named Las Vegas: West Las Vegas ("Old Town" ...

History

Revenue service

No. 2926 was among the last group of steam passenger locomotives built in 1944 by the

in Eddystone (

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

for the

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at vario ...

. This class of locomotives comprised the heaviest 4-8-4's built in the United States, and among the largest. The railroad used the locomotive in both fast freight and passenger service, and it accumulated over one million miles of usage before its last revenue run on December 24, 1953. Equipped with the latest Timken roller-bearing tandem side-rods between 1946-1948, it was then approved for 110-mph speeds with the Santa Fe's crack passenger trains: up from 100-mph when delivered with its original side-rods.

Preservation

The locomotive and a caboose were donated to the City of Albuquerque, New Mexico in July 1956 to recognize the city's 250th anniversary, and placed in Coronado Park. The city displayed the locomotive as a static exhibit in the park until it was sold for $1.00 to the ''Society'' on July 26, 1999. On June 23, 2000, the locomotive was moved by Messer Construction Company to a

BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three Transcontinental railroad, transcontine ...

rail siding In rail terminology, a siding is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line, branch line, or spur. It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end. Sidings often have lighter r ...

just south of Menaul Boulevard. The locomotive has been listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

since October 1, 2007.

Restoration

In May 2002, the No. 2926 locomotive was moved out on temporary snap tracks to its current location near the intersection of 8th Street and Haines Avenue, where it underwent a complete restoration to operating condition by the Society. On February 11, 2016, House Memorial Bill 100, introduced by Don L. Tripp and adopted by the

New Mexico Legislature The New Mexico Legislature () is the legislative branch of the state government of New Mexico. It is a bicameral body made up of the New Mexico House of Representatives and the New Mexico Senate. History The New Mexico Legislature was establ ...

, recognized the Santa Fe No. 2926 steam locomotive as "New Mexico's steam locomotive and a representative of the railroads' contributions to the economic and cultural growth and stature of New Mexico". In January 2018, it was reported that the restoration was nearing completion, and that the locomotive could be operational by the end of the year. As of that date, NMSL&RHS members had put in 166,000 hours of volunteer labor and spent over $2.8 million on the project. On August 20, 2018, the boiler of ATSF No. 2926 was fired up for the first time in sixty-five years. The locomotive was scheduled for a test run on March 20, 2020, when it would move under its own power for the first time since 1953. However, that event and most other restoration efforts were suspended due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in New Mexico The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the U.S. state of New Mexico on March 11, 2020. On December 23, 2020, the New Mexico Department of Health reported 1,174 new COVID-19 cases and 40 deaths, bringing the cumulative statewide to ...

. On July 24, 2021, the No. 2926 locomotive moved under its own power for the first time in sixty-eight years.

Excursion service

On May 6, 2023, No. 2926 visited a nearby brewing company for a fundraiser, a distance of about four blocks. The same visit happened two more times, on August 26, 2023., and May 4, 2024. On September 30, 2023, No. 2926 returned to the mainline on a 2.5-mile excursion to the Albuquerque Rail Yards to attend the New Mexico Railroad Days event. On June 14, 2025, it was announced that the

New Mexico Department of Transportation The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT; ) is a state government organization which oversees transportation in New Mexico, State of New Mexico in the southwestern United States. The agency has four main focuses—transit, rail, av ...

and New Mexico Heritage Rail have agreed to allow No. 2926 to operate on 40 miles of state-owned trackage around Albuquerque from Bernalillo to

Los Lunas Los Lunas is a village in Valencia County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 census, the village has a population of 17,242. It is the county seat of Valencia County. Los Lunas is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area. ...

Surviving sister engines

* 3751 moved from Viaduct Park in

San Bernardino, California San Bernardino ( ) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the List of ...

in 1986 for restoration to operating condition, which was completed in 1991. * 3759 is displayed at Locomotive Park in Kingman, Arizona. * 3768 is displayed at the Great Plains Transportation Museum in Wichita, Kansas. * 2903 is displayed at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois. * 2912 is displayed at the Pueblo Railway Museum in Pueblo, Colorado. * 2913 is displayed at Riverview Park in Fort Madison, Iowa. * 2921 is displayed at the Modesto Amtrak Station in Modesto, California. * 2925 is displayed at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, California.

Historic designations

br>#NPS–#07000388

References

External links

National Register of Historic Places Weekly Update
* New Mexico Steam Locomotive and Railroad Historical Society
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{{National Register of Historic Places 2926 4-8-4 locomotives Landmarks in Albuquerque, New Mexico Baldwin locomotives Individual locomotives of the United States National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico Railway locomotives on the National Register of Historic Places Railway locomotives introduced in 1944 History of Bernalillo County, New Mexico Tourist attractions in Albuquerque, New Mexico New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties National Register of Historic Places in Albuquerque, New Mexico Rail transportation on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico Standard-gauge locomotives of the United States Preserved steam locomotives of New Mexico