Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe No. 5 ''Little Buttercup'' (former ATSF #2419, Santa Fe Terminal #1) is an
0-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven. The wheels on the earliest four-coupled locomotives were ...
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 ...
.
History
"Little Buttercup" was originally built in 1899 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 ...
as an
0-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven. The wheels on the earliest four-coupled locomotives were ...
saddle
tank locomotive
A tank locomotive is a steam locomotive which carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of a more traditional tender (rail), tender. Most tank engines also have Fuel bunker, bunkers (or fuel tanks) to hold fuel; in a #Tender ...
for the Santa Fe Terminal Railway as their #1. The SFT was a subsidiary of the
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway, operating under the moniker of the San Francisco & San Joaquin Valley Railway, was designed to run a terminal operation in the China Basin around
San Francisco, California
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
. It was absorbed into the ATSF system in 1902, and SFT #1 became ATSF #2419.
[History of the Santa Fe Terminal Railway? - Trainorders]
/ref> She was then moved to the shops at Needles, California to work there as the "shop goat," and was renumbered at least 3 more times till finally running with the road number #9419 in 1948.
That same year was the Chicago Railroad Fair
The Chicago Railroad Fair was an event organized to celebrate and commemorate 100 years of railroad history west of Chicago, Illinois. It was held in Chicago in 1948 and 1949 along the shore of Lake Michigan and is often referred to as "the last ...
, and Santa Fe had chosen #9419 to be their exhibition engine. She was rebuilt into a tender engine with an 1800s "Old West" style appearance with a diamond smokestack, gaining the #5 and the name "Little Buttercup," after a 4-4-0 locomotive that had previously carried the name. That one had been scrapped in 1899.[Little Buttercup Comes To San Jose]
/ref> After 1948, the Santa Fe had kept "Little Buttercup" in storage, along with some ancient wooden coaches, for exhibitions and special events. She was the star a few commercials for the ATSF, even starring with Randolph Scott
George Randolph Scott (January 23, 1898 – March 2, 1987) was an American film actor, whose Hollywood career spanned from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in dramas, come ...
in the 1951 film ''Santa Fe'' where she was driven by a Native American chief.[Santa Fe (1951) - Obscure Train Movies]
/ref>
"Little Buttercup" was eventually donated with the rest of the ATSF's historical collection to the California State Railroad Museum in 1986, where she attended their famed "Railfair" event the same year. The locomotive is now on long-term loan to the California Trolley and Railroad Corporation, and is currently on display in their Trolley Barn at the History Park at Kelley Park.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Santa Fe 0005
5
Baldwin locomotives
Individual locomotives of the United States
0-4-0 locomotives
Standard-gauge locomotives of the United States
Railway locomotives introduced in 1899
Preserved steam locomotives of California