The Santa Fe class 3450 consisted of ten
4-6-4 "Hudson" type
steam locomotives built by the
Baldwin Locomotive Works in
1927. Built as coal-burners, they were later converted to oil-burning during the 1930s. At the same time, the locomotives were given 79-inch (2,007 mm)
driving wheels instead of their original 73-inch (1,854 mm), and the boiler pressures increased from 220 to 230 lbf/in2 (1.52 to 1.59 MPa). Combined, these changes reduced the starting
tractive effort from 44,250 to 43,300 lbf (196.8 to 192.6 kN), but increased the top speed and efficiency. Their early service was in the Midwest, between
Chicago and
Colorado; later, some were assigned to service in the
San Joaquin Valley of
California between
Bakersfield and
Oakland.
They were smaller and less powerful locomotives than the later
3460 class "Hudson" type, but were capable of equivalently high speeds.
The first locomotive built, No. 3450, was donated by the Santa Fe in 1955 to the
Railway & Locomotive Historical Society's Southern California chapter, and is preserved at the Society's museum in the
Los Angeles County Fair grounds at
Pomona, California. The locomotive sits inside the
RailGiants Train Museum. It is not operational, but preserved in good condition as a static exhibit. It received a cosmetic restoration between 2013-2021.
The Santa Fe class 3450 consisted of ten
4-6-4 "Hudson" type
steam locomotives built by the
Baldwin Locomotive Works in
1927. Built as coal-burners, they were later converted to oil-burning during the 1930s. At the same time, the locomotives were given 79-inch (2,007 mm)
driving wheels instead of their original 73-inch (1,854 mm), and the boiler pressures increased from 220 to 230 lbf/in2 (1.52 to 1.59 MPa). Combined, these changes reduced the starting
tractive effort from 44,250 to 43,300 lbf (196.8 to 192.6 kN), but increased the top speed and efficiency. Their early service was in the Midwest, between
Chicago and
Colorado; later, some were assigned to service in the
San Joaquin Valley of
California between
Bakersfield and
Oakland.
They were smaller and less powerful locomotives than the later
3460 class "Hudson" type, but were capable of equivalently high speeds.
The first locomotive built, No. 3450, was donated by the Santa Fe in 1955 to the
Railway & Locomotive Historical Society's Southern California chapter, and is preserved at the Society's museum in the
Los Angeles County Fair grounds at
Pomona, California. The locomotive sits inside the
RailGiants Train Museum. It is not operational, but preserved in good condition as a static exhibit. It received a cosmetic restoration between 2013-2021.