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The 2-10-2 Santa Fe Type Steam Locomotive

The Santa Fe Type derives its name from the railroad that originally developed it, and would ultimately own the most of the steam locomotive design, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway (commonly known as simply the Santa Fe). The Santa Fe, of the 2-10-2 wheel arrangement, was essentially an outgrowth of the troubled 2-10-0 Decapod. And, while initially successful and loved by railroads, the Santa Fe would come to have many of the same problems that plagued the Decapod.

Baldwin originally built the Santa Fe Type in 1903 for the ATSF, which would also ultimately end up owning the most of the design at over 300 units. While later models would include upgraded features and Santa Fes featured increased horsepower over the Decapod due to their larger fireboxes and improved boilers (which thus made the locomotives excellent for use in heavy drag service and mountainous territory), they still ultimately had many of the same problems as their predecessor.

The Decapod Type was essentially an extension of the very successful Consolidation Type, a 2-8-0 design. The 2-8-0 design was a significant technological leap from the American, 4-4-0 wheel arrangement. The Consolidation, with its two extra driving axles and front pilot truck could not only pull trains that were twice as heavy but also run at speeds fast enough to be used in any type of passenger service. For instances, railroads such as the Baltimore & Ohio, Pennsylvania, and others, which operated in mountainous territory found that the Consolidation Type performed exemplary over stiff grades.

The first Decapods were built as early as 1867 for the Lehigh Valley Railroad. However, while a few different railroads (such as the Erie) would come to own the Decapod Type, the design was virtually a failure as its problems simply turned most railroads away. These problems included an inadequate firebox (thus the locomotive could not get proper combustion resulting in low horsepower) since it had to be situated between the wheels due to no trailing truck (meaning it was smaller than locomotives that included the trailing truck to support the weight of a heavier firebox). Another problem for the design was its small drivers that could not properly balance the incredible piston thrusts (needed for so many axles) causing not only very rough riding but also down right dangerous operation of speeds greater than 50 mph.

Due to imbalancing (which not only caused wear on the locomotive but also the track) and slow track speeds by the 1920s many railroads began to dislike the 2-10-2. Still, many railroads wound up owning the model (around 2,200 were eventually constructed) and the United States Railroad Administration, during takeover of the nation’s railroads during World War I, used many light and heavy versions of the Santa Fe Type.

In any event, by the early 1930s the final 2-10-2s were built although some did survive in daily service until the early 1960s. Today, at least one Santa Fe Type survives at the Illinois Railway Museum. Also of note, while not technically Santa Fe Types since they did not originate from this country, two operating 2-10-2s of the QJ Class from China (for use in tourist service) can be found in Rock Island, Illinois owned by the Railroad Development Corporation.

For more information on the Santa Fe Type steam locomotive consider How a Steam Locomotive Works by author Karen Parker, which explores in great detail how exactly each component of a steam locomotive works but is also easy enough to read for anyone to understand. The book has received excellent reviews and is a great resource on steam locomotives and a fine reference tool; you should find it very useful.

Also, consider the book American Steam Locomotives from author Brian Solomon. While this publication does not include quite as much technical data as Parker's book, How a Steam Locomotive Works, it is still a very good resource with lots of information and best of all, is loaded with photographs! If you're interested in perhaps purchasing either (or both) of these books please visit the links below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.

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