| The
3800 class included locos 3800 - 3940, minus 3829. But not all
were the same, and modifications through their lives made each one unique. They
were produced 1919-1927 and lasted as late as 1955. 3829 was the first 2-10-4, and though it was in many ways identical to the other 3800s, it was an experimental engine which helped develop the later 2-10-4s of the Santa Fe.
Basics:
- Built between 1919 and 1927, in seven groups
- Each group was a little different in details
- Some burned coal, some oil, some changed later
- Many upgrades were made over the years
– new tenders, disc main drivers, extended cabs, etc.
- All were scrapped by early 1956 (not one saved!)
Overview of Subclasses
- 1919 – built 3800-3829 (29 locos + 2-10-4 3829)
- 1920 – built 3830-3839 (10 locos)
- 1921 – built 3840-3849 (10 locos)
- 1923 – built 3850-3875 (26 locos)
- 1924 – built 3876-3890 (15 locos)
- 1926 – built 3891-3915 (25 locos)
- 1927 – built 3916-3940 (25 locos)
As Built Differences:
3800+ |
3830+ |
3840+ |
3850+ |
3876+ |
3891+ |
3916+ |
Coal |
Oil |
C. |
Oil |
Hodges Trailing Truck |
Delta Trailing Truck |
No FWH |
Elesco FWH |
No FWH Pump |
W 6 ½ |
“CF” FWH Pump |
1 Rnd. |
1 Oval Dome |
2 Oval Sand Domes |
Narrow Smokestack |
Wider Smokestack |
Square Cab |
Sport Cab |
One Vent on Cab Roof |
Two |
Early upgrades:
- 1924+: upgraded earlier locos 3800-3849 with some features of later 3850+ locos
- Add 2nd sand dome (oval) behind round one on 3800-29, and behind oval one on 3830-49
- Move number boards ahead of 1st sand dome
- Add pilot-mounted Elesco feedwater heater with later “CF” type FWH pump
- Replace smokestack with wider one, on 3800-3875
Differences after first upgrade
3800+ |
3830+ |
3840+ |
3850+ |
3876+ |
3891+ |
3916+ |
Coal |
Oil |
C. |
Oil |
Hodges Trailing Truck |
Delta Trailing Truck |
Elesco FWH |
Elesco FWH |
“CF” FWH Pump |
W 6 ½ |
“CF” FWH Pump |
R + O |
Two Oval |
Two Oval Sand Domes |
Wider Smokestack |
Wider Smokestack |
Square Cab |
Sport Cab |
One Vent on Cab Roof |
Two |
Add Foam Meter to All 3800s
- Early 1930s: All 3800s got “Signal Foam-Meter Electromatic Blow-Down and Foam Collapsing System”
- On the top left side of boiler, ahead of cab and generator
- First seen in 1931, all modified by mid-1930s
- Purpose was to measure foam In top of boiler and exhaust it below the firebox
Cab vents and access hatches
- 1935 and later: 3830-69, 3876-90 got hinged access doors and vertical vents, on lower front corners of cab sides; 3891-3940 got just the vents; 1945+: a few of 3800-29 got vents only.
- Purpose of doors: to access the staybolts on oil-fired square cab locos (sport cabs were slanted to avoid this problem).
- Vents could be opened to let fresh air into cab.
- Cab lettering “A.T.&S.F.” moved back.
Drifting
Valves:
- 1938 and later: Added Wagner “drifting” (“by-pass”) valves above cylinders of most 3800s.
- Appears as a 3rd, smaller cylinder above the other two.
- Purpose was to lubricate and cushion the cylinders while drifting downgrade.
- As a result, some of the locomotive had their boiler side running boards raised to accommodate maintenance of the valve, others did not.
Main
Driver:
- 1940 and later: Added LFM disc main drivers and lightweight side rods to most 3800s.
- Disc main drivers were flanged, as before.
- Original side rods were slab type, LW side rods had raised ridges.
- Purpose was to give better balance to the drive wheels, for less rail damage
Tenders:
- 15K Coal – originally on 3800-29, 3870-75
- 15K Oil – on most 3800s
- 20K Standard Coal – in 1930-31 added to most of 3800-29 and most of 3870-75
- 20K Standard Oil – in 1940s converted most of 3800-29 standard coal tenders to oil
- 20K Rectangular Oil – in 1938 added to 3900-3914
- Some tenders moved around later, 12K sloped tender used on 3906 in 1950-51
- Around 1941 SANTA FE was added to the sides of
nearly all of the tenders for this class.
End of the 3800s
- Leased 3833, 67, 93, 3934, 37 to SP during July-Sep 1950
- Leased 3915, 29, 30 to UP in Oct-Nov 1952
- 3800s were all scrapped, during 1947-56
- Engines could sit retired in dead lines for several years before scrapping
The
2-10-4 will be 3829, Santa Fe's first 2-10-4 and an experimental and developmental
engine toward the later 2-10-4 engines. It was born with a 4 wheel trailing truck
and a 15K coal tender. Other than the trailing truck it was a standard 3800. It
received a 20K long coal tender in 1930 which was converted to oil in the late
thirties.
3800
locomotive assignments and photo index circa 1950 can be found on this site.
Don
Borden has supplied a spreadsheet of 3800 photos
and modifications along with an explanatory index.
Unfortunately he did not take the feedwater heater into account so includes locomotives
as correct which are not.
Resources:
- Articles by Stan Kistler (3rd Q. 2006 Warbonnet) and by Lee Berglund (Jan-Feb 1976 Southwestern Prototype Modeler)
- Detailed photo research by Don Borden & Steve Sandifer (see SFRHMS website when index is ready, soon)
- 2009 Clinic Handout by Mark Wilkouski
- Ainsworth 3800 Class Pictorial books, Vols. 10, 12, 13, 14Iron Horses of the Santa Fe Trail, by Worley
Corrections
and input to Steve Sandifer. |
