Summer season in full steam for Santa Fe No. 3415

Summer season in full steam for Santa Fe No. 3415

By Lucas Iverson | June 26, 2023

Pacific-type locomotive performs admirably over the weekend

Steam locomotive with passenger car and gondola for riders in field with trees in background.
Santa Fe 4-6-2 No. 3415 operates on the former Rock Island line near Abilene, Kansas, in July 2021. Jim Wrinn

ABILENE, Kan. — Steam locomotive No. 3415 turned in another weekend of successful operations on the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad. This comes after headlining the railroad’s 30th anniversary during Father’s Day weekend, which followed multiple sidelines to the locomotive due to unforeseen repairs in late May and issues with the injector in early June.

“No. 3415 performed admirably all weekend during four trips,” President and General Manager Ross Boelling said. “When you see the foreman with a relaxed smile at the end of the last weekend run, you know she ran well!”

With the summer season in full steam on the A&SV, the former Santa Fe 4-6-2 is scheduled to operate every weekend until the end of July. Steam-powered trips will resume Labor Day weekend after a month off in August. The locomotive will then be taken out of service at the end of the year for its federally mandated 1,472-day inspection. Routine maintenance and lubrication are scheduled in preparation for the upcoming Fourth of July weekend, according to Boelling.

For more information and tickets, visit the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad website.

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