By Lloyd E. Stagner and TRAINS Magazine

These 3751's were assigned to the Colorado Division, with maintenance at La Junta, and frequently protected troop trains to and from Fort Carson, near Colorado Springs. Occasionally they showed up in Denver after La Junta-Denver passenger service was dieselized. Nos. 3753-3756 and 3764 were assigned during 1951-1953. Their last service was in November 1953, mostly between La Junta and Dodge City on trains 32 and Second 35; however, No. 3764 was laid up at Denver on November 21.

The last years of year-round AT&SF steam saw 3751, 3757-3760, and 2929 assigned to the Los Angeles Division, although freight and yard services had been dieselized after the summer of 1951. These 4-8-4's frequently operated on local passenger trains 70-75 between Los Angeles and San Diego on the Surf Line, and occasionally relieved the diesels assigned to the eight daily, lightweight, stainless-steel San Diegan trains. When the motor cars working the two round trips between Los Angeles and San Bernardino were out of service, a 3751 filled in. A regular assignment for 2929 was to handle Second 7 from Barstow to Los Angeles, returning to Barstow doubleheading with the diesel on No. 8 or a section of No. 24. The 2929 left the Los Angeles Division July 10 en route to Albuquerque shop for Class 5 repairs, and upon release was assigned to the Pecos Division in August. She was removed from service December 26, 1953, at Belen. No. 3758 was the last steam engine to work on the Los Angeles Division, on October 11, however 3759 handled a couple of passenger specials in 1954-1955.

The Argentine-Waynoka freight pool was the last stand for the 4-8-4's, during 1951-1953. Effective July 1, 1952, transcontinental freight schedules were reduced by one day. .No. 59's time was cut 23 hours from Chicago to the San Francisco Bay terminal of Richmond, Calif., and No. 53 was reduced 19 hours from Kansas City to Los Angeles. Eastbound traffic moving on GFX trains from Bakersfield and San Bernardino to Chicago was given sixth-morning delivery after loading, however there was no perishable guarantee established until July 1, 1953. With the guarantee, the railroad assumed responsibility for any decline in prices paid for the produce if it was not delivered on time. The seasonal PVX train from the Palo Verde Valley at Blythe, Calif, was also expedited 24 hours. The SRX Salt River Valley train from the Phoenix-Glendale growing area continued to offer fifth-morning arrivals in Chicago with no change in schedule.

Some of the cuts in time were made by reducing dead times in terminals, which had been from 45 minutes to 1 hour. Nos. 49, 53, and 59 had only 10 minutes at Wellington to change caboose and make an air test. The 4-8-4's that operated through from Argentine required oil at Wellington, but no mainline facility for servicing was ever constructed, and it was necessary to take the engine to the roundhouse. This made it necessary to relay the engines---i.e., an inbound engine would go to the roundhouse for oil, water, sand, and lubrication, and then protect the next westbound train. This sometimes reduced the monthly mileages. Westbound 4-8-4's usually operated through Emporia, but in the late winter of 1953, several fell down on the hill from Bazar.to Matfield Green and had to double the hill account running out of sand. The 30-cubic-foot sandbox on the 4-8-4's was a liability that was never corrected. In March 1953, instructions were issued to send all westbound engines to the roundhouse for sand, and relaying was commenced on all trains. Although fuel oil was not needed, it was always supplied while the engine took sand and water. When engines ran through, water was obtained in the yard while cabooses were changed.

Westbound from Argentine, water was taken at Ottawa, Kans., due to delays in the time the engine left the roundhouse until actual departure from the large Argentine hump yard. Some Middle Division engineers, usually the young bunch, would run through to Wellington, but the others always stopped at Aikman or Augusta. If the Augusta or Aikman stop was eliminated, a 3776 or a 2900 would go through in 2 hours, 45 minutes with 3500 to 4000 tons, about 15 minutes faster than a three-unit, 4050 h.p. FT assigned to the same weight train. If a water stop was made, times were equal, the diesel having the advantage only on the pull from Bazar to Matfield Green.

A former fireman says the real engineers would go down the hill at 70 through Chelsea and have the speed reduced at the 45-mph curve at Tower B, with the conductors never having any of their coffee spilled back in the caboose, 80 or 90 cars away.

Eastbound on the Middle Division, with heavier trains, sometimes up to 5700 tons, water was usually taken once due to delays en route meeting westbound trains. A retired road foreman of engines reported that when he was firing, they took a 5000-ton train east and ran all water tanks but had only a foot of water in the tank at Emporia.

The 20,000-gallon-capacity tenders used with the 3751's and 3765's made taking water once a necessity, unless tonnage was light or a passenger train was handled.