A Minnesota-based nonprofit, formed more than a decade ago to determine whether a modern steam locomotive could be built, is now being reorganized to care for and maintain the Santa Fe 4-6-4 it planned to use as a testbed.
The Coalition for Sustainable Rail is now the Kaw Valley Rail Heritage Conservancy, which is leading the cosmetic restoration of Santa Fe “Super Hudson” 3463 in Topeka, Kan. Built by Baldwin in 1937, locomotive 3463 was assigned to passenger service on the east end of the Santa Fe through the 1940s and into the 1950s. The Hudson and its sister locomotives were fast and powerful, and were often chosen to lead the railroad’s finest passenger trains. After it was retired, it was put on display in Topeka.
In 2021, the Coalition for Sustainable Rail launched an effort to restore the engine to service and convert it to burn biofuel in an effort to find a more sustainable fuel for preserved steam engines. Unfortunately, that effort was derailed by an ownership dispute. While CSR’s ownership was ultimately affirmed, by the time the legal issues were resolved, the project no longer made sense. Now CSR is shifting its focus toward caring for the engine. The Kaw Valley Rail Heritage Conservancy is now seeking community involvement, partnerships, and donations to assist with ongoing cosmetic work, interpretive planning, and the development of a sustainable stewardship framework to ensure that 3463 remains a source of civic pride for generations to come.
“The Kaw Valley Rail Heritage Conservancy represents a grassroots continuation of CSR’s mission—focused now on historical preservation and community engagement,” said Mark Smelser, President of KVRHC. “Locomotive No. 3463, designed by Santa Fe’s own engineers here in Topeka, is a direct link to both Kansas’ railroading legacy and the nation’s industrial ingenuity. We are inviting the community to join us in supporting the continued cosmetic stabilization and, ultimately, a full cosmetic restoration of this last surviving ‘Super Hudson.’”
—Justin Franz
