By Railfan & Railroad Staff

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway 4-8-4 3751 will be under steam and on display during Los Angeles Union Station Trainfest 2023 on September 9 and 10. The event will be the locomotive’s first public appearance in 2023, and its second run since the  San Bernardino Railroad Historical Society completed its federally-mandated overhaul in 2021. 

The September event is sponsored by Union Station Los Angeles, Metro Los Angeles, Amtrak and Metrolink. It runs from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. each day. 

“Train enthusiasts of all ages are invited to see rail equipment, including Santa Fe 3751, on the tracks from various decades since the opening of the station, marvel at the rarest of model train exhibits, participate in tours about the history, restoration and art throughout the building and experience other unique activities celebrating the legacy and future of Union Station and Southern California’s rail systems,” the group wrote in its announcement. 

Locomotive 3751 was the first Northern built for Santa Fe when it was released by Baldwin in 1927. It is also the oldest surviving 4-8-4 locomotive in the world. After a long career on Santa Fe, the locomotive was put on display in San Bernardino. In the 1980s, it was taken out of a city park for restoration and returned to the main line in 1991.