Advertisement from the June 1950 National Geographic magazine. Looks like F3s at the bottom of the page.
This locomotive was donated by the Santa Fe to Oklahoma City for a "Travel Land" display at the State Fair. About 20 years ago, the Oklahoma State Fair Board wanted to get rid of it and tried to sell it. At the time, I was on the board of directors at the Rosenberg Railroad Museum and we got wind of the deal. We were about ready to seal the deal and haul it down to Texas when Oklahoma City found out about it. The locomotive belonged to them and not the State Fair. So, curses, foiled again in getting a steam locomotive for the museum. Here is a photo taken on July 29, 1954 when it was stored at Tinker AFB before being move to the Oklahoma State Fair grounds.
The meat in that sandwich is an FP-45. That ain't exactly a chopped liver sandwich. It became a 2-8-0 in 1897, probably at Topeka. Prior to that, it was 1879 Hinkley 4-4-0 #73, the H.C. Hardon. Talk about getting shopped and coming out different. Probably even had to change pronouns. Here's an '80 Hinkley 4-4-0 for comparison.
Santa Fe F7A #304 leading a train across the Missouri River near Sibley, Missouri in 1969. Wallace Abbey photo.
Upon completion of the Crookton Cutoff in 1960, the Santa Fe's station at Williams, AZ found itself skirted by the new mainline. To serve Williams, the Santa Fe erected a new station east at Williams Junction where the Cutoff began. The old station and mainline remained in place, with the old mainline continuing to serve as the line to Phoenix. The old station serves the Grand Canyon Railway today.
