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2926 Faq's

The 2926 is a 4-8-4 Northern type constructed to a Santa Fe railroad design following "Super Power" principles
Q. How old is 2926?
A: The 2926 was built in 1944 and is 64 years old (2008).
Q. How big is 2926?
A: That depends on what you mean by big. Together, the engine and tender are approximately 121 ft long.
Q. How much does it weigh?
A: The locomotive weighs 510,150 lbs, and the tender weighs 464,700 lbs fully loaded with fuel and water.
Q. How does it work?
A: Oil is burned in the firebox to heat the water in the boiler and make steam. The steam is piped to the cylinders to drive pistons back-and-forth. The pistons are connected to the steel pins on drive wheels by rods. When the pistons move back and forth the rods transmit that force to the drive wheels making them rotate
Q. How powerful is the 2926?
A: There are three measures of power: tractive effort, draw bar pull, and horsepower.
Tractive Effort: The starting tractive effort generated by the drive wheels is listed in all company documents and specifications as 66,000 lbs. However, that figure is thought to be little low. The real tractive effort when starting is estimated to be closer to 70,000-74,000 lbs.
Draw bar Pull: The actual pull exerted at the tender coupler (and therefore available to pull the train) ranges between 68,000-72,000 lbs. This is based on test data obtained from a similar Santa Fe 4-8-4 (#3766). The difference between estimated tractive effort and actual measured draw bar pull is the amount of tractive effort (several thousand pounds) needed to start the dead weight of the tender.
Horsepower: Horsepower varies with speed. Maximum horsepower is developed between 35-65 mph. Testing showed draw bar horsepower (measured at the coupler on the rear of the tender and available to pull the train) as 4,590 at 40 mph. The locomotive was actually producing more horsepower (500-800 more), but some power is consumed moving the engine and tender at that speed. As speed increases, more horsepower is needed for the engine and tender just to maintain the higher speed, and less is available to pull the train.
Q. How fast could 2926 go?
A: Nobody really knows. It was designed for 90 mph operation. That doesn't mean it couldn't go faster. It was upgraded (as were all 2900 class engines) between 1946-48 with light weight roller bearing rods to increase the design speed to 100 mph and in passenger service there are lots of stories of speeds well over the "century" mark. But documented runs in excess of 100 do not exist. This is because running over 100 mph exceeded established speed limits and could get engineers in trouble. However, when running late and with a "headnod" from management, crews did exceed 100 mph and occasionally (if the stories of "old timers" are to be believed) exceeded 110 mph. The locomotive's design, wheels, rods, bearings, pistons, lubrication, etc. should have been capable of the machinery speeds required to exceed 120 mph or more