Equipment Information

Santa Fe 2903 is the largest steam locomotive, by both weight and length, in the IRM collection. It is also one of the fastest, designed for top speeds exceeding 100mph. This type of locomotive was built for mixed passenger and express freight use and ran for some 15 years before retirement in the late 1950s. For more than 30 years the engine was on display outside of Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry until it was moved to IRM in 1993.

COMPARE ME WITH: Grand Trunk Western 6323, another 4-8-4 Northern in the museum’s collection. Although of the same wheel arrangement, the GTW engine is much smaller than Santa Fe 2903 – in fact it weighs less than half as much.

Builder: Baldwin Locomotive Works
Year Built: 1943
Builder Number: 69791
Wheel Arrangement: 4-8-4
Length: 121ft 7in
Width: 10ft 9in
Height: 16ft
Weight: 882365 lbs
Brakes: 8ET
Tractive Effort: 66000
Cylinders: 28×32
Boiler Pressure: 300 psi
Drivers: 80in
Description: Class 2900
Arrived: 1995
Condition: Complete / cosmetically restored / not operational

Ownership History
1943-1961 – Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe
1961-1995 – Museum of Science & Industry, Chicago, IL
1995-present – Illinois Railway Museum, Union, IL

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