The Locomotive That Came Home
The Journey of AT&SF No. 940
A Workhorse for 50 Years
Locomotive No. 940 is the sole survivor of 332 steam locomotives like it built for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway (AT&SF). It is one of 50 steamers of all types saved by the Santa Fe when it switched to diesel locomotives.
Built in 1903, this historic iron horse is more than a century old. It is about 80 feet long with its tender and weighed more than 150 tons when filled with heavy fuel oil and water.
The 940 was designed and used as a heavy freight engine, capable of about 35 miles per hour. It spent several years traveling the rails through Bartlesville as it made its trips between Tulsa and Chanute from 1949-52.
The venerable steamer also worked in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and California. In the 1921 photo above, it is pulling an eastbound train of refrigerated cars through Cajon Pass in Southern California. In all, the 940 pulled an estimated three million freight cars over its 51 years of operation.
Put Out To Pasture
The 940 was taken out of service by the Santa Fe in 1954 and moved to Bartlesville for display in Johnstone Park in August, 1956. For that move, a temporary track was constructed from near the Bartlesville Depot to the park, about four blocks away. A bulldozer pulled the locomotive to a display track, where it remained for more than 50 years.
The Bartlesville Rotary Club was instrumental in bringing the 940 to the city with the intention of providing an accessible public display for local residents and tourists. Over time, however, the locomotive was locked behind a chain-link fence.
Through the years, the 940 endured periodic flooding by the Caney River. Railway preservationists advised the city to move the last-of-its-kind attraction out of the park and away from further flooding.
Return to the Depot
In 2008 a group of local citizens began building community support to return the 940 to a more accessible and appropriate location. The natural choice was alongside the Bartlesville Depot, itself over 100 years old.
With the help once more of the Bartlesville Rotary Club and technical assistance from Bartlesville's Service & Technology Corporation, the group's efforts were successful. Between December 7-10, 2009, a small army of men and an array of special equipment managed the complex move.
For the 940's return home, two massive cranes placed the locomotive onto a 64-[wheel] lowboy trailer for the four block trip to the depot. Hundreds of residents and school children lined the route of the "homecoming parade." At the depot, the cranes set the 940 down on a new 200-foot-long display track.
The 940 Work Crew
Numerous volunteers and professionals helped create the AT&SF No. 940 exhibit including Brian Brooks, Tom Birkett, Monty Cunningham, Julie Daniels, Dan Droege, Jay Hastings, Zack Hilton, Rick Wodnick, Ken Wright, City of Bartlesville, Glenn Security Systems, Holtz Electric, Pioneer Productions, Service & Technology Corporation, Taylor Crane & Rental, and the Bartlesville Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Back on Track
Public access was a key priority in bringing the 940 back to the depot. To allow year-around entry to the 940's cab, a dual-entry staircase was constructed on the west side of the locomotive in 2010. Since then, generous donors and enthusiastic volunteers have made other numerous improvements to the locomotive and the site, including
- Repainting the entire locomotive and tender and applying new numbers and lettering.
- New wiring throughout to allow automatic illumination of exterior and interior lights.
- Flood lighting and security cameras to provide 24-hour monitoring of the site.
- Refurbishment of the cab interior and seating.
- A visitor-activated video display in the depot's outdoor waiting area.
- Interpretive signs adjacent to the locomotive.
- An automated air compressor systems that allows visitors to blow the 940's whistle during special events and designated times.
- Many other enhancements, such as hoses replaced, lights repaired and visitor safety issues addressed
Plans are underway to couple two oil tank cars and a caboose onto the 940 to complete the display track. For those improvements, additional funding will be needed. Tax-deductible contributions can be made to the No. 940 Fund-Bartlesville Community Foundation. To learn more about the 940, see www.BartlesvilleLocomotive.org and view the visitor-activated video presentation inside the depot waiting porch to the left.
Major Contributors to the 940's Relocation and Restoration:
Special thanks to the members of the Bartlesville (Monday Noon) Rotary Club and Rotary International, District 6110.
The Lyon Foundation
Richard Kane Rotary Memorial Fund
Bartlesville Community Foundation
ConocoPhillips
Bowerman Family Fund
David L. Greene
Charlie and Julie Daniels
Dan and Malinda Droege
A.E. and Ann B. Basinger
Frankie Cain
John Hughes
As to that last paragraph in Back on Track, note that one oil tank car and the caboose have already been attached behind the tender as of the time of this waymark posting.