What toy train locomotive means the most to you?
It’s a locomotive that’s not a childhood treasure, let alone having been part of my O-gauge collection for only 8 months now. And while being on my general radar for some time, it wasn’t a particular model I prioritized in searching for. Perhaps it was ultimately searching for me?
I’ll admit that my Santa Fe 4-8-4 No. 2926 from the MTH Premier line is both an odd and nontraditional choice. But how it came into my possession and what I’ve learned so far to value it makes this toy train locomotive mean the most to me and will ultimately stay that way.
How did you acquire it?
Visiting a model train forum in late April of 2023 ultimately led to an online store based in the Midwest that specializes in inventory from former collectors, estates, and out-of-business hobby shops. More recognized sites such as Trainz.com and eBay are usually the “go-to” when searching for products no longer in production. However, I’ve learned that the smaller online stores keep options open with gems you might not find on the bigger sites.
Browsing through this online store to see what they had, the listing of the MTH Premier Santa Fe 4-8-4 No. 2926 (Modeled after the operational 1:1 counterpart) immediately caught my attention. Besides the shelf wear on the box, the locomotive, tender, and accessories were all accounted for and screamed new from the photos and information presented. According to the listing, the odometer from an MTH DCS hand-held remote read 2.1 scale miles of the model’s runtime. A discount bumped the MSRP down to well below the $1,000 range.
Some may think that this could’ve been a “too good to be true” circumstance, and understandably so. Model railroading usually involves rolling the dice on costly products, whether new or used, while hoping you don’t end up with snake eyes. Multiple days were spent pondering the decision while occasionally checking that the model had not been sold – another lesson learned is a product that’s here today can easily be gone tomorrow. In the end, I pulled the trigger and made the purchase while hoping what arrived at my doorstep wouldn’t turn out to be a lemon. This mammoth locomotive in the 1:48 realm has so far been like enjoying a tall glass of sweet lemonade.
What makes it special?
- Big steam on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway always stood out to me. From the nimble 4-6-4 3460 class to the powerful 2-10-4 Texas types, these locomotives had an elegant look on an imposing scale. Baldwin’s 2900 class of the railroad’s 4-8-4 family were no exception as they were considered the heaviest of their kind ever built. The acquisition of my No. 2926 model led to a great read of Lloyd E. Stagner’s “Thirty Years of 4-8-4s” in Trains’ February 1987 issue. It’s a growing appreciation of what the genesis 3700 class brought to the table for the ATSF and how the later 2900s enhanced the very might of the 4-8-4s, all the way to the end of steam on the railroad.
- Introduced for the Premier line with Proto-Sound in 1995, the Santa Fe 2900s (scale and semi-scale) became a regular product lineup for MTH’s O-gauge steam until the late 2010s. The final run of the Premier scaled rendition with Proto-Sound 3.0 was in both the 2016 Volume 2 and 2017 Volume 1 catalogs. Much has changed since then with MTH downsizing in the wake of owner Mike Wolf’s retirement by May 2021. Lionel has picked up the mantle for the 2900s by acquiring the tooling with a recent release now powered by the manufacturer’s Legacy technology. With my No. 2926 having been part of the mentioned final run in 2016 and 2017, I now see footnotes of MTH’s history etched in the model.
- I can’t ignore what’s been taking place with the real-life Santa Fe No. 2926 down in Albuquerque. The locomotive has seen the first miles of operation in 2023 since its restoration at the hands of the New Mexico Steam Locomotive & Railroad Historical Society (DBA New Mexico Heritage Rail). In my past interviews with Mathew Casford, chief of rail operations, it’s a steady growth for both No. 2926 and its crew to walk before they could run. The conversations we had left me with excitement for that massive machine and the people who gave it a second chance, followed by great potential for New Mexico’s largest city to be a future host in must-see big steam. Its excitement that is reminded by my own No. 2926.
