ATSF 543 back on rails at IRM

buzz_morris · **Joined:** Thu Feb 03, 2005 9:32 pm **Posts:** 344

Not sure of the weight of this loco but it took two 160 ton plus cranes to lift it off the eight axle flat it was on.

Photos here

http://www.irm.org/gallery/view_photo.p ... 543&id=aag
http://www.irm.org/gallery/view_photo.p ... 543&id=act

Blog report from Jamie here,
scroll down to Tuesday, November 10. 2009

http://www2.irm.org/blogs/

Joe Magruder · **Posted:** Mon Nov 16, 2009 1:28 am

As a Californian, I am glad that 543 is finally back in its home territory. I gather that it had a hard life in Sacramento and I hope that some form of restoration is possible.

Jdelhaye · **Posted:** Mon Nov 16, 2009 10:44 am

A direct link to the blog post: http://www2.irm.org/blogs/index.php?/archives/482-ATSF-543-gets-unloaded.html

Jeff

Ted Miles · **Posted:** Mon Nov 16, 2009 12:55 pm

I gather that this is the Sante Fe switch engine that was at the California State railroad Museum?

And used to switch passenger cars at one of the Chicago stations?

Can you give some history of the unit? What is the model number? I am not much of a diesel person; it looks like a B unit.

Ted Miles

Dennis Storzek · **Posted:** Mon Nov 16, 2009 1:28 pm

Ted Miles wrote:

I gather that this is the Sante Fe switch engine that was at the California State railroad Museum?

And used to switch passenger cars at one of the Chicago stations?

Can you give some history of the unit? What is the model number? I am not much of a diesel person; it looks like a B unit.

Ted Miles

B unit? Here's a photo with better lighting that shows the cab:

And a link to the source:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomas-merton/3963961718/

The caption also gives the model number as H12-44-TS. This was basically a 1200 HP switcher on an elongagated frame with a short hood to house a steam generator so that steam could be kept on the passenger cars as they were moved from the coach yard to the station tracks. One of three units, I believe, all always assigned to Chicago.

Welcome home, 543!

Les Beckman · **Joined:** Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm **Posts:** 6482

Anyone got an idea as to the shipping (including tiedown and crane) costs, to get the 543 back from California to IRM at Union?

Les

buzz_morris · **Joined:** Thu Feb 03, 2005 9:32 pm **Posts:** 344

When I found out that IRM was going to get this engine awhile back I found a nice history at Railfan.net

http://atsf.railfan.net/atsfpres/sf543.html

Being a special order for Santa Fe, and spending 1956-1971 handling trains like
The Super Chief at the ATSF’s Chicago coach yard, there are lots of photos around.