Iconic steam engine could become new symbol for state of Kansas

TOPEKA (KSNT) - Kansas lawmakers are discussing adding a more than 100-year-old historic locomotive to the list of state symbols.

On Friday, Jan. 12, lawmakers presented House Bill 2501 which seeks to designate the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe #3415 Pacific class 4-6-2 as the official state locomotive. The bill was later referred to the Committee on Transportation for further discussion.

The locomotive was built in 1919 and currently sits at the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad yard where it was moved to in 1996. It was previously located in the city park in Abilene for a period of around 40 years prior to 1996, according to Visit Abilene Kansas.

Officials with the Abilene & Smokey Valley Railroad took the locomotive out of service for a mandatory overhaul in 2023. Initially, it was reported the iconic locomotive would be out of service for nearly two years for the overhaul to be completed.

The locomotive was in regular service on Santa Fe's Argentine District based out of Kansas City, according to Visit Abilene Kansas. It was later donated to the City of Abilene in 1954. Before its maintenance overhaul, it was recognized as one of only a handful of operational former Santa Fe locomotives. You can learn more about the engine by clicking here.

A separate but similar piece of legislation, House Bill 2502, was also introduced on Jan. 12 and later sent to the Committee on Transportation. This bill seeks to designate the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad as the official state heritage railroad.

Over the past two years, Kansas received two new state symbols. One was the official state land fossil in 2023 while the other was the state fruit in 2022. Learn more about other state symbols for Kansas by clicking here.

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