Imagine you are driving along the freeway, somewhere between Los Angeles and San Bernardino, and suddenly, a steam engine appears on the railroad next to the freeway. That sounds impossible, right? Well, not for these motorists who really did experience this incredible sight.
Video captured by YouTuber TrainTrackTrav showed Santa Fe 3751, a 3751 class 4-8-4 Northern type steam locomotive, thundering along the railroad next to where they were driving. That was something they simply had to film as the steam engine and its train thundered past them and other motorists.
Filmed from their car as they headed along the freeway, the video shows the locomotive keeping pace with the cars around it as it took a tourist train from Los Angeles all the way to San Bernardino. It is an incredible sight, and it no doubt shocked many of the drivers on the road that day.
What the video shows is just how captivating steam power can be, even though it isn’t regularly used in the United States. It can bring out all sorts of emotions, particularly surrounding nostalgia. Plus, it is also one of the coolest things that you can ever witness.
What We See in This Amazing Footage
The video, filmed in 2014, shows the locomotive heading towards San Bernardino from its home in Los Angeles. The railroad is right in the middle of the freeway, between the two directions of travel, so motorists on both sides would be able to see it. But only those on the YouTuber’s side could keep pace with the train.
The video allows us to have a very close look at the giant steam engine, which is from a bygone era. We can also see other drivers trying to keep pace with the steam engine, as they too are bewildered by what they are seeing. The 4-8-4 is probably going upwards of 40mph, easily keeping pace with the cars around it. That is nowhere near its top speed, however, as the class could reach speeds of over 100mph thanks to its 65,981 lbs of tractive effort, or 3,220hp.
TrainTrackTrav was able to capture over ten minutes of footage of the train as it roared along the railroad. Eventually, it disappeared below the freeway and continued its journey away from the road. Later in the video, we get to see it fly past the camera at a railroad crossing, and you can hear how hard it is working and the deep chime whistle blaring as it approaches the crossing.
How Old Is Santa Fe 3751?
Santa Fe 3751, officially Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe 3751, was built in 1927 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Eddystone, Philadelphia. Built for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, it was the first 4-8-4 steam locomotive built for the Santa Fe, where it earned the designation as a Heavy Mounting, New Mountain, or Mountain 4-wheel trailer. The steam engine served primarily on passenger services up until its retirement from service in August 1953.
It was placed on display in San Bernardino until it was restored to working order in August 1991. Currently operational, the locomotive is usually located in the Central City East neighborhood of Los Angeles and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the United States since October 4th 2000. As of November 2026, the loco is set to move to a new home, with it supposedly moving just after Christmas this year. It is expected that the loco will end up in a new home in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Once there, it will join fellow Northern-type locomotive Santa Fe 2926.