@Rusty Traque posted:If your model has white lettering and an incandescent bulb, it's from the first run of Northerns. The later run had grayish lettering to simulate the imitation aluminum lettering Santa Fe used. Also the headlight is an LED on the later run. Below is are images of a second run Northern.
As I recall, AM did two numbers in each run of the Santa Fe Northerns. The LED looks orange when off, but when lit it's very white.
In Santa Fe parlance, they were initially referred to as "Heavy Mountains." Later they simply used their "class" (first in the series) numbers on all their steam locomotives: i.e. 3751 class, 2900 class, etc.
The UP referred to Northerns as 800's. N&W, J's.
Plus, that which we call a Northern was also known as: Big Apple(CofG,) Dixie(NC&StL,) Empire Builder(GN,) General(RF&P,) Greenbrier(C&O,) Golden State(SP; later General Service,) Governor(RF&P again,) Niagara(NYC,) Niagra(NdeM,) Pocono(DL&W,) Potomac(WM,) Wyoming(LV.)
Rusty
Ok - this one looks white - so it's probably first run. Thanks Rusty!
... and Rusty is 100% Correct. ATSF did not own any "Northerns". I've posted on this before - they were known by the road as "Heavy Mountains", "New Mountains", or in early schematics - "Mountain 4-wheel trailer". They were never referred to as a "Northern" and there is zero documentation of that term from the road. When 3751 was approved for the National Registry - it was as the oldest "4-8-4", not as the oldest "Northern". The application specifically refers to the locomotive as a "Heavy Mountain." This is also why the ATSF numbered it 3751 - a continuation of the previous 3700 class Mountains.
