Unique to the Santa Fe - in fact, unique in all of railroading - is Santa Fe SWBLW 1460, as seen in the collection of the Western America Railroad Museum in Barstow, California, on December 18, 2017. Built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in July 1943 as AT&SF VO1000 2220, this unremarkable switcher labored faithfully for the Santa Fe for decades. By the late 1960s, rebuilding was being considered for a number of older Santa Fe diesels to extend their useful lives (such as converting old EMD F-units into CF7 road switchers). A rebuilding program involving AT&SF's many aging non-EMD switchers (BLW VO1000s, FM H-10-44s, etc.) was envisioned, and AT&SF VO1000 2220 was selected to be the testbed for the program. An EMD 567 16-cylinder diesel engine was fitted to the Baldwin's cast-steel frame, a new hood patterned after EMD's successful GP7 locomotives was fabricated and a pair of Blomberg trucks were installed for the locomotive to ride upon. The fame and cab are about the only BLW components that remained, giving the now-ATSF 2450 a much different look than it had before. Crews liked the upgrades, as the engine now had more power and a smoother ride. However, the rebuild program was scrapped due to costs that could not be justified. In 1974 the engine was renumbered ATSF 1160, and the unique engine would be renumbered again in January 1977 to ATSF 1460. By 1987, ATSF 1460 was the last end-cab switcher on Santa Fe's diesel roster. Working as the Cleburne shop switcher since the mid-1980s, the closure of Cleburne Shops saw the locomotive transferred to Kansas City (KS)'s Argentine Shops and the Topeka (KS) Shops. The 1460 lasted into the Burlington Northern Santa Fe era, receiving a BNSF patch but retaining its roadnumber 1460. When the engine was donated to the Barstow's Western America Railroad Museum in the California desert in May 2009, ATSF/BNSF 1460 had become the longest-serving rebuild still active on the BNSF Railway. The Mojave Desert's low humidity will ensure that this distinctive locomotive will be around for many years to come.
