The Locomotive Park Kittens

A chance discovery beneath a historic steam locomotive in Kingman, Arizona

Locomotive Park kittens

Sometimes the stories that become part of the Community Cat Atlas begin with a simple phone call.

In July 2025, a traveler visiting Kingman, Arizona, made a discovery that would change three young kittens' lives forever. these kittens would be known as the Locomotive Park kittens.

While exploring Historic Route 66, the visitor stopped at the Mohave Museum of History and Arts before crossing the street to visit Locomotive Park, home to the famous Santa Fe Steam Engine No. 3759. As the traveler walked around the historic locomotive, three young kittens caught their attention. The kittens appeared to be only a few months old and were living beneath and around the massive railroad equipment.

Concerned for their welfare, the traveler contacted Kingman Animal Control. However, because Animal Control does not handle free-roaming cats or kittens, the caller was referred to Feral Cat Warriors (FCW), a local volunteer-based community cat organization.

While continuing their vacation toward Las Vegas, the caller spoke with me by phone to explain the situation.

The caller was deeply concerned about the kittens and wanted to ensure that someone would check on them.

That same day, I traveled to Locomotive Park to investigate.

When I arrived, I quickly located all three kittens. They appeared healthy but were understandably wary of people and difficult to approach. I hadn't brought trapping equipment and wasn't prepared to safely capture them at that time. After documenting the situation and confirming their location, I left to organize a follow-up effort.

Later that afternoon, I returned to the park with the founder and president of Feral Cat Warriors.

What happened next was remarkable.

Instead of requiring extensive trapping efforts, the experienced rescuer hand-caught all three kittens. The siblings were carefully secured and transported to the vice president's home, where they entered foster care.

For the next several months, the kittens received veterinary care, proper nutrition, socialization, and daily human interaction. Like many young free-roaming kittens, they began life with little exposure to people. With patience and consistent care, they gradually learned to trust and adapt to indoor life.

Eventually, all three kittens were spayed, microchipped, and vaccinated.

One of those kittens held particular significance for Community Cat Atlas.

Originally documented as Switch, a feral tuxedo kitten photographed beneath the historic locomotive, the kitten later received a new name from the foster family: Santa Fe, a fitting tribute to the railroad history surrounding her rescue.

After completing foster care, Santa Fe was adopted into a permanent home where she now lives as a family pet.

Her story represents one possible outcome for a free-roaming kitten born in a human-shaped landscape.

Not every community cat experiences this kind of journey. Yet Santa Fe's story reminds us that individual animals often exist within much larger systems involving communities, infrastructure, history, and human decisions.

For Community Cat Atlas, the story is about more than a kitten rescue.

It is about place.

It is about coexistence.

And it is about the unexpected connections between historic landmarks, modern communities, and the free-roaming animals that share those spaces.

A Historic Setting

The kittens were discovered at Locomotive Park, one of Kingman's most recognizable landmarks.

The park is home to Santa Fe Steam Locomotive No. 3759, a Northern-type locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1928. Presented to the City of Kingman by the Santa Fe Railway in 1957, the locomotive spent decades hauling passengers between Los Angeles and Kansas City before diesel engines replaced steam power on the Santa Fe line.

During its years of service, No. 3759 traveled more than 2.5 million miles across the American Southwest.

Today, visitors can climb into the cab of the locomotive while modern freight trains continue to pass on nearby tracks.

For most visitors, Locomotive Park is a place to connect with transportation history.

For three young kittens in July 2025, it was simply home.

Community Cat Atlas Observation Record

Individual: Switch (later renamed Santa Fe)

Observation ID: CCA-AZ-KGM-LP-FK-2025-001

Location: Locomotive Park, Kingman, Arizona

Date Observed: July 2025

Status: Adopted

Current Outcome: Living in a permanent home

"A single photograph captures a moment. A single observation captures an event. Together, they become part of a larger story about how cats, people, and places coexist."

— Community Cat Atlas