57-685: The Chief was an American long-distance named passenger train of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway that ran between Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California . The Santa Fe initiated the Chief in 1926 to supplement the California Limited . In 1936 the Super Chief was introduced, after the Super Chief was relaunched in 1948 with daily departures from LA and Chicago it gradually eclipsed
114-531: A crisis for all US railroads. Santa Fe recommended that all but its Super Chief, San Francisco Chief , Texas Chief and San Diegans be discontinued. In particular, Santa Fe informed the Interstate Commerce Commission that it could no longer afford to run four daily Chicago-California services. To Santa Fe's shock, the ICC ruled that the all-stops, common carrier Grand Canyon be continued rather than
171-549: A cross-country journey from New York to Los Angeles aboard the Super Chief . Swanson's first color film was one of very few to be shot entirely aboard actual railroad equipment. Santa Fe transported cars from the Super Chief to the production company's studio lot for filming. The film met with lukewarm reviews and was not a financial success, but did showcase the features of the Super Chief . Most railroads began offering some form of meal service on their trains as an alternate to
228-457: A flip-top (or change of) table and addition of chairs. Dining cars almost always operated with a lounge car coupled to them for bar-lounge service and a waiting area when the dining car was full. Unlike the Union Pacific "City" trains, the Super Chief and other Santa Fe trains did not use the "twin-unit" dining cars. Santa Fe, in general, ran somewhat shorter trains that could be serviced with
285-452: A pair of blunt-nosed, Diesel-electric units ( EMC 1800 hp B-B ) designated as Nos. 1 and 1A. Santa Fe employees hung the nicknames "One-Spot Twins" and " Amos 'n' Andy " (from the popular radio show of the day) on the units, which were always paired and ran back-to-back. In a little over a year the EMC E1 , a new 3,600 hp (2.7 MW) streamlined Diesel-electric set (one 1800 hp hood unit and
342-405: A single dining car (although the heavyweight trains frequently operated in several sections , the streamlined trains generally did not). The height of Super Chief lounge and dining facilities came in 1951 with the new 600-series Dining Cars bracketed by the 500 series Pleasure Domes in front and a bar-lounge-dormitory unit in back (moved from the front of the trains). The train still operated with
399-606: A supplement to the California Limited between Chicago and Los Angeles. From 1948 to 1967 the Chief provided a connection at Chicago with the Pennsylvania Railroad 's all-Pullman overnight Broadway Limited to Philadelphia and New York as well as the New York Central 's 20th Century Limited / New England States to New York and Boston. The Chief left Chicago at 1.30pm from 1948 and at 10am from 1954 on an accelerated 37hr service with connecting sleepers from
456-532: A turbulent and dangerous crossing of the Grand Canyon. Ironically, fear of the Grand Canyon kept many stars on the Chief in the 1950s and early 1960s. However, the impact of jet aircraft; the exorbitant cost of train crew (who operated under old union rules of a day's pay for each 150 miles traveled while the Chief traveled 450 miles every 8 hours) and the loss in 1967 of most US rail companies' contracts for carriage of first class US mail Postal Department created
513-425: Is a list of named trains . Lists of these have been organized into geographical regions. Trains with numeric names are spelled out. For example, the 20th Century Limited is listed under "Twentieth Century Limited". Named trains are sometimes identified through a train headboard , drumhead , lettering on the locomotive or passenger cars, or a combination of these methods. Super Chief The Super Chief
570-608: The Chief as Santa Fe's standard bearer. The extra-fare ($ 10) Super Chief left Dearborn Station in Chicago for its first trip on May 12, 1936. Before starting scheduled service in May 1937, the lightweight version of the Super Chief ran 2,227 miles (3,584 km) from Los Angeles over recently upgraded tracks in 36 hours and 49 minutes, averaging 60 mph (97 km/h) overall and reaching 100 mph (160 km/h). With one set of equipment,
627-697: The Southwest Chief . Santa Fe's marketing advantage for the Super Chief lay in the geography of the route as well as its ownership. The Santa Fe began as a rail line along the old Santa Fe and Spanish Trails , from the confluence of the Missouri and Kansas rivers (at Atchison and Topeka, Kansas ) to the Pecos River and Rio Grande in New Mexico. This initial route was eventually extended to Los Angeles. The convenience of traveling "Santa Fe All The Way"
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#1732876023028684-597: The 20th Limited and Broadway Limited (carried on the evening Super Chief in 1954-58, as a one-hour transfer between the Century's arrival and the Chief's departure was too tight for a through-car transfer) for Los Angeles and also Kansas City, Denver and Phoenix. Reaching Los Angeles before midnight the following day, the Chief was the only US train offering one night transit Chicago-Los Angeles westbound from 1954 and two night, transcontinental travel from NY to Los Angeles. The Chief
741-896: The Chicago and North Western Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad , and (to a lesser extent) the Golden State on the Rock Island and Southern Pacific lines. The Santa Fe Super Chief was one of the last passenger trains in the United States to carry an all-Pullman consist; only the Pennsylvania Railroad 's Broadway Limited and the Illinois Central's Panama Limited outlasted it. The Super Chief maintained its high level of service until Santa Fe ceased all passenger operations on May 1, 1971. When Amtrak took over operation of
798-531: The Chief and Overland Limited schedules dropped to 58 hours each way, leaving Chicago at 11:15 AM/11:50 AM and Los Angeles/San Francisco at 9:45 PM/9:40 PM. The standard-fare schedule then became 63 hours westward and 61 1/4 hours eastward on seven routes from Chicago to the Coast (trains to Seattle now matching the standard-fare California trains). The Los Angeles Limited and Golden State Limited retained their 1928 schedules and so dropped their extra fares. In 1931
855-545: The Chief as the standard bearer of the Santa Fe because of its timetable oriented to the Raton Pass transit. For some the Chief and San Francisco Chief ( which inherited the Chief, Turquoise lounge and other features in 1968) as deluxe integrated trains with both Pullman sleepers and fully reclining coach seating with all facilities; lounges and pleasure domes, available to all passengers were at least equal flagships better suited to
912-425: The Chief for three months in the summer of 1972 as a second daily Chicago–Los Angeles train (numbers 19 & 20). It complemented the combined Super Chief/ El Capitan (numbers 3 & 4), running over the same route. Today, the Southwest Chief remains the only train serving the former route of the Chief . In 1926 the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway inaugurated the all- Pullman , extra-fare Chief as
969-416: The Chief 's patrons were middle class tourists or businessmen. In 1954, the Chief improved its schedule to 37 hours, equal to its cousins the Super Chief and El Capitan , and would ultimately drop the extra fare requirement as well. The quality of dining, drinking and sleeping car comfort The Chief offered at a substantial price was far superior to later Amtrak trains. The Chief , leaving Chicago in
1026-436: The Chief, which made its last run on May 15, 1968. The Grand Canyon was somewhat upgraded, leaving Chicago at 9 am on a 45-hour run to Los Angeles. The San Francisco Chief was rescheduled into the Chief 's 10 am departure slot out of Chicago, running on the different Amarillo/Belen Cutoff route but offering 44-hour transit to Los Angeles or 41.5 hours to a shuttle transfer from San Bernardino or Bakersfield. In summer 1926
1083-642: The Overland Limited dropped its extra fare and combined with the 63-hour train on its route; the Chief was the only extra fare trans-continental train thereafter, until the streamliners. In February 1936 it was scheduled at 53 hours 45 minutes to Los Angeles, compared to 61 hours for the Los Angeles Limited , Golden State Limited and California Limited . In May 1936 Union Pacific Railroad opened high speed Chicago - Los Angeles service with its City of Los Angeles Diesel streamliner. In December 1937
1140-421: The Super Chief line. These locomotives were the first to wear Santa Fe’s red, yellow, and silver “War bonnet” color scheme. EMC’s sleek and efficient streamlined locomotives became the standard on North American railroads. Hollywood celebrities frequently rode the fashionable Super Chief , making it known as “The Train of The Stars.” By January 1954 the Super Chief had inherited from the Santa Fe's Chief
1197-527: The Super Chief 's most popular signature dishes was the AT&;SF version of pain perdu , simply and appropriately named "Santa Fe French Toast". The decor, linens, and other dining car accoutrements reflected the same Southwestern flair prevalent throughout the train. Mary Colter , architect , Indian art expert, and 35-year veteran of the Fred Harvey Company, designed the china and silverware used on
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#17328760230281254-524: The Super Chief . The Santa Fe intended the Super Chief to be the latest in a long line of luxury Chicago–Los Angeles trains wedded to the latest in railroad technology. In the 1930s these included air conditioning , lightweight all-metal construction, and diesel locomotion . In August 1935 the General Motors Electro-Motive Corporation (EMC) delivered two blunt-nosed diesel-electric units Nos. 1 and 1A , intended to pull
1311-680: The Super Chief . Aside from an ALCO HH600 switcher at Dearborn Station in Chicago , they were the Santa Fe's first diesel-electrics and the first such trains intended for passenger service. The locomotives made their first test run with a set of Pullman cars and a dynamometer car in September 1935. The first Super Chief operated on May 12, 1936, with the diesels pulling air-conditioned heavyweight Pullman cars. They were put into regular service on May 18, 1937. In 1937, Santa Fe purchased several of Electro-Motive’s new “Streamliner Series” diesel-electric locomotives and placed them in service on
1368-516: The Super Chief . Colter, who also designed the interiors of Fred Harvey's opulent La Fonda , La Posada , and El Tovar hotels, based her dinnerware motif on the Native American pictographs of animals and geometric patterns left behind on clay pots by the ancient inhabitants of the Rio Mimbres Valley in southwestern New Mexico around 1100 AD. Colter drew specific inspiration from
1425-547: The Super Chief / El Capitan names with Santa Fe's permission. From June 11 to September 10, 1972, Amtrak operated the Chief , a second Chicago–Los Angeles train along the same route. This was the only occasion on which Amtrak ran a second train to duplicate a long-distance service along its entire route outside the New York–Florida corridor. Amtrak dropped the El Capitan designation on April 19, 1973. On March 7, 1974,
1482-469: The Super Chief-2 . Steam locomotives including No. 3751 and 2926 were not uncommon for relief power in the event of the diesels experiencing problems or being unavailable. The Super Chief was a near-instant success among travelers who appreciated its modern, air-conditioned cars, private bedrooms, high amenity levels, and smooth ride. The train was staffed with top-of-the-line crews ingrained with
1539-470: The "hustle and bustle" of Los Angeles' Union Passenger Terminal ( LAUPT ). When the Santa Fe was notified that a particular celebrity was going to be traveling on the Super Chief , a press release was issued to allow the media to interview and photograph the star. Legendary Jazz Pianist Fats Waller died of pneumonia at the age of 39 on board the Santa Fe Super Chief on December 15, 1943. In time
1596-673: The 700 pen-and-ink drawings of Mimbres pottery recorded by archeologist Harriet Cosgrove from 1924 to 1927 while excavating the Swarts Ruin in New Mexico with her husband Cornelius Cosgrove . Publication of the Swarts Ruin record created a sensation in 1932. The "Mimbreño" pattern was produced between 1936 and 1970 by the Onondaga Pottery Co. of Syracuse, New York , under its better-known trade name, Syracuse China. The bottoms carried
1653-517: The PRR dropped its Broadway Limited sleeper connection. Upon the April 1958 timetables, the cooperating railroads terminated their transcontinental sleeper operations. Declining ridership and delay from switching sleeping cars between Chicago terminals were factors in the through-car termination. On May 1, 1971, Amtrak took over operation of intercity passenger rail service in the United States. Amtrak retained
1710-489: The Santa Fe directed Amtrak to stop using the Super Chief and Texas Chief names due to a perceived reduction in the quality of service. The trains were renamed Southwest Limited and Lone Star on May 19. On November 30, 1980, Amtrak replaced the ex- Super Chief "Pleasure Dome" and " Hi-Level " cars on the Southwest Limited with new Superliners . The first motive power set on Super Chief-1 consisted of
1767-480: The Vista-series 4 Drawing Room, 1 double bedroom observation cars on the rear, albeit without any bar or buffet service. The bar-lounge cars next to the diner always included dormitory space for the train crew (a staff of 3–4 cooks and 6–7 waiters) required for the two-night-and-one-day trip. The eight Pullmans on the train had a capacity of 150–200 passengers when full but often ran with single-occupancy rooms, making
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1824-480: The best traditions of the railroad, and drew passengers not only from other railroads but from other Santa Fe trains such as the Chief . The Super Chief quickly became "the" train to ride between Chicago and Los Angeles, much as New York Central 's 20th Century Limited was the favored travel option of the time for the East Coast-bound. To acquaint passengers with the various points of interest located along
1881-551: The business and executive market. From the mid 1960s the super Chief was only a small entirely separate section of the El Capitan seated vista train, the El Capitan passengers having no access to the Super Chiefs expensive eateries and bars which selling point was exclusion and service. The Chief was discontinued in 1968 due to high operating costs, competition from airlines, and the loss of Postal Office contracts. Amtrak revived
1938-403: The cast travelling on the Super Chief. in one, a tout at Los Angeles Union Station tried to convince Jack to take the El Capitan instead. In June 1952, Warner Bros. Pictures released Three for Bedroom "C" , a romantic comedy starring Gloria Swanson , James Warren , Fred Clark , Hans Conried , and Steve Brodie . In the film, an aging movie star (Swanson) hides out in a compartment during
1995-551: The fastest schedules between Chicago and San Francisco/Los Angeles were 68 hours. That November four extra-fare ($ 10) all-Pullman trains started running on 63-hour schedules: the Chief , the Los Angeles Limited via Salt Lake, the Golden State Limited via El Paso, and the Overland Limited to San Francisco. In 1928 the four eastward trains dropped to 61 hours 15 minutes to improve connections at Chicago. In June 1929
2052-516: The inscription "Made expressly for Santa Fe Dining Car Service." These distinctive pieces made their debut on the dining car Cochiti in 1937. Used on the Super Chief and other named trains until the end of Santa Fe passenger service in 1971, some original Mimbreño dinnerware can still be found today in service on BNSF Railway business cars. Mimbreño has been dubbed "the oldest of all railroad china" as its design concept dates back nearly ten centuries. Demand for surviving original pieces has created
2109-634: The late 1940s): Transcontinental Sleeping Car Service was inaugurated in Spring 1946, and the Chief began regularly carrying three such cars in its consist: two originating in New York City , and the other in Washington, D.C. (most often these were smooth-sided cars painted two-tone Pullman grey). By the following summer, the Chief had retired all of its steam-driven motive power and was usually pulled behind A-B-B-A sets of EMD FT locomotives or A-B-A sets of
2166-453: The line, served top-quality meals to railroad patrons during water stops and other planned layovers and were favored over in-transit facilities for all trains operating west of Kansas City . The Super Chief included dining cars, staffed by Fred Harvey Company personnel, as part of its standard consist from the outset. In general, the Super Chief operated 36-seat dining cars, although most of them were convertible to 48-seat dining cars with
2223-644: The morning, ran through to Los Angeles in just 1 night, arriving at San Bernardino by 9pm and LA around 11pm. The Westbound chief transited the Dodge City- Albuquerque section in darkness, missing the tourist vista of other Santa Fe trains. The Super Chief passed through Kansas and Missouri at night, leaving Chicago in the evening and running through two nights with the La Junta-Raton Pass Colorado section in daylight, arriving in Los Angeles in
2280-617: The morning. The last 60-mile run through the Los Angeles suburbs was slow, and many passengers concluded the trip unnoticed at San Bernardino or Pasadena. The Chief would have been the "crown jewel" of most railroads' passenger fleets. But it did not survive the national decline in passenger demand, due to the faster transport provided by the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 which overcame the airlines' previous inferior eight-hour Los Angeles-Chicago flights on propeller DC-6s, DC-7s and Constellations at 300 mph (480 km/h), only 3 miles high with
2337-541: The nation's passenger rail service on May 1, 1971, it retained the Super Chief. In 1974 due to a publicly-perceived decline in quality of passenger service, the Santa Fe Railway withdrew permission to use the "Chief" trade name, so Amtrak renamed the train The Southwest Limited . In 1984 after new Superliner equipment had replaced the aging original rolling stock, Santa Fe allowed Amtrak to rename its train to
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2394-417: The new ALCO PAs ). The following is a typical all- lightweight Chief consist as of late 1947: A typical Chief consist in the mid-1950s (note the absence of an observation car , which was eliminated as per Santa Fe policy): List of named passenger trains In the history of rail transport , dating back to the 19th century, there have been hundreds of named passenger trains . The following
2451-736: The original City of Los Angeles train was replaced by a full-sized 14 car train. The schedule was doubled to 10 times monthly in July 1938. In 1954, for a continuous East Coast to Los Angeles trip (and the reverse), on the New York Central, Pennsylvania Railroad or Baltimore and Ohio trains, this opportunity was shifted from the Chief to the Santa Fe's Super Chief . A typical heavyweight Chief consist in Winter, 1937: A typical "mixed" Chief consist as of January 31, 1938 (the Chief regularly included heavyweight head-end cars in its consist, even into
2508-523: The other a cabless booster unit, also 1800 hp) would be pulling the Super Chief . A variety of locomotives (including ALCO PAs , EMD E6s , FTs , F3s , F7s , and FP45s , along with Santa Fe's only ALCO DL-107 / 108s and FM Erie-built units) would make their appearances over the years. All wore the Warbonnet paint scheme devised by Leland Knickerbocker of the GM "Art and Color Section" that debuted on
2565-523: The passenger list would include many Hollywood stars, such as Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor , Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall , Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis , Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball , James Cagney , Judy Garland , and Bing Crosby . The train's appeal was not limited to those in the entertainment industry, as it also played host to former presidents Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower , and their wives. Several radio and TV episodes of The Jack Benny Show had plotlines involving
2622-480: The passenger load less. When Santa Fe rolled out its new " Pleasure Dome "-Lounge cars in 1951, the railroad introduced the Turquoise Room, promoted as "The only private dining room in the world on rails". The room accommodated 12 guests, and could be reserved anytime for private dinner or cocktail parties. The room was often used by celebrities and dignitaries. As was the case on other railroads, dining car service
2679-448: The poor fare typically found at trackside establishments even before the completion of the first transcontinental railroad . By the mid-1880s, dedicated dining cars were a normal part of all long-distance train consists departing from Chicago for points west , save for those of the Santa Fe, who relied on America's first interstate network of restaurants to feed its passengers en route. The " Harvey Houses ", located strategically along
2736-447: The pre-war years the Super Chief did not allow passengers to board or disembark at any point between Kansas City and Barstow; intermediate stops were operating stops only, to change crews or to service the train. During the war the rules were relaxed to carry passengers to and from Albuquerque and La Junta, but only when unsold space was available at train time. Not until the postwar era could passengers travel to intermediate stations on
2793-564: The route, Santa Fe built seven signs marking such notable features as the Continental Divide and Raton Pass . In the mid-1940s, company president Fred G. Gurley went to great lengths to solicit business from California's motion picture industry. A passenger agent was located in Hollywood specifically for the purpose of maintaining close contact with the movie studios. The train stopped at Pasadena to allow celebrities to board away from
2850-502: The same day.) The Chief was a success, dubbed "Extra Fast-Extra Fine-Extra Fare" though it failed to relieve traffic on the California Limited . The Chief became famous as a "rolling boudoir" for film stars and Hollywood executives. In combination with the 20th Century Limited, the Chief was a favored mode of transcontinental travel for Hollywood. The stars and executives generally remained in their private room cars. Most of
2907-535: The service of running continuous Los Angeles-New York sleepers continuing from Chicago on the New York Central Railroad 's 20th Century Limited and on the Pennsylvania Railroad 's Broadway Limited . The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad offered a similar service with Los Angeles-Washington, D.C., sleepers on that company's Shenandoah westbound and Capitol Limited eastbound. However, in October 1957
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#17328760230282964-449: The train initially operated once a week from both Chicago and Los Angeles. After more passenger cars were delivered in 1938, the Super Chief ran twice weekly that year, and later (from 1948) trips were again increased, to offer daily service. Adding to the train's mystique were its gourmet meals and Hollywood clientele. Competitors to the Super Chief were the City of Los Angeles trains on
3021-529: Was a losing proposition financially. Santa Fe, more than any of its competitors, took the concept of using on-board meal service as a loss leader to the highest level to attract and retain customers. The name Super Chief became synonymous with the finest fare available on wheels. The Continental cuisine offered aboard the Super Chief went beyond the American fare on other trains, and often rivaled that served in many five-star restaurants. A "Wake-Up Cup" of coffee
3078-480: Was brought to one's private bedroom each morning, on request, a service exclusive to the Super Chief . Breakfast and lunch were served à la carte , while dinner could be ordered either à la carte or table d'hôte . The elaborate dinner offerings generally included caviar and other delicacies, cold salads, grilled and sauteéd fish, sirloin steaks and filet mignon, lamb chops, and the like. For discerning palates, elegant champagne dinners were an option. One of
3135-608: Was inaugurated as an all- Pullman limited train to supplement the road's California Limited , with a surcharge of USD $ 10.00 for an end-to-end trip. The heavyweight began its first run from both ends of the line, simultaneously, on November 14, 1926, scheduled 63 hours each way between Chicago and Los Angeles, five hours faster than the California Limited. (The Overland Limited ( Union Pacific ), Los Angeles Limited ( Union Pacific ) and Golden State Limited ( Rock Island Railroad and Southern Pacific ) began their extra-fare 63-hour schedules between Chicago and California
3192-526: Was one of the named passenger trains and the flagship of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway . The then-modern streamliner was touted in its heyday as "The Train of the Stars" because it often carried celebrities between Chicago, Illinois , and Los Angeles, California . The Super Chief (Nos. 17 and 18) was the first diesel-electric powered cross-country passenger train in America. The train eclipsed
3249-760: Was superior to anything that the competing jointly operated railroads could provide on their routes to the west coast. A single traffic and operating department managed all the divisions and districts of the Santa Fe route from Chicago to Los Angeles. Dining cars, the commissary supply chains, the on-board service crews and their management; all worked together from Chicago to Los Angeles. The Super Chief ran through Kansas City, Missouri ; Newton, Kansas ; Dodge City, Kansas ; La Junta, Colorado ; Raton, New Mexico ; Las Vegas, New Mexico ; Albuquerque, New Mexico ; Gallup, New Mexico ; Winslow, Arizona ; Seligman, Arizona ; Needles, California ; Barstow, California ; San Bernardino, California ; and Pasadena, California . During
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