U.S., Santa Fe to Amtrak History: The Super Chief and El Capitan to the Southwest Chief

By J. Bruce Richardson, Corridor Rail Development Corporation; March 5, 2021

On the former Santa Fe – now, BNSF – transcon route between Chicago and Los Angeles, Amtrak’s Southwest Chief, in non-pandemic times and when the equipment pool is in reasonably good repair, has a Superliner consist of one baggage car, one transition dorm car, two sleeping cars, three coaches, one diner and one Sightseer lounge car from terminal to terminal.

The Santa Fe would have begged to differ on the satisfaction level of such a non-eclectic consist. The July 1956 edition of The Official Guide of the Railways offered listings of Santa Fe’s four daily streamliner trains on the same route’s endpoints. The Santa Fe was serious about its passenger trains.

The Super Chief, Trains 17 and 18, daily
Completely Air-Conditioned
Lightweight Streamlined Extra Fare Train. Sleeping Car Passengers Only.

Radio and recorded musical programs. Extra fare from Chicago and Kansas City, $7.50, federal tax not included.

Sleeping car, New York to Los Angeles, 2 drawing rooms, 4 compartments, 4 double bedrooms via New York Central’s 20th Century Limited from New York City to Chicago and switched to The Super Chief

Sleeping car, New York to Los Angeles, 10 roomettes, 6 double bedrooms, via New York Central’s 20th Century Limited from New York City to Chicago and switched to The Super Chief

Sleeping car, New York to Los Angeles, 2 drawing rooms,4 compartments, 4 double bedrooms, via Pennsylvania Railroad’s Broadway Limited from New York City to Chicago and switched to The Super Chief

Sleeping car, Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles, 10 roomettes, 6 double bedrooms, via Baltimore & Ohio’s Shenandoah from Washington, D.C. to Chicago and switched to The Super Chief

(Note: Not only were four cars switched onto The Super Chief daily from other railroads, but each of those four cars came from a different passenger train station in Chicago and were transferred flawlessly to Santa Fe’s Dearborn Station to make up The Super Chief consist. The New York Central used LaSalle Street Station, the Pennsylvania Railroad used Chicago Union Station and the Baltimore & Ohio used Grand Central Station. All of this was a logistics professional’s dream come true. Those same four cars, when returning from Los Angeles daily on The Super Chief also were switched back to each of the respective stations for return to their home terminals.)

Sleeping car, Chicago to Los Angeles, 2 drawing rooms, 4 compartments, 6 double bedrooms

Sleeping car, Chicago to Los Angeles, 10 roomettes, 6 double bedrooms

Sleeping car, Kansas City to Los Angeles, 10 roomettes, 6 double bedrooms

Turquoise Room – Pleasure Dome Lounge Car, Chicago to Los Angeles

Dining car, Chicago to Los Angeles, Fred Harvey Service

Lounge car, Chicago to Los Angeles

Observation car, Chicago to Los Angeles, 4 drawing rooms

Rules for The Super Chief

Extra fare of $7.50 on The Super Chief will be charged between Chicago or Kansas City and California points. Only first-class tickets will be honored. Proportionate extra fares will apply between points at which The Super Chief stops to receive or discharge passengers.

On Train 17, The Super Chief, westbound advance reservations may be made from scheduled stops Newton and east to Barstow and beyond, also from Chicago and Kansas City to Albuquerque and from Albuquerque to Barstow and beyond.

On Train 18, The Super Chief, eastbound advance reservations may be made from Los Angeles, Pasadena, San Bernardino and Barstow to Newton and east, also from Los Angeles, Pasadena, San Bernardino and Barstow to Albuquerque and From Albuquerque to Kansas City and Chicago.

The Chief, Trains 19 and 20, daily
Completely Air-Conditioned
Lightweight Streamlined Train, Standard Sleeping Cars and Reserved Seat Chair Cars.

Radio. All chair car seats reserved between Chicago and Los Angeles and intermediate points.

Baggage lounge car, Chicago to Los Angeles

Sleeping car, Chicago to Los Angeles, 10 roomettes, 3 double bedrooms, 2 compartments

Sleeping car, Chicago to Los Angeles, 10 roomettes, 6 double bedrooms

Sleeping car, Denver to Los Angeles, 6 sections, 6 roomettes, 4 double bedrooms

Club lounge car, Chicago to Los Angeles

Big Dome lounge car, Chicago to Los Angeles

Dining car, Chicago to Los Angeles, Fred Harvey Service

Chair cars, Chicago to Los Angeles, reclining seats

El Capitan, Trains 21 and 22, daily
Completely Air-Conditioned
All-chair-car streamliner service.

Courier -Nurse Service. Radio and recorded music programs. Indian Guide on westbound El Capitan between Raton and Gallup, N.M.
All Seat Reserved

Baggage car, Chicago and Los Angeles

Chair car, Chicago and Los Angeles (44 reclining seats). Three cars.

Big Dome lounge car, Chicago and Los Angeles

Lunch Counter Diners (2), Chicago and Los Angeles. Serving all meals. (Fred Harvey Service) Breakfast 80 cents and $1.10. Luncheon and Dinner a la carte. Also a la carte service for all meals.

Chair car, Chicago and Los Angeles (44 reclining seats). Four cars.

Chair Observation car, Chicago and Los Angeles (44 reclining seats).

New Hi-Level Streamlined El Capitan Equipment.
Effective Mid-July, 1956. Extra Fare.
Trains 21 and 22
Chicago, Kansas City, Albuquerque and Los Angeles.
All-chair-car streamliner service.

Courier-Nurse Service. Radio and recorded musical programs.
Indian Guide on westbound El Capitan between Raton and Gallup, N.M.
(All Seats reserved.)

Baggage Dormitory Lounge Car, Chicago and Los Angeles

Hi-Level Chair Car, Chicago and Los Angeles (68 seats). One car.

Hi-Level Chair Car, Chicago and Los Angeles (72 seats). Two cars.

Hi-Level Dining Car, Chicago and Los Angeles (80 seats). Serving all meals. (Fred Harvey Service) Breakfast 80 cents and $1.10. Luncheon and Dinner a la carte. Also a la carte service for all meals.

Hi-Level Dome Lounge Car, Chicago and Los Angeles (84 seats)

Hi-Level Chair Car, Chicago and Los Angeles (72 seats). Three cars.

Hi-Level Chair Car, Chicago and Los Angeles (68 seats). One car.

Rules for El Capitan, Trains 21 and 22. These trains will carry coach passenger between all regular scheduled stops excepting locally in Arizona. Extra fare effective July 15.

The Grand Canyon – Northern Section, Trains 123 and 124, daily
Pullman and Chair Car Service.

Lounge car, Chicago to Los Angeles

Big Dome Lounge car, Chicago to Los Angeles

Sleeping car, Chicago to Los Angeles, 6 sections, 1 drawing room, 4 double bedrooms

Sleeping car, Chicago to Los Angeles, 14 sections

Sleeping car, Chicago to Los Angeles (via Grand Canyon), 8 sections, 2 double bedrooms, 2 compartments

Sleeping car, Chicago to Los Angeles (via Grand Canyon), 2 drawing rooms, 4 compartments, 4 double bedrooms

Sleeping car, Chicago to Phoenix, 10 roomettes, 3 double bedrooms, 2 compartments (On No. 47 from Ash Fork.)

Dining car, Chicago to Los Angeles (Fred Harvey Service)

Chair car, Chicago to Los Angeles

Chair car, Los Angeles to San Diego (on connecting train).

Grand Canyon chair car passengers change at Williams. Chair car ready for early occupancy at Williams.

The Grand Canyon – Southern Section, Trains 123-23-123 and 124-24-12, daily
Pullman and Chair Car Service.

Lounge car, Chicago to Kansas City

Lounge car, Winslow to Los Angeles

Sleeping car, Dallas to Los Angeles, 6 roomette, 6 sections, 4 double bedrooms (On No. 112-77-75 to Clovis)

Sleeping car, Grand Canyon to Los Angeles, 8 sections, 2 double bedrooms, 2 compartments

Sleeping car, Grand Canyon to Los Angeles, 2 drawing rooms, 4 compartments, 4 double bedrooms

Dining car, Chicago to Kansas City (Fred Harvey Service)

Dining car, Clovis to Los Angeles (Fred Harvey Service)

Chair car, Chicago to Kansas City

Chair car, Kansas City to Los Angeles

Chair car, Dallas to Los Angeles

By today’s standards, what an amazing amount of delightfully choreographed logistics to make all of this happen flawlessly, daily, and don’t forget this all happened twice a day as the trains ran in both directions.

Also remarkable is the size of the passenger car fleets of the transcontinental carriers such as Santa Fe, Union Pacific, Great Northern and Northern Pacific. The well-appointed and equipped trains took a lot of cars for daily service and to have protect-equipment for bad orders and scheduled maintenance. Most likely, the combined passenger car fleets of Santa Fe and Union Pacific exceeded totals of today’s Amtrak national network fleet.

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