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The , often abbreviated as '''Santa Fe''', was one of the largest
Railroads In The United States . The company was first chartered in February,
1859 . Although the railway was named in part for the capital of
New Mexico , its main line never reached there as the terrain made it too difficult to lay the necessary tracks (
Santa Fe was ultimately served by a
Branch Line from
Lamy, New Mexico ). The Santa Fe's first tracks reached the
Kansas /
Colorado state line in
1873 , and connected to
Pueblo, Colorado in
1876 . In order to help fuel the railroad's profitability, the Santa Fe set up
Real Estate offices and sold
Farm land from the land grants that the railroad was awarded by
Congress ; these new farms would create a demand for transportation (both freight and passenger service) that was, quite conveniently, offered by the Santa Fe.
Ever the innovator, Santa Fe was one of the pioneers in intermodal freight service, an enterprise that (at one time or another) included a tugboat fleet and an airline, the short-lived . A bus line allowed the company to extend passenger transportation service to areas not accessible by rail, and ferry boats on the San Francisco Bay allowed travellers to complete their westward journeys all the way to the Pacific Ocean. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway officially ceased operations on December 31, 1996 when it merged with the
Burlington Northern Railroad to form the
Burlington Northern And Santa Fe Railway .
, the first president of the railroad.]]
The railroad's charter, written single-handedly by
Cyrus K. Holliday in January
1859 , was approved by the state's governor on
February 11 of that year as the for the purpose of building a rail line from
Topeka, Kansas , to
Santa Fe, New Mexico , and then on to the
Gulf Of Mexico . On
May 3 ,
1863 , two years after Kansas gained statehood, the railroad changed names to more closely match the aspirations of its founder to the '''Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad'''. The railroad broke ground in Topeka on
October 30 ,
1868 and started building westward where one of the first construction tasks was to cross the
Kaw River . The first section of track opened on
April 26 ,
1869 (less than a month prior to completion of the
First Transcontinental Railroad ) with special trains between Topeka and
Pauline . The distance was only 6
Mile s (10
Km ), but the ''
Wakarusa Creek Picnic Special '' train took passengers over the route for celebration in Pauline.
lion out of respect for the country's financial assistance in building the railroad to California.]]
Crews continued working westward, reaching
Dodge City on
September 5 1872 . With this connection, the Santa Fe was able to compete for
Cattle transportation with the
Kansas Pacific Railway . Construction continued, and the Santa Fe opened the last section of track between Topeka and the
Colorado /
Kansas border on
December 23 1873 . The Santa Fe's tracks reached
Pueblo, Colorado on
March 1 1876 . Serving Pueblo opened a number of new freight opportunities for the railroad as it now could haul
Coal from Colorado eastward.(
Early history)
{Link without Title}
Building across Kansas and eastern Colorado may have been technologically simple as there weren't many large natural obstacles in the way (certainly not as many as the railroad was about to encounter further west), but the Santa Fe found it almost economically impossible because of the sparse population in the area. To combat this problem, the Santa Fe set up
Real Estate offices in the area and vigorously promoted settlement across Kansas on the land that was granted to the railroad by
Congress in 1863. The Santa Fe offered discounted passenger fares to anyone who travelled west on the railroad to inspect the land; if the land was subsequently purchased by the traveller, the railroad applied the passenger's ticket price toward the sale of the land. Now that the railroad had built across the plains and had a customer base providing income for the firm, it was time to turn its attention toward the difficult terrain of the
Rocky Mountains .
Leadville was the most productive of all of the Colorado mining regions. Mining in the area began in 1859, first for gold and then two decades later for silver. Several of the Santa Fe's board of directors (along with President
Strong ) sought to capitalize on the need to supply the mining towns of Colorado and northern New Mexico with food, equipment, and other supplies. To that end, Santa Fe sought to extend its route westward from
Pueblo along the
Arkansas River , and through the
Royal Gorge in 1877. Royal Gorge was a bottleneck along the Arkansas too narrow for both the Santa Fe and the
Denver And Rio Grande Western Railroad to pass through, and there was no other reasonable access to the South Park area; thus, a race ensued to build rail access through the Gorge. Physical confrontations led to two years of armed conflict, essentially low-level guerrilla warfare between the two companies that came to be known as the
Royal Gorge Railroad War . Federal intervention prompted an out-of-court settlement on
February 2 ,
1880 in the form of the so-called "Treaty of Boston" wherein the D&RG was allowed to complete its line and lease it for use by the Santa Fe. The D&RG paid an estimated $1.4 million to Santa Fe for its work within the Gorge and agreed not to extend its line to
Santa Fe , while the AT&SF agreed to forgo its planned routes to
Denver and Leadville.
Also looking to the south, an initial outlay of $20,000 was authorized on
February 26 ,
1878 for the construction of a rail line south from
Trinidad in order to "''..seize and hold
Raton Pass ''." The location of the route was nearly as crucial to the venture's success as was the actual track construction. W. R. "Ray" Morley, a former civil engineer for the (D&RG) hired by the AT&SF in 1877, was given his first assignment to secretly plot a route through the pass (it was feared that any activity in the area would lead the D&RG to construct a narrow gauge line over the Pass). Additionally, Strong learned that the
Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) had introduced legislation to block the Santa Fe's entry into New Mexico. Undaunted, Strong obtained a charter for the
New Mexico And Southern Pacific Railroad Company and immediately sent A. A. Robinson to Raton Pass. From February to December of 1878 work crews struggled to build the line between
La Junta and Raton, and the first Santa Fe train entered New Mexico on
December 7 .
" (top) and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad and its connections (bottom).]]
in operation, ''circa''
1895 .]]
While construction over the Rockies was slow and difficult due to the logistics involved, in some instances armed conflicts with competitors arose (such as with the D&RG in
Colorado and
New Mexico , and — after capturing the Raton Pass — the SP in
Arizona and
California , as exemplified in the "
Frog War " between SP and Santa Fe subsidiary the
California Southern Railroad at
Colton, California in September of 1883). The troubles for the railroad went far beyond skirmishes with rival railroads, however. In the late 1880s,
George C. Magoun , who had worked his way to become Chairman of the Board of Directors for the railroad, was progressively losing his own health. In 1889 the railroad's stock price, which was closely linked in the public's eye with the successes of the railroad's chairman, fell from nearly
$ 140 per share to around $20 per share. Magoun's health continued to deteriorate along with the stock price and Magoun died on
December 20 ,
1893 . The Santa Fe entered receivership three days later on
December 23 1893 , with
J. W. Reinhart ,
John J. McCook and
Joseph C. Wilson appointed as receivers.
is shown pulling the ''Super Chief'' on the cover of the railroad's
1945 promotional publication "Along Your Way."]]
A brief look at some key figures comparing the railroad's extent between
1870 and
1945 shows just how much the railroad had grown:
:
Source: Santa Fe Railroad ( 1945 ), ''Along Your Way'', Rand McNally, Chicago, Illinois.
See Also: Southern Pacific Santa Fe Railroad
in the late
1980s .]]
The was a proposed merger between the parent companies of the
Southern Pacific and Santa Fe railroads announced on
December 23 ,
1983 . As a part of the joining of the two firms, all of the rail and non-rail assets owned by
Santa Fe Industries and the Southern Pacific Transportation Company was placed under the control of a holding company, the '''Santa Fe–Southern Pacific Corporation'''. The merger was subsequently denied by the
Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) on the basis that it would create too many duplicate routes.
The companies were so confident that the merger would be approved they began repainting locomotives and non-revenue rolling stock in a new unified paint scheme. After the ICC's denial, railfans joked that SPSF really stood for "Shouldn't Paint So Fast". While the Southern Pacific was sold off, all of the California real estate holdings were consolidated in a new company,
Catellus Development Corporation , making it the State's largest private land owner. Some time later, Catellus would purchase the
Union Pacific Railroad's interest in the
Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal (LAUPT).
See Also: BNSF Railway
On
December 31 ,
1996 the ATSF merged with the
Burlington Northern Railroad to form the
Burlington Northern And Santa Fe Railway . Some of the challenges resulting from the joining of the two companies included the establishment of a common dispatching system, the unionization of Santa Fe's non-union dispatchers, and incorporating the Santa Fe's train identification codes throughout.
Presidents of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway:
1942 passenger
Timetable . Vignettes of the
American Southwest and
Native American people were common in Santa Fe advertising.]]
The Santa Fe was widely known for its
Passenger Train service in the first half of the
20th Century . The Santa Fe introduced many innovations in passenger rail travel, among these the "Pleasure
Domes " of the ''
Super Chief '' (billed as the "''...only dome car
{Link without Title} between Chicago and Los Angeles''" when they were introduced in
1951 ) and the "Big Dome"-Lounge cars and
Double-decker "Hi-Level" cars of the ''
El Capitan '', which entered revenue service in
1954 . The Santa Fe was among the first railroads to add dining cars to its passenger train consists in
1891 , following the examples of the
Northern Pacific and
Union Pacific Railroads. Dining along the Santa Fe was often a memorable experience, whether it be on-board in a
Dining Car , or at one of the many
Harvey House restaurants that were strategically located throughout the system.
In general, the same train name was used for both directions of a particular train. The exceptions to this rule included the ''Chicagoan'' and ''Kansas Cityan'' trains (both names referred to the same service, but the ''Chicagoan'' was the eastbound version, while the ''Kansas Cityan'' was the westbound version), and the ''Eastern Express'' and ''West Texas Express''. All of the Santa Fe's trains that terminated in Chicago did so at
Dearborn Station . Trains terminating in Los Angeles arrived at Santa Fe's
La Grande Station until May,
1939 , when the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal (
LAUPT ) was opened.
To reach smaller communities, the railroad often operated Rail Diesel Cars (
RDC s) for communities on the railroad, and bus connections were provided throughout the system via
Santa Fe Trailways buses to other locations. These smaller trains generally were not named, only the train numbers were used to differentiate services.
The ubiquitous passenger service inspired the title of the 1946
Academy-Award -winning
Johnny Mercer tune "
On The Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe ."
The Santa Fe operated the following named trains on regular schedules:
- '' The Angel '': San Francisco, California — Los Angeles, California — San Diego, California
- '' — Fort Worth, Texas (on the GC&SF )
- '' — Kansas City, Missouri
- '' — Kansas City, Missouri (this was the eastbound version of the ''Los Angeles Express'').
- '' — Kansas City, Missouri — Los Angeles, California
- '' California Fast Mail '': Chicago, Illinois — Los Angeles, California — San Francisco, California
- '' California Limited '': Chicago, Illinois — San Francisco, California (via Los Angeles)
- ''
- '' (connected with the ''Scout'').
- '' — Chicago, Illinois
- '' — Lubbock, Texas
- '' Chicagoan '': Kansas City, Missouri — Chicago, Illinois (this was the eastbound version of the ''Kansas Cityan'' passenger train).
- '' — Chicago, Illinois
- '' Chicago Fast Mail '': San Francisco, California — Los Angeles, California — Chicago, Illinois
- '' Chicago-Kansas City Flyer '': Chicago, Illinois — Kansas City, Missouri
- '' The Chief '': Chicago, Illinois — Los Angeles, California
- '' (this was the eastbound version of the ''West Texas Express'').
- '' El Capitan '': Chicago, Illinois — Los Angeles, California
- '' — Albuquerque, New Mexico
- '' El Tovar '': Los Angeles, California — Chicago, Illinois (via Belen)
- '' — Amarillo, Texas — Kansas City, Missouri — Chicago, Illinois
- ''
- '' (via Los Angeles) — Chicago, Illinois
- '' — Bakersfield, California with coordinated connecting Bus service to Los Angeles and San Francisco
- '' Grand Canyon Limited '': Chicago, Illinois — Los Angeles, California
- '' The Hopi '': Los Angeles, California — Chicago, Illinois
- '' Kansas Cityan '': Chicago, Illinois — Kansas City, Missouri (this was the westbound version of the ''Chicagoan'' passenger train).
- '' Kansas City Chief '': Kansas City, Missouri — Chicago, Illinois
- '' Los Angeles Express '': Chicago, Illinois — Los Angeles, California (this was the westbound version of the ''Atlantic Express'').
- '' The Missionary '': San Francisco, California — Belen, New Mexico — Amarillo, Texas — Kansas City, Missouri — Chicago, Illinois
- '' Navajo '': Chicago, Illinois — San Francisco, California (via Los Angeles)
tracks adjacent to Los Angeles' Exposition Park . Ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his "sidekick" Mortimer Snerd pose in the cab of Santa Fe #51L, an ALCO PA unit, to mark its delivery to the railroad in 1946 .]]
- '' Oil Flyer '': Kansas City, Missouri — Tulsa, Oklahoma with through sleepers to Chicago via other trains
- '' Overland Limited '': Chicago, Illinois — Los Angeles, California
- ''
- '' The Ranger '': Kansas City, Missouri — Chicago, Illinois
- '' The Saint '': San Diego, California — Los Angeles, California — San Francisco, California
- ''
- '' San Francisco Chief '': San Francisco, California (via Los Angeles) — Chicago, Illinois
- '' San Francisco Express '': Chicago, Illinois — San Francisco, California (via Los Angeles)
- '' Santa Fe De Luxe '': Chicago, Illinois — Los Angeles, California — San Francisco, California
- '' Santa Fe Eight '': Belen, New Mexico — Amarillo, Texas — Kansas City, Missouri — Chicago, Illinois
- '' The Scout '': Chicago, Illinois — San Francisco, California (via Los Angeles)
- '' South Plains Express '': Sweetwater, Texas — Lubbock, Texas
- '' Super Chief '': Chicago, Illinois — Los Angeles, California
- '' — New Orleans, Louisiana (on the GC&SF between Houston and Galveston , then via the Missouri Pacific Railroad between Galveston and New Orleans).
- '') — Chicago, Illinois
- '' Tourist Flyer '': Chicago, Illinois — San Francisco, California (via Los Angeles)
- '' — Kansas City, Mo. with through coaches to Chicago, Illinois via other trains (initially the Chicagoan/Kansas Cityan)
- '' — Bakersfield, California
- '' West Texas Express '': Amarillo, Texas — Lubbock, Texas (this was the westbound version of the ''Eastern Express'').
.]]
#1474, the ''Cochiti'', which saw many years of service as a part of the ''
Super Chief ''.]]
Occasionally, a special train was chartered to make a high-profile run over the Santa Fe's track. These specials were not included in the railroad's regular revenue service lineup, but were intended as one-time (and usually one-way) traversals of the railroad. Some of the more notable specials include:
- '' — Chicago, Illinois (a one-time train that ran in 1895 on behalf of B.P. Cheney, a director of the Santa Fe).
- '' — Chicago, Illinois (a one-time train that ran in 1904 on behalf of Charles W. Clarke, the son of then Arizona senator William Andrew Clark).
- '' — Los Angeles, California (a one-time, record-breaking train that ran in 1923 on behalf of the president of the Mineral Point Zinc Company ).
- '' — Chicago, Illinois (a one-time train that ran in 1899 on behalf of Collis P. Huntington ).
- '' on behalf of the president of the Engineering Company Of America ).
- '' on behalf of Nellie Bly , a reporter for the '' New York World '' newspaper).
- '' on behalf of A.R. Peacock , vice-president of the Carnegie Steel And Iron Company ).
- '', essentially as a publicity stunt).
- '' — Pauline, Kansas (a one-time train that took picnickers on a 30-minute trip, at a speed of 14 miles-per-hour, to celebrate the official opening of the line on April 26 , 1869 ).
Source: Pelouze, Richard W. ( 1997 ). ''Trademarks of the Santa Fe Railway.'' The Santa Fe Railway Historical and Modeling Society, Inc., Highlands Ranch, CO. pp. 47–50.
In later years, Santa Fe adapted the scheme to its gas-electric " Doodlebug " units {Link without Title} . The standard for all of Santa Fe's passenger locomotives, the ''Warbonnet'' is considered by many to be the most recognized corporate logo in the railroad industry. Early in the Amtrak Era, Santa Fe embarked on a program to paint over the red bonnet on its F units that were still engaged in hauling passenger consists with (also called ''Yellowbonnets'') or '''dark blue''' (nicknamed ''Bluebonnets'') as it no longer wanted to project the image of a passenger carrier.
