The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

s in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of

Atchison Atchison may refer to: Places In the United States: * Atchison, California, a former settlement * Atchison, Kansas, a city * Atchison County, Kansas * Atchison County, Missouri People with the surname *Bob Atchison (born 1941), Canadian drag r ...

and

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ; Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the capital city A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat ...

, and

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label= Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. The name “S ...

. The railroad reached the

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to ...

–

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

border in 1873 and

Pueblo, Colorado Pueblo () is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 111,876 at the 2020 United States Census, making Pueblo the ninth most popu ...

, in 1876. To create a demand for its services, the railroad set up

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more genera ...

offices and sold farmland from the land grants that it was awarded by Congress. Despite being chartered to serve the city, the railroad chose to bypass Santa Fe, due to the engineering challenges of the mountainous terrain. Eventually a branch line from Lamy, New Mexico, brought the Santa Fe railroad to its namesake city. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at various times, it operated an airline, the short-lived Santa Fe Skyway, and the fleet of Santa Fe Railroad Tugboats. Its bus line extended passenger transportation to areas not accessible by rail, and ferryboats on the San Francisco Bay allowed travelers to complete their westward journeys to the Pacific Ocean. The AT&SF was the subject of a popular song,

Harry Warren Harry Warren (born Salvatore Antonio Guaragna; December 24, 1893 – September 22, 1981) was an American composer and the first major American songwriter to write primarily for film. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song ...

and Johnny Mercer's " On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe", written for the film '' The Harvey Girls'' (1946). The railroad officially ceased operations on December 31, 1996, when it merged with the Burlington Northern Railroad to form the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway.

History

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway

Expansion

On , the railway was one of many companies that sponsored attractions in

Disneyland Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envisi ...

with its five-year sponsorship of all Disneyland trains and stations until 1974. In 1960, AT&SF bought the Toledo, Peoria & Western Railroad (TP&W); then sold a half-interest to the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR). The TP&W cut straight east across

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...

from near

Fort Madison, Iowa Fort Madison is a city and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States along with Keokuk. Of Iowa's 99 counties, Lee County is the only one with two county seats. The population was 10,270 at the time of the 2020 census. Located along the ...

(Lomax, IL), to a connection with the PRR at

Effner, Indiana Effner is an unincorporated community on the border of the U.S. states of Illinois and Indiana. It lies principally in Iroquois County, Illinois and partially in Newton County, Indiana. History Effner was founded ca. 1860 and originally known as ...

(Illinois–Indiana border), forming a bypass around Chicago for traffic moving between the two lines. The TP&W route did not mesh with the traffic patterns Conrail developed after 1976, so AT&SF bought back the other half, merged the TP&W in 1983, then sold it back into independence in 1989.

Attempted Southern Pacific merger

Under a container car, Walong, California

AT&SF began to talk mergers in the 1980s. The Southern Pacific Santa Fe Railroad (SPSF) was a proposed merger between the parent companies of the Southern Pacific and AT&SF announced on December 23, 1983. As part of the joining of the two firms, all rail and non-rail assets owned by Santa Fe Industries and the Southern Pacific Transportation Company were placed under the control of a holding company, the Santa Fe–Southern Pacific Corporation. The merger was subsequently denied by the

Interstate Commerce Commission The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was a regulatory agency in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads (and later trucking) to ensure fair rates, to elimina ...

(ICC) on the basis that it would create too many duplicate routes. The companies were so confident the merger would be approved that they began repainting locomotives and non-revenue rolling stock in a new unified paint scheme. While Southern Pacific (railroad) was sold off to Rio Grande Industries, all of the SP's real estate holdings were consolidated into a new company, Catellus Development Corporation, making it California's largest private landowner, of which Santa Fe remained the owner. In the early 1980s, gold was discovered on several properties west of Battle Mountain, Nevada along I-80, on ground owned by the Santa Fe Railroad (formerly SP). The Santa Fe Pacific Corporation (a name correlation of Santa Fe and Southern Pacific) was to develop the properties. They were sold to Newmont during 1997 in preparation for the merger with Burlington Northern). Sometime later, Catellus would purchase the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pac ...

's interest in the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal (LAUPT).

Burlington Northern merger

On September 22, 1995, AT&SF merged with Burlington Northern Railroad to form the

Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight railroads in North America. One of seven North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 35,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and nearly 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that ...

(BNSF). Some of the challenges resulting from the joining of the two companies included the establishment of a common dispatching system, the unionization of AT&SF's non-union dispatchers, and incorporating AT&SF's train identification codes throughout. The two lines maintained separate operations until December 31, 1996, when it officially became BNSF. :Source: Santa Fe Railroad (1945), ''Along Your Way'', Rand McNally, Chicago, Illinois.

Company officers

Passenger service

AT&SF was widely known for its

passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) hauled by one or more locomotives, or may be self-propelled; self p ...

service in the first half of the 20th century. AT&SF introduced many innovations in passenger rail travel, among these the " Pleasure Domes" of the '' Super Chief'' (billed as the "''...only dome car 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 railroad was among the first to add dining cars to its passenger trains, a move which began in 1891, following the examples of the Northern Pacific and Union Pacific railroads. The AT&SF offered food 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 AT&SF trains that terminated in Chicago did so at Dearborn Station. Trains terminating in Los Angeles arrived at AT&SF's La Grande Station until May 1939, when Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal was opened. The Santa Fe was the only railroad to run trains from Chicago to California on its own tracks. The railway's extensive network was also home to a number of regional services. These generally couldn't boast of the size or panache of the transcontinental trains, but built up enviable reputations of their own nonetheless. Of these, the Chicago-Texas trains were the most famous and impressive. The '' San Diegans,'' which ran from Los Angeles to San Diego, were the most popular and durable, becoming to the Santa Fe what

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

trains were to the Pennsylvania Railroad. But Santa Fe flyers also served

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the ...

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the o ...

(the ''

Hassayampa Flyer The Hassayampa Flyer, also known as the Hassayampa Chief, was a passenger train operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway between Ash Fork (later Williams Junction) and Phoenix in Arizona, United States. History In 1955, the Sa ...

''), and

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

, among other cities not on their main line. To reach smaller communities, the railroad operated mixed (passenger and freight) trains or gas-electric doodlebug rail cars. The latter were later converted to diesel power, and one pair of Budd Rail Diesel Cars was eventually added. After World War II, Santa Fe Trailways buses replaced most of these lesser trains. 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

tune " On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe." The song was written in 1945 for the film '' The Harvey Girls'', a story about the waitresses of the

Fred Harvey Company The Fred Harvey Company was the owner of the Harvey House chain of restaurants, hotels and other hospitality industry businesses alongside railroads in the Western United States. It was founded in 1876 by Fred Harvey to cater to the growi ...

's restaurants. It was sung in the film by

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in ''The ...

and recorded by many other singers, including

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

. In the 1970s, the railroad used Crosby's version in a commercial. AT&SF ceased operating passenger trains on May 1, 1971, when it conveyed its remaining trains to

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...

. These included the ''Super Chief'' / ''El Capitan'', the '' Texas Chief'' and the ''San Diegan'' (though Amtrak reduced the ''San Diegan'' from three round trips to two). Discontinued were the '' San Francisco Chief'', the ex-''

Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a ...

'', the '' Tulsan'', and a Denver–La Junta local. ATSF had been more than willing to retain the ''San Diegan'' and its famed ''Chiefs.'' However, any railroad that opted out of Amtrak would have been required to operate ''all'' of its passenger routes until at least 1976. The prospect of having to keep operating its less-successful routes, especially the money-bleeding 23/24 (the former ''Grand Canyon'') led ATSF to get out of passenger service altogether. Amtrak still runs the ''Super Chief'' and ''San Diegan'' today as the '' Southwest Chief'' and '' Pacific Surfliner,'' respectively, although the original routes and equipment have been modified by Amtrak.

Named trains

AT&SF operated the following named trains on regular schedules: * '' The Angel'': San Francisco, California – Los Angeles, California – San Diego, California (this was the southbound version of the ''Saint'') * ''

The Angelo ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'': San Angelo, Texas –

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the List of cities in Texas by population, fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the List of United States cities by population, 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, T ...

(on the GC&SF) * ''The Antelope'': Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – Kansas City, Missouri * '' Atlantic Express'':

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wo ...

– Kansas City, Missouri (this was the eastbound version of the ''Los Angeles Express''). * '' California Express'':

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

– Kansas City, Missouri – Los Angeles, California * '' California Fast Mail'': Chicago, Illinois – Los Angeles, California – San Francisco, California * '' California Limited'': Chicago, Illinois – Los Angeles, California * '' California Special'': Clovis, New Mexico – Houston, Texas (with through connections to California via the San Francisco Chief at Clovis) * '' Cavern'': Clovis, New Mexico – Carlsbad, New Mexico (connected with the ''Scout''). * ''

Centennial State Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

'':

– Chicago, Illinois * '' Central Texas Express'': Sweetwater, Texas –

Lubbock, Texas Lubbock ( ) is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the nort ...

* ''

Chicagoan Chicago's demographics show that it is a large and ethnically diverse metropolis. It is the third largest city and metropolitan area in the United States by population, and the city was home to over 2.7 million people in 2020, accounting for ov ...

'': Kansas City, Missouri – Chicago, Illinois (this was the eastbound version of the ''Kansas Cityan'' passenger train). * '' Chicago Express'':

Newton, Kansas Newton is a city in and the county seat of Harvey County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 18,602. Newton is located north of Wichita. The city of North Newton is located immediately north and e ...

– 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 * '' Eastern Express'': Lubbock, Texas –

Amarillo, Texas Amarillo ( ; Spanish for " yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Potter County. It is the 14th-most populous city in Texas and the largest city in the Texas Panhandle. A portion of the city extends into Randall Co ...

(this was the eastbound version of the ''West Texas Express''). * '' El Capitan'': Chicago, Illinois – Los Angeles, California * '' El Pasoan'':

– Albuquerque, New Mexico * '' El Tovar'': Los Angeles, California – Chicago, Illinois (via Belen) * '' Fargo Fast Mail/Express'':

Belen, New Mexico Belén (; es, Belén) is the second most populous city in Valencia County, New Mexico, United States, after its county seat, Los Lunas. The population was 7,360 at the 2020 Census. Belén is Spanish for Bethlehem but gained the nickname "The Hub ...

–

– Kansas City, Missouri – Chicago, Illinois * ''

Fast Fifteen Fast or FAST may refer to: * Fast (noun), high speed or velocity * Fast (noun, verb), to practice fasting, abstaining from food and/or water for a certain period of time Acronyms and coded Computing and software * ''Faceted Application of Subje ...

'': Newton, Kansas –

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Gal ...

* ''

Fast Mail Express Fast or FAST may refer to: * Fast (noun), high speed or velocity * Fast (noun, verb), to practice fasting, abstaining from food and/or water for a certain period of time Acronyms and coded Computing and software * ''Faceted Application of Subje ...

'':

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for "Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

(via Los Angeles) – Chicago, Illinois * ''

Golden Gate The Golden Gate is a strait on the west coast of North America that connects San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. It is defined by the headlands of the San Francisco Peninsula and the Marin Peninsula, and, since 1937, has been spanned by ...

'':

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

– Bakersfield, California, with coordinated connecting

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

service to Los Angeles and San Francisco * '' Grand Canyon Limited'': Chicago, Illinois – Los Angeles, California * ''

'': Phoenix, Arizona – Ash Fork, Arizona (later Williams Junction, Arizona) * '' 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 The Navajo (; British English: Navaho; nv, Diné or ') are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people of the Southwestern United States. With more than 399,494 enrolled tribal members , the Navajo Nation is the largest fe ...

'': Chicago, Illinois – San Francisco, California (via Los Angeles) * '' Oil Flyer'': Kansas City, Missouri – Tulsa, Oklahoma, with through sleepers to Chicago via other trains * ''

Overland Limited Overland Limited may refer to: Trains * Overland Limited (ATSF train), 1901–1915 * Overland Limited (UP train), 1895–1931 Films * ''The Overland Limited'' (1925) * Several short films made in 1899 and 1901: **''Overland Limited'' (1899) **''T ...

'': Chicago, Illinois – Los Angeles, California * '' Phoenix Express'': Los Angeles, California –

* '' The Ranger'': Kansas City, Missouri – Chicago, Illinois * '' The Saint'': San Diego, California – Los Angeles, California – San Francisco, California (this was the northbound version of the "Angel") * ''

San Diegan San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

'': Los Angeles, California –

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

* '' San Francisco Chief'': San Francisco, California – 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 * '' The Texan'': Houston, Texas –

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

GC&SF between

Galveston Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Gal ...

and Houston, then via the

Missouri Pacific Railroad The Missouri Pacific Railroad , commonly abbreviated as MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers. In 1967, the railroad ...

between Houston and New Orleans). * '' Texas Chief'': Galveston, Texas (on the GC&SF) – Chicago, Illinois * ''

Tourist Flyer Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

'': Chicago, Illinois – San Francisco, California (via Los Angeles) * '' The Tulsan'':

– Kansas City, Mo. with through coaches to Chicago, Illinois, via other trains (initially the Chicagoan/Kansas Cityan) * '' Valley Flyer'':

– Bakersfield, California * '' West Texas Express'': Amarillo, Texas – Lubbock, Texas (this was the westbound version of the ''Eastern Express'').

Special trains

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: * '' Cheney Special'': Colton, California – Chicago, Illinois (a one-time train that ran in 1895 on behalf of B.P. Cheney, a director of the Santa Fe). * ''

Clarke Special Clarke is a surname which means "clerk". The surname is of English and Irish origin and comes from the Latin . Variants include Clerk and Clark. Clarke is also uncommonly chosen as a given name. Irish surname origin Clarke is a popular surname in ...

'':

Winslow, Arizona Winslow ( nv, ) is a city in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 9,655. It is approximately southeast of Flagstaff, west of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and southeast of Las Vega ...

– Chicago, Illinois (a one-time train that ran in 1904 on behalf of Charles W. Clarke, the son of then-Arizona senator William Andrew Clarke). * '' David B. Jones Special'': Los Angeles, California – Chicago, Illinois, and on to

Lake Forest, Illinois Lake Forest is a city located in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 19,367. The city is along the shore of Lake Michigan, and is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the North Shore. Lake Forest ...

(a one-time, record-breaking train that ran between May 5 to 8, 1923, on behalf of the president of the Mineral Point Zinc Company). * '' Huntington Special'': Argentine, Kansas – Chicago, Illinois (a one-time train that ran in 1899 on behalf of Collis P. Huntington). * '' H.P. Lowe Special'': Chicago, Illinois – Los Angeles, California (a one-time, record-breaking train that ran in 1903 on behalf of the president of the

Engineering Company of America Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

). * ''

Miss Nellie Bly Special Game board illustrating journalist Nellie Bly's circumnavigation of the globe (1889-1890), in the '' New York World'', 26 January 1890. ''Around the World in Seventy-Two Days'' is an 1890 book by journalist Elizabeth Jane Cochrane, writing und ...

'': San Francisco, California – Chicago, Illinois (a one-time, record-breaking train that ran in 1890 on behalf of

Nellie Bly Elizabeth Cochran Seaman (born Elizabeth Jane Cochran; May 5, 1864 – January 27, 1922), better known by her pen name Nellie Bly, was an American journalist, industrialist, inventor, and charity worker who was widely known for her record-breaki ...

, a reporter for the ''

New York World The ''New York World'' was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers. It was a leading national voice of the Democratic Party. From 1883 to 1911 under publ ...

'' newspaper). * ''

Peacock Special Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera '' Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are refe ...

'': Los Angeles, California – Chicago, Illinois (a one-time train that ran in 1900 on behalf of A.R. Peacock, vice-president of the Carnegie Steel and Iron Company). * '' Scott Special'': Los Angeles, California – Chicago, Illinois (the most well-known of Santa Fe's "specials," also known as the ''Coyote Special'', the ''Death Valley Coyote'', and the ''Death Valley Scotty Special'': a one-time, record-breaking train that ran in 1905, essentially as a publicity stunt). * ''

Wakarusa Creek Picnic Special Wakarusa can refer to several things in the United States: * Wakarusa, Indiana * Wakarusa, Kansas * The Wakarusa River, a tributary of the Kansas River * The Wakarusa War, part of the Bleeding Kansas violence before the American Civil War * Wakarus ...

'':

–

Pauline, Kansas Pauline is an unincorporated community in Shawnee County, Kansas, United States. Located south of Topeka, it lies next to Forbes Field on southwest Topeka Boulevard. It is occasionally seen as part of the South City Industry Park for Topeka wit ...

(a one-time train that took picnickers on a 30-minute trip, at a speed of , to celebrate the official opening of the line on April 26, 1869).

Signals

The Santa Fe employed several distinctive wayside and crossing signal styles. In an effort to reduce grade crossing accidents, the Santa Fe was an early user of wigwag signals from the Magnetic Signal Company, beginning in the 1920s. They had several distinct styles that were not commonly seen elsewhere. Model 10's, which had the wigwag motor and banner coming from halfway up the mast with the crossbucks on top, were almost unique to the Santa Fe–the Southern Pacific had a few as well. Upper quadrant Magnetic Flagmen were used extensively on the Santa Fe as well–virtually every small town main street and a number of city streets had their crossings protected by these unique wigwags. Virtually all the wigwags were replaced with modern signals by the turn of the 21st century. The railroad was also known for its tall "T-2 style" upper quadrant semaphores which provided traffic control on its lines. Again, the vast majority of these had been replaced by the beginning of the 21st century, with fewer than 50 still remaining in use in New Mexico as of 2015.

Paint schemes

Steam locomotives

The Santa Fe operated a large and varied fleet of

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the loco ...

s. In 1899, the company owned 1036 locomotives. Among them was the

2-10-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels, ten powered and coupled driving wheels, and two trailing wheels. In the United States of America and elsewhere the is ...

"Santa Fe", originally built for the railroad by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1903.. The railroad would ultimately end up with the largest fleet of them, at over 300. Aside from the 2-10-2, Santa Fe rostered virtually every type of steam locomotive imaginable, including 4-4-2

Atlantics ''Atlantics'' (french: Atlantique) is a 2019 internationally co-produced supernatural romantic drama film directed by Mati Diop, in her feature directorial debut. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. ...

2-6-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and no trailing whee ...

Moguls,

2-8-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels ...

Consolidations, 2-8-2 Mikados, 2-10-0 Decapods, 2-6-2 Prairies, 4-8-4 Northerns, 4-6-4 Hudsons, 4-6-2 Pacifics, 4-8-2 Mountains, 2-8-4 Berkshires, and 2-10-4 Texas. The railroad also operated a fleet of heavy articulated steam locomotives, including 1158 class 2-6-6-2s, 2-8-8-0s, 2-10-10-2s,

2-8-8-2 A 2-8-8-2, in the Whyte notation for describing steam locomotive wheel arrangements, is an articulated locomotive with a two-wheel leading truck, two sets of eight driving wheels, and a two-wheel trailing truck. The equivalent UIC classification ...

s, and the rare 4-4-6-2 ''Mallet'' type. The Railroad retired its last steam locomotive in 1959. During the twentieth century, all but one of these was painted black, with white unit numbers on the sand domes and three sides of the tender. Cab sides were lettered "AT&SF", also in white. The subsidiary Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe often painted all or part of the smokebox (between the boiler and the headlight) white or silver. In 1940, the circle and cross emblem was applied to the tenders of a few passenger locomotives, but these were all later painted over. After World War II, "Santa Fe" appeared on tender sides of mainline road locomotives in white, above the unit number. Locomotives were delivered from Baldwin with white paint on the wheel rims, but the road did not repaint these "whitewalls" after shopping the locomotives. After World War II, side rods and valve gear were painted chrome yellow. For a short time, Pacific types 1369 and 1376 were semi-streamlined for " Valley Flyer" service, with a unique paint scheme in colors similar to those used on the new passenger diesels. More unique was the two-tone light blue over royal blue scheme of streamlined Hudson type 3460.

Preserved locomotives

While most of the Santa Fe's steam locomotives were retired and sold for scrap, over fifty were saved and donated to various parks and museums, a handful of which have either been restored to operating condition or are pending future restoration. Some of the more notable locomotives include: * 5 ( 0-4-0), located at the

California State Railroad Museum The California State Railroad Museum is a museum in the state park system of California, United States, interpreting the role of the " iron horse" in connecting California to the rest of the nation. It is located in Old Sacramento State Histor ...

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

. *

132 132 may refer to: *132 (number) *AD 132 *132 BC __NOTOC__ Year 132 BC was a year of the Roman calendar, pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Laenas and Rupilius (or, less frequently, year 622 ''Ab ...

(

), Built by Baldwin in 1880 and located at the Kansas Museum of History in Topeka. Named for Cyrus K. Holliday. Was used often by the Santa Fe for promotions and special events until it was donated to the Kansas State Historical Society in 1977. It is the second oldest locomotive from the Santa Fe that is preserved close to its original appearance. * 643 (

), Originally built by Hinkley Locomotive Works in 1879 as #73 with a 4-4-0 arrangement. The oldest preserved locomotive of the Santa Fe, although not as originally configured. It was converted by the railroad to a 2-8-0 configuration following an accident in 1897. It had several upgrades over the years while working on the Gulf Division. It was formerly located at the then-new

Oklahoma State Fair The Oklahoma State Fair is a fair and exposition in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It takes place in mid-September each year, and along with the Tulsa State Fair it is one of two state fairs in Oklahoma. During the eleven-day run, the Oklahoma State F ...

grounds, following its donation from the Santa Fe to the people of Oklahoma in 1953. The locomotive was relocated again in 2015 to the Oklahoma Railway Museum in

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, an ...

, where it received a badly needed cleaning and thorough cosmetic restoration, and is currently on display. *

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(

), located at the Old Coal Mine Museum in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), an ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...

. It is waiting to be moved to the

Santa Fe Southern Railway The Santa Fe Southern Railway is a short line railroad in New Mexico, United States. In addition to carrying freight on occasion, it also operates as a tourist railroad called Sky Railway that carries passengers between Lamy and Santa Fe: a ...

in Santa Fe for future restoration to operating condition. * 870 (

), located at Heritage Park in Santa Fe Springs,

. * 940 (

), located at the Union depot in

Bartlesville Bartlesville is a city mostly in Washington County in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 37,290 at the 2020 census. Bartlesville is north of Tulsa and south of the Kansas border. It is the county seat of Washington County. The ...

, Oklahoma. It is the only surviving steam locomotive from the Santa Fe with a 2-10-2 wheel arrangement. *

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(

2-6-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels, six coupled driving wheels and two trailing wheels. This arrangement is commonly called a Prairie. Overview The major ...

), located at the

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

. * 1129 (

), located at

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...

. *

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(

4-6-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and two trailing wheels on one axle. The loco ...

), formerly located at

Fort Concho Fort Concho is a former United States Army installation and National Historic Landmark District located in San Angelo, Texas. It was established in November 1867 at the confluence of the North and South Concho Rivers, on the routes of the Butt ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

: the sole survivor of the 1309 class was restored to operating condition by the Texas State Railroad in the early 1980s as its No. 500. It is currently displayed at Palestine for another restoration for future excursion service. * 2913 (

4-8-4 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and four trailing wheels on two axles. The ty ...

), located in Riverview Park at

Fort Madison Fort Madison is a city and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States along with Keokuk, Iowa, Keokuk. Of Iowa's 99 counties, Lee County is the only one with two county seats. The population was 10,270 at the time of the 2020 United State ...

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

. * 2926 (

), formerly located in Coronado Park in

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding i ...

. This locomotive has been undergoing restoration for operational purposes by the New Mexico Steam Locomotive and Rail Historical Society, which has expended 114,000 man-hours and $1,700,000 in donated funds on her restoration since 2002. It has been operational since July 2021. * 3415 (

), formerly located at Eisenhower Park in Abilene,

, until it was acquired by the Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad and has been restored for excursion service since 2009. * 3416 (4-6-2), currently preserved at Great Bend, Kansas. * 3417 (4-6-2), formerly preserved at Hulen Park, in Cleburne, Texas. * 3423 (4-6-2), located at the Railroad & Heritage Museum in Temple Texas, it is currently preserved. * 3424 (4-6-2), Preserved in Kinsley, Kansas. * 3450 (

4-6-4 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels and four trailing wheels. In France where the type was first used, it is known as ...

), the sole survivor of the 3450 class, this locomotive is the gateway of the

RailGiants Train Museum RailGiants Train Museum is a railroad museum of historic trains located at the Fairplex in Pomona, California, United States. The museum was closed indefinitely in March 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but after renovations, it reopen ...

Pomona Pomona may refer to: Places Argentina * Pomona, Río Negro Australia * Pomona, Queensland, Australia, a town in the Shire of Noosa * Pomona, New South Wales, Australia Belize * Pomona, Belize, a municipality in Stann Creek District Mexico ...

. * 3463 (

), the sole survivor of the 3460 class, this locomotive is located at the Kansas Expocentre in

Topeka Topeka ( ; Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central ...

, waiting for future restoration. *

3751 Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 3751 is a class 3751 4-8-4 steam locomotive built in 1927 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Eddystone (Philadelphia), Pennsylvania for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway (ATSF). 3751 was the first 4-8-4 steam loc ...

(

), the Santa Fe's and Baldwin's very first 4-8-4, was once on display at Viaduct Park near the AT&SF depot in

San Bernardino San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 cens ...

. The locomotive was moved out of the park in 1986 to be restored and, after almost 5 years later, No. 3751 made its first run on a 4-day trip from

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

Bakersfield Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley (California), Central Valley r ...

and return in December 1991. This trip marked the beginning of No. 3751's career in excursion service. Currently undergoing a federally required 15-year overhaul. * 3759 (

): This locomotive is known for pulling the ''"Farewell to Steam Excursion"'' for the Santa Fe in 1955 before it was donated to the City of Kingman,

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...

, where it is currently on static display. It was almost acquired by the

Grand Canyon Railway The Grand Canyon Railway is a heritage railroad which carries passengers between Williams, Arizona, and the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. The railroad, built by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, was completed on September ...

in the early 1990s. * 3768 (4-8-4), after retiring in 1958, it was donated to the city of Wichita, Kansas, where it is currently preserved at the Great Plains Museum of Transportation. *

5000 5000 or ''variation'', may refer to: In general * A.D. 5000, the last year of the 5th millennium CE, an exceptional common year starting on Wednesday * 5000 BCE, a year in the 5th millennium BC * 5000s AD, a decade, century, millennium in the 6th ...

''Madame Queen'' (

2-10-4 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, a locomotive has two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a Bissel truck, ten coupled driving wheels on five axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles, usually in a bogi ...

), the second-oldest preserved steam locomotive with a 2-10-4 wheel arrangement, ''Madame Queen'' is located in Amarillo,

, awaiting possible relocation elsewhere. * 5011 (

), the first of the 5011 class, is on static display at the National Museum of Transportation in St. Louis,

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. * 5017 (

), located at the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay,

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. * 9005 (

0-6-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and no trailing wheels. This was the most common wheel arrangement ...

), located in the historic train depot in

Clovis Clovis may refer to: People * Clovis (given name), the early medieval (Frankish) form of the name Louis ** Clovis I (c. 466 – 511), the first king of the Franks to unite all the Frankish tribes under one ruler ** Clovis II (c. 634 – c. 657), ...

Diesel locomotives

Passenger

Santa Fe's first set of diesel-electric passenger locomotives was placed in service on the ''Super Chief'' in 1936, and consisted of a pair of blunt-nosed units ( EMC 1800 hp B-B) designated as Nos. 1 and 1A. The upper portion of the sides and ends of the units were painted gold, while the lower section was a dark olive green color; an olive stripe also ran along the sides and widened as it crossed the front of the locomotive. Riveted to the sides of the units were metal plaques bearing a large "Indian Head"

logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name it represents as in a wordm ...

, which owed its origin to the 1926 '' Chief'' "

drumhead A drumhead or drum skin is a membrane stretched over one or both of the open ends of a drum. The drumhead is struck with sticks, mallets, or hands, so that it vibrates and the sound resonates through the drum. Additionally outside of percu ...

" logo. "''Super Chief''" was emblazoned on a plaque located on the front. The rooftop was light slate gray, rimmed by a red pinstripe. This unique combination of colors was called the ''Golden Olive'' paint scheme. Before entering service,

Sterling McDonald Sterling may refer to: Common meanings * Sterling silver, a grade of silver * Sterling (currency), the currency of the United Kingdom ** Pound sterling, the primary unit of that currency Places United Kingdom * Stirling, a Scottish city who ...

's General Motors Styling Department augmented the look with the addition of red and blue striping along both the sides and ends of the units in order to enhance their appearance. Golden Gate Santa Fe train

In a little over a year, the EMC E1 (a new and improved streamlined locomotive) would be pulling the ''Super Chief'' and other passenger consists, resplendent in the now-famous ''Warbonnet'' paint scheme devised by

Leland Knickerbocker Leland may refer to: Places United States * Leland, Illinois, a village * Leland, Iowa, a city * Leland, Michigan, an unincorporated community and census-designated place * Leland, Mississippi, a city * Leland, North Carolina, a town * Leland, O ...

of the GM Art and Color Section. Its design was protected under a U.S.

design patent In the United States, a design patent is a form of legal protection granted to the ornamental design of an article of manufacture. Design patents are a type of industrial design rights, industrial design right. Ornamental designs of jewelry, furni ...

, granted on November 9, 1937. It is reminiscent of a Native American ceremonial head-dress. The scheme consisted of a red "bonnet" that wrapped around the front of the unit and was bordered by a yellow stripe and black pinstripe. The extent of the bonnet varied according to the locomotive model and was largely determined by the shape and length of the car body. The remainder of the unit was either painted silver or was composed of stainless-steel panels. All units wore a nose emblem consisting of an elongated yellow "Circle and Cross" emblem with integral "tabs" on the nose and the sides, outlined and accented with black pinstripes, with variances according to the locomotive model. "SANTA FE" was displayed on the horizontal limb of the cross in black,

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unit ...

-style lettering. This emblem has come to be known as the "

cigar band A cigar band is a loop made of paper or foil fitted around the body of a cigar to denote its brand or variety. Although origins of the device are the subject of several legends, modern historians credit a European immigrant to Cuba named Gustave B ...

" due to its uncanny resemblance to the same. On all but the "Erie-built" units (which were essentially run as a demonstrator set), GE U28CG, GE U30CG, and FP45 units, a three-part yellow and black stripe ran up the nose behind the band. A "Circle and Cross" motif (consisting of a yellow field, with red quadrants, outlined in black) was painted around the side windows on "as-delivered" E1 units. Similar designs were added to E3s, E6s, the DL109/110 locomotive set, and ATSF 1A after it was rebuilt and repainted. The sides of the units typically bore the words "SANTA FE" in black, 5"– or 9"–high extra extended Railroad Roman letters, as well as the "Indian Head" logo, with a few notable exceptions. Railway identity on diesel locomotives in passenger service: Source: Pelouze, Richard W. (1997). ''Trademarks of the Santa Fe Railway.'' The Santa Fe Railway Historical and Modeling Society, Inc., Highlands Ranch, Colorado, pp. 47–50. In later years, Santa Fe adapted the scheme to its gas-electric " doodlebug" units. 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 after Amtrak's inception in 1971, Santa Fe embarked on a program to repaint the red bonnet on its F units that were still engaged in hauling passenger consists with yellow (also called ''Yellowbonnets'') or dark blue (nicknamed ''Bluebonnets''), as it no longer wanted to project the image of a passenger carrier.

Freight

Diesels used as switchers between 1935 and 1960 were painted black, with just a thin white or silver horizontal accent stripe (the sills were painted similarly). The letters "A.T.& S.F." were applied in a small font centered on the sides of the unit, as was the standard blue and white "Santa Fe" box logo. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, diagonal white or silver stripes were added to the ends and cab sides to increase the visibility at grade crossings (typically referred to as the ''Zebra Stripe'' scheme). "A.T.& S.F." was now placed along the sides of the unit just above the accent stripe, with the blue and white "Santa Fe" box logo below. Due to the lack of abundant water sources in the American desert, the Santa Fe Railway was among the first railroads to receive large numbers of streamlined diesel locomotives for use in freight service, in the form of the EMD FT. For the first group of FTs, delivered between December 1940 and March 1943 (#100–#119), the railroad selected a color scheme consisting of dark blue accented by a pale yellow stripe up the nose, and pale yellow highlights around the cab and along the mesh and framing of openings in the sides of the engine compartment; a thin red stripe separated the blue areas from the yellow. Santa_Fe_loco

The words SANTA FE were applied in yellow in a 5"–high extended font, and centered on the nose was the "Santa Fe" box logo (initially consisting of a blue cross, circle, and square painted on a solid bronze sheet, but subsequently changed to baked steel sheets painted bronze with the blue identifying elements applied on top). Three thin, pale yellow stripes (known as ''Cat Whiskers'') extended from the nose logo around the cab sides. In January, 1951, Santa Fe revised the scheme to consist of three yellow stripes running up the nose, with the addition of a blue and yellow ''Cigar Band'' (similar in size and shape to that applied to passenger units); the blue background and elongated yellow "SANTA FE" lettering were retained. The years 1960 to 1972 saw non-streamlined freight locomotives sporting the "Billboard" color scheme (sometimes referred to as the "Bookends" or "Pinstripe" scheme), where the units were predominantly dark blue with yellow ends and trim, with a single yellow accent pinstripe. The words "Santa Fe" were applied in yellow in large bold serif letters (logotype) to the sides of the locomotive below the accent stripe (save for

yard The yard (symbol: yd) is an English unit of length in both the British imperial and US customary systems of measurement equalling 3 feet or 36 inches. Since 1959 it has been by international agreement standardized as exactly 0 ...

switcher A switcher, shunter, yard pilot, switch engine, yard goat, or shifter is a small railroad locomotive used for manoeuvring railroad cars inside a rail yard in a process known as ''switching'' (US) or ''shunting'' (UK). Switchers are not inte ...

s which displayed the "SANTA FE" in small yellow letters above the accent stripe, somewhat akin to the ''Zebra Stripe'' arrangement). From 1972 to 1996, and even on into the BNSF era, the company adopted a new paint scheme often known among railfans as the "Freightbonnet", which placed more yellow on the locomotives (reminiscent of the company's retired ''Warbonnet'' scheme); the goal again was to ensure higher visibility at grade crossings. The truck assemblies, previously colored black, now received silver paint. ATSF ALCO 2378 Richmond Yd Goat Oct 66xRP - Flickr - drewj1946

ATSF ALCO 2378 Richmond Yd Goat Oct 66xRP - Flickr - drewj1946

In 1965, the road took delivery of ten GE U28CG dual-service roadswitcher locomotives equally suited to passenger or fast freight service. These wore a variation of the "Warbonnet" scheme in which the black and yellow separating stripes disappeared. The "Santa Fe" name was emblazoned on the sides in large black letters, using the same stencils used on freight engines; these were soon repainted in red. In 1989, Santa Fe resurrected this version of the "Warbonnet" scheme and applied it to two SDFP45 units, #5992 and #5998. The units were re-designated as #101 and #102 and reentered service on July 4, 1989, as part of the new "Super Fleet" campaign (the first Santa Fe units to be so decorated for freight service). The six remaining FP45 units were thereafter similarly repainted and renumbered. From that point forward, most new locomotives wore red and silver, and many retained this scheme after the Burlington Northern Santa Fe merger, some with "BNSF" displayed across their sides. For the initial deliveries of factory-new "Super Fleet" equipment, Santa Fe took delivery of the EMD GP60M and General Electric B40-8W which made the Santa Fe the only US

Class I railroad In the United States, railroad carriers are designated as Class I, II, or III, according to annual revenue criteria originally set by the Surface Transportation Board in 1992. With annual adjustments for inflation, the 2019 thresholds were US$5 ...

to operate new 4-axle (B-B) freight locomotives equipped with the North American Safety Cab intended for high-speed intermodal service. Several experimental and commemorative paint schemes emerged during the Santa Fe's diesel era. One combination was developed and partially implemented in anticipation of a merger between the parent companies of the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific (SP) railroads in 1984. The red, yellow, and black paint scheme with large yellow block letters on the sides and ends of the units of the proposed Southern Pacific Santa Fe Railroad (SPSF) has come to be somewhat derisively known among

railfan A railfan, rail buff or train buff (American English), railway enthusiast, railway buff or trainspotter ( Australian/British English), or ferroequinologist is a person who is recreationally interested in trains and rail transport systems. Rai ...

s as the ''Kodachrome'' livery, due to the similarity in colors to the boxes containing slide film sold by the Eastman Kodak Company under the same name. Santa Fe units repainted in this scheme were labeled "SF", Southern Pacific units "SP", and some (presumably new) units wore the letters "SPSF". After the ICC's denial of the merger, railfans joked that SPSF really stood for "Shouldn't Paint So Fast." File:42Richmond yd - Flickr - drewj1946.jpg, ''Warbonnet'' roof details File:43C at San Diego 04 06 68 sm - Flickr - drewj1946.jpg, ATSF ''San Diegan''

EMD F7 The EMD F7 is a model of diesel-electric locomotive produced between February 1949 and December 1953 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors (EMD) and General Motors Diesel (GMD). Although originally promoted by EMD as a freight- ...

(1968), displaying the "SANTA FE" in black Railroad Roman letters along each side File:Santa Fe 98.jpg, Santa Fe #98, an EMD FP45 decked out in ''Warbonnet'' colors, including the traditional "cigar band" nose emblem File:ATSF 681.jpg, Santa Fe #681 in Sealy Texas, June 2001 File:Santa Fe Super Chief.jpg, The L.A.-bound ''Super Chief'' gets its 5-minute pit-stop service in Albuquerque, 1943 File:ATSF Downhhill Caliente Aug 90xRP (7701632638).jpg, ATSF 9542 in ''Kodachrome'' leads other locomotives in ''Freightbonnet (1990) ATSF 108 at Southern California Railway Museum

ATSF 108 at Southern California Railway Museum

Ferry service

Santa Fe maintained and operated a fleet of three passenger ferry boats (the ''San Pablo'', the ''San Pedro'', and the ''Ocean Wave'') that connected

Richmond, California Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905, and has a city council.

, with San Francisco by water. The ships traveled the eight miles between the San Francisco Ferry Terminal and the railroad's Point Richmond terminal across San Francisco Bay. The service was originally established as a continuation of the company's named passenger train runs such as the ''Angel'' and the ''Saint''. The larger two ships (the ''San Pablo'' and the ''San Pedro'') carried

dining facilities. Rival SP owned the world's largest ferry fleet (which was subsidized by other railroad activities), at its peak carrying 40 million passengers and 60 million vehicles annually aboard 43 vessels. Santa Fe discontinued ferry service in 1933 due to the effects of the Great Depression and routed their trains to Southern Pacific's ferry terminal in

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

. The

San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, known locally as the Bay Bridge, is a complex of bridges spanning San Francisco Bay in California. As part of Interstate 80 and the direct road between San Francisco and Oakland, it carries about 260,000 ve ...

opened in 1936, initiating a slow decline in demand for SP's ferry service, which was eventually discontinued circa 1958; starting in 1938, SF-bound passengers could board buses across the bridge at the Santa Fe Oakland depot (located in Emeryville).

References

External links

"Along Your Way", 1946 edition

Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe
photos and other documents on Kansas Memory, the digital portal of the Kansas Historical Society (over 2800 AT&SF items)
Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Company Records
at the Kansas Historical Society, Topeka, Kansas
Russell Crump's Santa Fe Archives
– a very extensive set of resources for Santa Fe history.

Santa Fe Preserved Locomotives

Santa Fe Railway Historical and Modeling Society
official website

article from the May 18, 1947, issue of ''

Life Magazine ''Life'' was an American magazine published weekly from 1883 to 1972, as an intermittent "special" until 1978, and as a monthly from 1978 until 2000. During its golden age from 1936 to 1972, ''Life'' was a wide-ranging weekly general-interest ma ...

'' featuring the Santa Fe fleet. * James William Steele
''Rand, McNally & Co.'s new overland guide to the Pacific Coast''
Chicago: Rand, McNally & Co., 1888. Illustrated guide to the Santa Fe trip circa 1888.

* ttp://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HBS.Baker.EAD:bak00020 Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad Recordsat Baker Library Historical Collections, Harvard Business School
Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory

Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe (ATSF) All-Time Diesel Roster
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atchison Topeka Santa Fe Railway Former Class I railroads in the United States Predecessors of the BNSF Railway Rail lines receiving land grants Railway companies established in 1895 Railway companies disestablished in 1996 Companies based in Chicago Economy of the Southwestern United States Defunct Arizona railroads Defunct California railroads Defunct Colorado railroads Defunct Illinois railroads Defunct Indiana railroads Defunct Iowa railroads Defunct Kansas railroads Defunct Louisiana railroads Defunct Missouri railroads Defunct Nebraska railroads Defunct Nevada railroads Defunct New Mexico railroads Defunct Oklahoma railroads Defunct Texas railroads Railroads in the Chicago metropolitan area History of Chicago History of San Diego Superfund sites in New Mexico American companies established in 1859 1996 disestablishments in Illinois