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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (AAR reporting marks ATSF), 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 Santa Fe Skyway. 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. History Startup and initial growth 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 Atchison and Topeka Railroad Company 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 miles (10 km), but the Wakarusa Creek Picnic Special train took passengers over the route for celebration in Pauline. The Santa Fe trademark in the late 1800s incorporated the British 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)[1] 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. Crossing the Rockies The D&RG mainline through the Royal Gorge in 1881. 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. 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. Gross operating revenue $182,580 $528,080,530 Total track length 62 miles (100 km) 13,115 miles (21,107 km) Freight carried 98,920 tons 59,565,100 tons Passengers carried 33,630 11,264,000 Locomotives owned 6 1,759 Unpowered rolling stock owned 141 81,974 freight cars 1,436 passenger cars Predecessors, subsidiary railroads, and leased lines • California, Arizona and Santa Fe Railway (1911-1963) — a non-operating subsidiary of the ATSF • Santa Fe, Prescott and Phoenix Railway (1892-1911) • Arizona and California Railway (1903-1905) • Bradshaw Mountain Railroad (1902-1912) — a non-operating subsidiary • Prescott and Eastern Railroad (1897-1911) • Phoenix and Eastern Railroad (1895-1908) • California Southern Railroad (1880-1906) — a subsidiary railroad chartered to build a rail connection between what has become the city of Barstow and San Diego, California • Grand Canyon Railway (1901-1942) — became an operating subsidiary of the ATSF in 1902 and a non-operating subsidiary in 1924 • Santa Fe and Grand Canyon Railroad (1897-1901) • Minkler Southern Railway Company (1913-1992?) — a subsidiary created to build the Porterville-Orosi District (Minkler to Ducor, California) • New Mexico and Arizona Railroad (1882-1897) — ATSF subsidiary; (1897-1934) non-operating SP subsidiary • New Mexico and Southern Pacific Railroad Company (1878-?) — a subsidiary created to lay track across the Raton Pass into New Mexico • Santa Fe Pacific Railroad (1897-1902) • Atlantic and Pacific Railroad (1880-1897) • Sonora Railway — became an operating subsidiary of the ATSF in 1879 • Verde Valley Railway (1913-1942) — an ATSF "paper railroad" at Clarkdale, Arizona • Western Arizona Railway (1906-1931) — an ATSF subsidiary (Kingman – Chloride) • Arizona and Utah Railway (1899-1933) [2] The failed SPSF merger Main article: Southern Pacific Santa Fe Railroad Santa Fe and Southern Pacific Railroad trains meet at Walong siding on the Tehachapi Loop in the late 1980s. The Southern Pacific Santa Fe Railroad (SPSF) 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). Merger into BNSF Main article: 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. [Company officers Presidents of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway: William Barstow Strong, president 1881-1889. • Cyrus K. Holliday: 1860–1863 • Samuel C. Pomeroy: 1863–1868 • William F. Nast: September 1868 • Henry C. Lord: 1868–1869 • Henry Keyes: 1869–1870 • Ginery Twichell: 1870–1873 • Henry Strong: 1873–1874 • Thomas Nickerson: 1874–1880 • T. Jefferson Coolidge: 1880–1881 • William Barstow Strong: 1881–1889 • Allen Manvel: 1889–1893 • Joseph Reinhart: 1893–1894 • Aldace F. Walker: 1894–1895 • Edward Payson Ripley: 1896–1920 • William Benson Storey: 1920–1933 • Samuel T. Bledsoe: 1933–1939 • Edward J. Engel: 1939–1944 • Fred G. Gurley: 1944–1958 • Ernest S. Marsh: 1958–1967 • John Shedd Reed: 1967–1986 • W. John Swartz: 1986–1988 • Mike Haverty: 1989–1991 • Robert Krebs: 1991–1995 Passenger train service The cover of the railroad's November 29, 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[s] 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 (RDCs) 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. Regular revenue trains The Santa Fe often adorned the ends of its observation cars with "drumhead" logos bearing the names of its trains. In terminals such as Dearborn Station, bumper posts carried the logos as well, a practice that continued long after the railroad removed observations from its roster. The Santa Fe operated the following named trains on regular schedules: • The Angel: San Francisco, California — Los Angeles, California — San Diego, California • The Angelo: San Angelo, Texas — Fort Worth, Texas (on the GC&SF) • The Antelope: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma — Kansas City, Missouri • Atlantic Express: Los Angeles, California — Kansas City, Missouri (this was the eastbound version of the Los Angeles Express). • California Express: Chicago, Illinois — 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) • California Special: Los Angeles, California — Clovis, New Mexico • Cavern: Clovis, New Mexico — Carlsbad, New Mexico (connected with the Scout). • Centennial State: Denver, Colorado — Chicago, Illinois • Central Texas Express: Sweetwater, Texas — Lubbock, Texas • Chicagoan: Kansas City, Missouri — Chicago, Illinois (this was the eastbound version of the Kansas Cityan passenger train). • Chicago Express: Newton, Kansas — 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 (this was the eastbound version of the West Texas Express). • El Capitan: Chicago, Illinois — Los Angeles, California • El Pasoan: El Paso, Texas — Albuquerque, New Mexico • El Tovar: Los Angeles, California — Chicago, Illinois (via Belen) • Fargo Fast Mail/Express: Belen, New Mexico — Amarillo, Texas — Kansas City, Missouri — Chicago, Illinois • Fast Fifteen: Newton, Kansas — Galveston, Texas • Fast Mail Express: San Francisco, California (via Los Angeles) — Chicago, Illinois • Golden Gate: Oakland, California — 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) All streamlined and special trains were placed on public display on the Pacific Electric 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 • Overland Limited: Chicago, Illinois — Los Angeles, California • Phoenix Express: Los Angeles, California — Phoenix, Arizona • The Ranger: Kansas City, Missouri — Chicago, Illinois • The Saint: San Diego, California — Los Angeles, California — San Francisco, California • San Diegan: Los Angeles, California — San Diego, 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 • The Texan: Houston, Texas — New Orleans, Louisiana (on the GC&SF between Houston and Galveston, then via the Missouri Pacific Railroad between Galveston and New Orleans). • Texas Chief: Galveston, Texas (on the GC&SF) — Chicago, Illinois • Tourist Flyer: Chicago, Illinois — San Francisco, California (via Los Angeles) • The Tulsan: Tulsa, Oklahoma — Chicago, Illinois • Valley Flyer: Oakland, California — Bakersfield, California • West Texas Express: Amarillo, Texas — Lubbock, Texas (this was the westbound version of the Eastern Express). From 1972 to 1996, and even on into the BNSF era, the company adopted a new paint scheme often known among railfans as the Yellowbonnet which placed more yellow on the locomotives (reminiscent of the company's retired Warbonnet scheme), the goal again to ensure higher visibility at grade crossings. The truck assemblies, previously colored black, now received silver paint. In June, 1989 Santa Fe resurrected the Warbonnet and applied the scheme in a modified fashion to two EMD FP45 units, #5992 and #5998 (this time, displaying "Santa Fe" in large, "billboard"-style red letters across the side). The units were re-designated as #101 and #102 and reentered service on July 4, 1989 as part of the new "Super Fleet" (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, all new locomotives wore the 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, the Santa Fe took delivery of the EMD GP60M, GP60B and General Electric B40-8W, which made the Santa Fe the only US Class I railroad to operate 4-axle (B-B) freight locomotives equipped with the North American Safety Cab. These units were intended for high-speed intermodal service, but towards the final days of the Santa Fe, could be found working local trains and branchline assignments. 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 red block letters "SF" 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 railfans 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 (Kodachrome film was one of the preferred brands in use by railfans). A common joke among railfans is that "SPSF" really stands for "Shouldn't Paint So Fast." Though the merger application was subsequently denied by the ICC, locomotives bearing this color scheme can still be found occasionally in lease service. The Santa Fe's San Pablo ferry plies the waters of San Francisco Bay in the early 20th century. The Santa Fe maintained and operated a fleet of three passenger ferry boats (the San Pablo, the San Pedro, and the Ocean Wave) that connected Oakland 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 the 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 Fred Harvey Company dining facilities. The rival Southern Pacific Railroad 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; the construction of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge initiated the slow decline in demand for SP's ferry service, which was eventually discontinued as well. Quelle: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
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