The History of the Super Chief
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- Опубликовано: 20 сен 2024
- Hello all! :D
This is a reupload of my Super Chief video from October 2022 - the original had to be taken down due to an unforeseen copyright issue.
One of the main inspirations for my love of American Railroads, the Super Chief stands together with the likes of the Orient Express and the Flying Scotsman as among the most famous named trains ever to run, the lash up of Warbonnet liveried Cab-units and stainless steel coaches setting the trend for an aesthetic revolution that came to define the US railway system throughout the course of the 20th Century, while also being the prime connection between the business-based Midwest, and the tropical escape of Southern California.
All video content and images in this production have been provided with permission wherever possible. While I endeavour to ensure that all accreditations properly name the original creator, some of my sources do not list them as they are usually provided by other, unrelated RUclipsrs. Therefore, if I have mistakenly put the accreditation of 'Unknown', and you are aware of the original creator, please send me a personal message at my Gmail (this is more effective than comments as I am often unable to read all of them): rorymacveigh@gmail.com
The views and opinions expressed in this video are my personal appraisal and are not the views and opinions of any of these individuals or bodies who have kindly supplied me with footage and images.
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References:
- American Rails (and their respective references)
- Wikipedia (and its respective references)
I work in a hobby shop that sells Lionel (and other) trains. The 'Super Chief' starter set is STILL the most popular set we sell, matched only by the 'Polar Express'. That famous War Bonnet paint scheme EMD diesel has been the most popular single piece that Lionel has ever made, with updated versions over the years. Many customers I've spoken with would agree that if a single locomotive needed to be chosen to represent the model train hobby.... it would be a Santa Fe 'Super Chief' F-series.
10:17 on-board barbershops were a feature of a few New York to Chicago first class service trains also, but didn't last past the 50s. Getting a straight-razor shave on a train moving at 90 MPH took some courage.
That was tried a few times during the TEE era in Europe: People would save time by getting their haircut on board a train while they travelled.
In France the Mistral had a bar car with hair salon in the 1960s/70s. Since the 1980s that train was replaced by the much faster TGV using the new high speed line, but with fewer onboard amenities.
In Germany DB installed more improvised hairdressing services in converted compartment cars in the 1970s/80s. Later those cars were changed back to normal seating cars.
Bizarre
And for the 21st century we should have trains that can travel from NYC to Chicago faster and smoother than even a modern shave.
I've never been a fan of the Santa Fe, being a Pennsy fan. But you've got to give them credit when it's due. That is a beautiful train.
I'm with you here, mate. (pfp as subject 1), the E6's are my second favorite Atlantic ever. But jeez, The ATSF E units were stunningly sleek with their rake of coaches.
I visited California many times. Lots of train fans there *detest* the Pennsy.
Interesting, I’ve never been much of a Pennsy fan, being a firm fan of the Santa Fe.
I was a huge Santa Fe Fan and Pennsy Fan. My grandmother worked for the Pennsy.
@@odiecalodie My grandpa worked for the Pennsy, Penn Central and Conrail. I live only three blocks from the old Lines West main line.
My father worked for Santa Fe. I have riden the Super Chief across Kansas and also to Chicago fom Kansas. By myself when I was 12 or 13 years old. There were multiple children traveling by themselves, and we all found each other.
Excellent video! The trains of the 40s and 50s had style grace and flair. Gorgous interiors.
So romantic journeys like this. The food, the comfort, sleeping on the train. It’s a bygone era
Thankfully. These trains were segregated and should not be romanticised.
@@CrumpledSandwich “nothing in the past was ever good and you’re a nazi for thinking so” just stfu
@@evan12697 sorry bro you literally can’t enjoy any American railroad
@@CrumpledSandwich yeah well it was illegal to be gay so there goes British railroads too. Don't even start on German railroads...
1. You can do all of those things on Amtrak.
2. Very very few people could actually afford to travel like this. As late as 1949, the poverty rate in the US was 41%.
I can't get enough of this Santa Fe stuff since childhood. We lived right above the tracks in Rose Canyon where the 'San Diegan' used to go by..
That iconic nose design you discuss at 7:32 is actually still such a cultural touchstone that signs on roads still use that design as the symbol for “train station”.
In the very early 60s, when I was 3 to 4 years old, my family lived in Glendora, which is on the Santa Fe route. I had taken a liking to trains by that time, and somehow, my dad and I discovered that there was a passenger train that went through Glendora on its way east in the evening. I would get Dad to drive me down to the Santa Fe tracks as often as possible so we could watch the "evening train" go by. The first sight of the headlight was enough to trigger excitement and anticipation; and the increasing roar of those red, yellow, and silver "war bonnet" F-unit diesels filled me with even more excitement! To see that big, silver streamlined train roar by was just about the most thrilling thing I could think of--an amazing thing for a 3/4-year old to see, an awesome sight. To this day, I'm not sure which streamliner it was; I only knew it as the "evening train". I'm thinking it wasn't the Super Chief, because if it left Los Angeles on its way east at 8 PM, that would have been too late in the evening for me. So, it was late afternoon or very early evening; if anyone out there has any thoughts or a certainty as to which Santa Fe train it was, I would be pleased to hear some ideas.
I had the same experience except it was in Oceanside, CA on the San Diego to LA run. Seeing the iconic EMD F7 with its War Bonnet paint was a site to behold.
My family rode the LA to San Diego train when we visited my uncle in Vista. He picked us up in Oceanside.
The EB San Francisco Chief stopped in our little desert town around 1 in the AM when i was in elementary school. My mom would take me down to meet the train on the weekends. She had a deal with one of the stewards to bring down the most recent SF Chronicle paper in trade for various baked goodies. So cool to watch that train come to a stop at night.
My family rode the SW Chief to Flagstaff. It's amazing seeing how spacious a train is
The "War Bonnet" color scheme was the world's most recognized color scheme.
America had lovely passenger trains, and the Santa Fe the best loco liveries. I liked the blue and yellow scheme a lot.
I don't like the blue and yellow scheme very much at all!
It was certainly a nicer scheme than SP's dark gray and red. They always looked dirty.
My understanding, which could be wrong, is that the Santa Fe wanted to keep the Super Chief but was told if that was the case it would have to keep its other services too, which is why it handed all remaining services to Amtrak
I rode "El Capitan" from Kansas City to LA in 1959 when I was 14 traveling solo and the "Chief" from Los Angeles to Chicago in 1960. I will always remember those superb trains humming through the west...and the ride was quiet and smooth as silk.
El Capitan.
@@forwhomthebelltolls392Thanks for the shout out which reminds me to edit my comments more closely before posting….😀✌️
You should do one on the Southern Pacific Coast Daylight next
Yes please !:-)
Even if it is a reupload, this is the finest of what You are producing! I know You are the content creator, and probably You have a long list of possible topics, but I would love to pitch You yet another railroad topic - Electric DC traction in UK or just Woodhead route (1,5 kV DC) or maybe UK third rail locomotives.
2:31 The UP yellow was/is “Armour yellow” as it came from the refrigerated box cars of the Armour meat packing company. Their early Streamliners used “Leaf brown” for the roof and was changed to “Harbormist grey”.
I kinda wish UP kept the Leaf Brown scheme.
@michaelconroy6445 I didn't know that's where that name originated.
I started watching this before spotting it was a reupload and had a distinct feeling of deja vu!
Loved the way the British commentator pronounced “Topeker” and “Rio Grandie”.
Always fascinating and informative. Thanks again, Rory.
Cheers from Ottawa, ON
You post this right after I finished a trip on Amtrak's successor version, the Southwest Chief 😂
Which, for the record, having done it now I can highly recommend.
Rode from Houston to LA on Amtrak's Sunset Limited back in '04 - it's the way to travel , to enjoy the country, and the service onboard
Many of the Santa Fe passenger trains were profitable and certain seasons of the year. Train costs are the same whether the train is full of people or whether it is only 1/4 full. Amtrak which both to save the American passenger train and the first thing they did was Acts half of the passenger trains that they had and the railroad said if you let us just continue on money-losing passenger trains we would have been perfectly happy keeping our profitable passenger trains running. One of the reasons why Amtrak is always running a deficit is because they are always buying new cars and new locomotives when the older locomotives and Passenger cars are perfectly fine considering they are never a hundred percent full. All the first generation diesels that were purchased by Amtrak from the various railroads as well as their various Passenger cars should have been thoroughly shopped before they were put into service. Many cars and locomotives that were bought by Amtrak came from marginal railroads that did not keep up with maintenance. Instead of rebuilding the locomotives and Rolling Stock they bought from the railroads they were used temporarily until the government would Finance brand new trains for a money-losing service. I joke with model railroaders when they show a brand new Amtrak train on their layout and the cars are absolutely empty and I say that's a little bit too prototypical. In the old days before the Jet Airways and the interstate most passenger cars could accommodate 100 passengers. Empty Passenger cars either New or Old do not generate any Revenue if they are empty
US mail contracts paid much of the way for passenger operations. With the advent of airplanes, mail contracts with the railroads were cancelled. That made passenger trains unprofitable and raising ticket pricing only pushed more passengers to airliners.
Interestingly, the Santa Fe never had problems with the SDP40F. It's been argued that because Santa Fe's tracks were better maintained in the 1970s, versus other railroads, they could handle the weight of a heavy six axle passenger locomotive. And when Amtrak retired their SDP40F fleet, Santa Fe bought several and modified them for freight service.
An absolutely epic production, Ruairidh, which I’m sure I’ll Watch Later several times!
I remember watching this video when it came out. More than happy to watch it again. Feel like I learned more this second time.
What a shame that things aren't like that any more. I wish my country had reliable rail infrastructure.
Alas.
Beautifully-done video. Thanks for the effort!
Nice vídeo & story.
As for the "Super Chief" history, here's some more facts;
- the fastest ever run between Chicago and Los Angeles (a little bit more than 36 hours), was a special test trip with the*One spot Twins" hauling the train;
- ATSF was one of the very few US rairoads operating trains at a top speed of 100Mph (the other ones being Milwaukee Road, Atlantic Coast Line, for a short time, and Illinois Central. There might be others, but I haven't see any evidence in Employee Timetables of such high speed. For instance, NYC operated at a mere 85Mph). This was later scaled back to 90Moh because of the high maintenance costs required to keep tracks fit for such high speeds (too much jointed rail and short rails, so lots of "pounding", and that required a lot of inspections. On today's almost contonuousely welded tracks with heavier rails and concrete sleepers such speeds are not so problematic);
- Today's "Southwest Chief", despite the long streches of 90Mph running is about 2 hours slower than its ancestor. And between Chicago and Cameron,ILL uses former CB&Q metals (in wich the top speed is only 79 Mph). The route is also different on the last leg arriving at LAUPT
Correct at one time IC too ran trains surpassing 85 on its run between Chitown and Nola (New Orleans). So much so for some time in Mississippi along their right of way, a skull and crossbones neon signed crossing cantilever with an air raid siren was installed in Grenada, Miss which was slightly documented, only four photos of the crossing signal known to exist. It stood from 1930 till its Uninstall in 1970.
The Super Chief began migrating to different metals as soon as Amtrak took over, as Dearborn Station was closed in favor of Union Station. With the BNSF merger, the former ATSF mainline was made redundant and the train switched entirely to Burlington metals through much of Illinois.
The tracks between San Bernardino and LA Union Station were also a situation of duplicate lines, though in this case both were ATSF. The Super Chief took a northerly route that went through Pasadena and other affluent neighborhoods, while the current SW Chief goes along a southern route that recycles track used by the former San Diegan-turned-Pacific Surfliner.
Much of the original northern route still exists, though it was given over to the city for commuter services. A bridge collapsed during an earthquake the day after the SW Chief changed to the southern route, and the northern route hasn't been a through route since AFAIK. The former ATSF stations remain in use by the commuter service though, in addition to new ones.
do you know how the super chief was "returned" when it arrived at Chicago or Los-Angeles and did not have a A locomotive on trail/queue (sorry for my english) ? I did see any video with the locomotive in a pushing mode or pulling directly the observation car. Maybe I'm wrong.
@@BrunoPettorelli The locomotives were turned on the wye tracks in the Chicago terminal.
It's right up there with 20th Century Limited as most iconic passenger consist in pre and postwar America.
Great watch. Just the facts, lots of info without any useless fluff.
Ruairidh, Your research is top notch !
Re-Upload or not,this video is still great
IF you want to see two different American Streamliners where you could potentially see them in a single weekend, the Verde Canyon Railroad shortline operating out of Clarkdale, Arizona operates a pair of restored EMD FP7s, and among the engines used for the Grand Canyon Railroad out of Williams, Arizona still operates an ALCO FA-4 from time to time.
When I was a child, even though the Streamliners had already largely been supplanted by boxier engines that did not match the coachwork of the trailers, the scale model toys of diesel-powered locomotives were still Streamliner shaped. I have no cause to ride trains, my city doesn't even feature passenger rail service, but I've always found the Streamliners to be the most attractive of the post-steam, pre-high-speed period. Even if the streamlining didn't really add much in the way of economy, they just look futuristic, even eighty years later.
We just visited the Grand Canyon a week ago and I was surprised to see the ALCO at the northern terminus. It looked like they were in the process of decoupling it from the northern end of the trailers to put it on the southern end for the later return trip to Williams. I hadn't seen it as an adult before, and it's very striking in GCR livery.
Another top notch, well researched video - bravo and thx for sharing
Just a thought. If all the worlds train operators ever realized that their job is moving people and not building rails, they would all be airlines by now.
I've ridden the Grand Canyon Railroad and our train was pulled by the EMC E1 Locomotive. those Locomotive are like tanks.
folks i've been tucson to cali a few times on the amtrak stormy/sunset limited you need to do this
GREAT presentation !
Thank you for bringing bacj such wonderful memories. I stayed at the Amari a couple times great hotel and worth the money.
"St. Looee" car company cracks me up!
Lionel made the War Bonnet paint scheme famous, especially out east. Their Santa Fe F3 was the largest selling locomotive in the firms history.
Im a fan of the AT&SF because my friends had them. Both Lionel and American Flyer. Then I rode on the Twentieth Century limited from Chicago to NYC. Then I bacame a NY Central fan in 1950.
Thanks for the re-upload. I was wondering what happened to to it
there's just sumpn about a train , nothing finer than being served in the diner , seeing the sights , then going to the bar and getting hammered , life is good if ya can do that
IS was a gloryes day of super chief lines i love the 1950s.
I just noticed that Santa Fe washed their train regularly. That is something I miss today here in Europe. Our broke and busted train companies have zero money to wash the rolling stock, and that is really a sad sight. The last train I was on, was the express from Dublin to Gallway and the darn thing had flies on the front that were half an inch thick. Horrible.
A really great documentary with lots of interesting archival footage artfully edited!
didnt even realise it was a reupload, its always such an informative watch, and they just dont make things like they used too. Those old streamliner locos just look so good. Why would they insist on bricky appearances only? I doubt aerodynamics have any play in it, especially given the poor speeds that the trains attain. They hardly need TGV level engineering
It’s less for speed, more for safety. The slant nosed E1’s, while incredibly stylish, would be extremely weak in the event of a head-on collision. The Bulldog noses in the later E’s and the entire line of F-units not being any better. This was horrifically proven in a derailment in the mid-40’s, which basically killed any chance of railroads running high speed passenger trains. It’s why the nationwide speed limit is only 79 mph without special signaling and protection equipment
@@russellgxy2905 Compared to the older Box Cabs (such as #1-A and #1B) the raised "Turret" Cabs placed the Cab Crew above the height of Road Vehicles at Crossings, adding to safety.
The "Shovel Nose" and "Bulldog Nose" may not have had the Collision Energy Management of modern Locomotives (and DVTs), but as an evolution of the Turret Cab, and the low Cabs of the Burlington "Zephyrs", it was a welcome Improvement for the Crews.
great job. Thanks!
I wish you included some pics of Dearborn Station. After passenger service ended and tacks removed it was repurposed as office space, and I had a nice office there for several years.
Should check out VIA train Canadian it All Budd Coaches from CPR history. Also, is Flagship for Via
Nice story of this legend train. they have been able to run high level passenger long distance trains in the US too. Orient express and Flying Scotsman are know worldwide though.
And excellent, comprehensive report, as always. But mentioning the exclusive "Turquoise Room" would have been a nice touch.
Excellent piece!
Yeah the (EMD=GM) E-units were iconic but IMO the Alco FAs were prettier...
...and a 567 under power is almost as iconic as the Paxman Valenta...
Another fantastic video. Well done!
The Swedish built NOHAB locomotives were not really "influenced" by the F-Units. They actually were a license built, with the roofline lower at the sides due to the European loading gauge.
Magyaroszágon M61. NOHAB néven futottak ezek a mozdonyok. Kivàló gépek voltak. A megmaradtak lassan 60 évesek. Nagy becsben tarták őket. Amerikai mozdonyon a vasfüggöny mögöt....
It’s heard the warbonents f7a got so famous they became the icon of trains altogether
Now everytime you see regular train media you will see a warbonnet from the Santa Fe
Rolling by
Most of the railroads problems weren’t down to mismanagement, they were down to the railroads being nearly bankrupt because of the ICC’s rate regulation.
I see new vid, I press like, I watch, I enjoy regardless of subject matter. That is all.
What a difference in our society. The men are wearing suits with ties and the women nice dresses; contrast that with the way people dress today, shorts, t-shirts and sandals for shoes.
Great job. Who would have thought I'd get to see a glorious 5-stripe GG1 and a Reading train in a video about the Sante Fe, although a Reading streamliner would have been more appropriate than a lowly MU Silverliner.
Those American trains are so huge in size. Even the double decker carriages are also massive.
awesome vid! have you considered doing a Motion History vid on the new york central hudsons?
Holy jesus it's back.
Must have been one of the first serious diesel services. Very class looking locos.
For sure. I have a soft spot for the EA’s working the Capitol Limited being close to DC, but the Super Chief has just as much respect. The first _long_ transcontinental run handled by diesels, first test of the E’s in long distance service, and subsequently the first train to prove that that F-units could do just as well, if not better, in passenger service in hilly terrain
Very good video my man 👍
What a time to travel
Iconic!
Thanks I Enjoyed The Video ❤ It 😊
This is awesome!
Great vlog as always! How about a vlog about how Norwegian shipping companies came to rule the seas from 1851 and the next 130 yrs.
You really do know you're motion history Rory and that's also #OurHistory
A bit fast on the commentary leaving me almost breathless trying to catch up, but a creditable documentary on an iconic subject
Everybody talks about the Silver Meteor.
Can you do the Champion, which was a far better train to Miami?
No doubt many vids by Americans on this subject. But it's interesting to see a Brit's perspective. And he's one of the few (perhaps) the 1st?) who can pronounce Los Angeles correctly. But SoCal, while having palm trees is definitely not 'tropical' any more than is SW Britain.
You have to say that US and Germany led the way in diesel locos in the 1930s and 1940s
Hi Ruairdidh,
Is there a way to privately contact you about some of the Content of this Video?
Somewhere I have a book on railroad photigraphs that include a pic from 1965 that has a Santa Fe train in the southwest with fuve units. I wosh I could find that book, let alone remember the title.
Multiple locomotive A and B units coupled together are correctly called a "consist," NOT a lashup.
Nothing says "luxury and extravagance" like the Navajo Nation.
AMTRAK trains often are forced to utilize rails which are clearly below passenger grade or even worn out by the heavy loads born through coal transport etc. Our trip on the CAPITOL LIMITED from Chicago to DC was indeed so violent that we were cautioned to stay in our seats in our staterooms.
What is up with the audio in these recent videos and how come are uploads so much more frequent now?
A GE P40/42 Stylish? Not on your life. I think the late Jim Boyd, former editor of "Railfan & Railroad Magazine", summed it up concisely when he saw the artist's conception of the new AMD-103 (AMtrak Diesel - 103 mph), the pre-release working name for the P40s. He called it "Armenian Made Diesel, 103% ugly". I know the F40PHs had reached the end of their regular service life, but the GE version was not very attractive, and also has suffered from numerous mechanical issues, some of them a result of Amtrak delaying regular maintenance, but which were not generally a problem with the F40s. For one thing, the P40s/42s have (or had) a nasty habit of catching fire and burning down en route. Hopefully, they will not suffer the same fate as the first GE Amtrak passenger Diesels, the P30CHs, none of which were preserved, because virtually no one at Amtrak desired to have any lasting memory of them by the time they were retired, they were such a maintenance nightmare by the end of their service lives, and they truly were historically significant, being the first new Amtrak units delivered with Head End Power capability.
ok seriously what happened to the mic quality?
9:18 Sounds like a few lines from "Route 66" by Nat Cole (or Chuck Berry, if you prefer)...
Do the history of the Aventras Electrostars Intercity Express Trains and Sprinters
It’s a bit premature for the Aventras
I always thought the Santa Fe Super Chief was the most beautiful train in North America, although I like the Pennsy better.
Is i just me or have I watched this one before?
No word of actual native Americans being employed in the design of Super Chief interiors, paint schemes or marketing?
Your sentences are too long. This makes them hard to follow. I know you are imparting a lot of information, which I appreciate
Who operated the California Zephyr?
From 1949 to 1970, three railroads operated the California Zephyr. The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy railroad (aka, “The Burlington Route”), the Denver and Rio Grande Western and the Western Pacific. Burlington ran between Chicago and Denver. D&RGW ran between Denver and Salt Lake City and Western Pacific ran between SLC and Oakland, Ca.
After mergers and acquisitions, Burlington merged with Great Northern to become Burlington Northern. BN merged with ATSF to become today’s BNSF. Both D&RGW and Western Pacific were acquired by Union Pacific. So today’s Amtrak California Zephyr runs on BNSF tracks from Chicago to Denver and on Union Pacific tracks between Denver and Emeryville, CA, a city right near Oakland. The original California Zephyr ran through the Feather River Canyon in California. Today’s version goes through Reno NV and then over Donner Pass. I wish it still followed the Feather River route. Beautiful scenery!
might have been famous there but nowhere else.
I thought you already made a video on this
🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
Why can I see Homer Simpson in the M10001 sets?
What trains ran in Montana USA back then?
Can we start a patreon to buy Rudy a better mic?
Not bad :)
This is how the English Languaage should be pronounced. No Yankee garble and invented words. 😅
Well done! 👏😊