Along The Line / Gp-9

ATSF2652-OKCity..GP-9 with before "Yellow Bonnet" paint scheme. Notice the sunshades are the older version...

Trains in Action

ATSF Fp 45's Taking on fuel, heads up what looks like a mixed freight at Clovis New Mexico in January 1968.

Chopped nose version


An EMD GP9 is a four-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division in the United States, and General Motors Diesel in Canada between January, 1954, and August, 1963. US production ended in December, 1959, while an additional thirteen units were built in Canada, including the last two in August, 1963. Power was provided by an EMD 567C sixteen-cylinder engine which generated 1,750 horsepower (1.30 MW).[1] This locomotive type was offered both with and without control cabs; locomotives built without control cabs were called GP9B locomotives. All GP9B locomotives were built in the United States between February, 1954, and December, 1959.

A total of 3,444 units of this locomotive model were built for American railroads, with an additional 646 for Canadian railroads and ten for Mexican railroads. Five units were built for a railroad in Brazil, four units were built for a railroad in Peru and six units were built for a railroad in Venezuela. Of the GP9B, 165 examples were built for American railroads.

There were 40 GP9M units built that are included in the 3,444 units built for United States railroads. A GP9M was built with parts from another older EMD locomotive, either an F unit or a damaged GP7. The use of parts from these older locomotives caused the GP9Ms to have a lower power rating than a GP9. This would be either 1,350 horsepower (1.01 MW) if the donor locomotive was an FT/F2 or 1,500 horsepower (1.12 MW) from F3/F7/GP7 locomotives.

Many rebuilt GP9s remain in service today with shortline railroads and industrial operators. Some remain in rebuilt form on some major Class I railroads, as switcher locomotives. Canadian Pacific Railway and Canadian National Railway still have many in their fleets in 2007 as switcher locomotives.

Motive Power / C-44-9W

The GE C44-9W is one of the most successful present-day diesel locomotive ever built. Before General Electric unveiled their Evolution Series in 2005, the C44-9W had sold nearly 2,500 units to Class I railroads in the United States and more than 200 additional models to foreign railroads! The success of the model, which replaced the earlier "Dash 8" line, was due to its reliability, simplicity, and powerful prime mover all traits which by the 1990s GE was well known for. Today, just as with EMD's ultra-successful SD40-2 model, nearly every other locomotive you will see pulling a Class I freight train is either a C44-9W or similar model (i.e., ES44AC, C40-9W, etc.).

The Super Chief

The Super Chief was one of the named passenger trains and the flagship of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. It was often referred to as "The Train of the Stars" because of the many celebrities who traveled on the streamliner between Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California. The streamlined Super Chief (assigned train Nos. 17 & 18) was the first Diesel-powered, all-Pullman sleeping car train in America, and it eclipsed the Chief as Santa Fe's standard bearer. The extra-fare Super Chief-1 commenced its maiden run from Dearborn Station in Chicago on May 12, 1936. Just over a year later, on May 18, 1937 the much-improved Super Chief-2 traversed the 2,227.3 miles (3,584.5 kilometers) from Los Angeles over recently upgraded tracks in just 39 hours and 49 minutes (averaging 60.8 miles-per-hour (98.0 km/h), often exceeding 100 miles-per-hour in the process).
From that day forward the Super Chief set a new standard for luxury rail travel in America. With only one set of equipment, the train initially operated but once a week from both Chicago and Los Angeles. However, at the height of its popularity, and with added equipment, the trains of the Super Chief made daily departures from both ends of the line. Adding to the train's mystique were its gourmet meals and Hollywood clientèle.
Direct competitors to the Super Chief during its lifetime were the City of Los Angeles, a streamlined passenger train jointly operated by the Chicago and North Western Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad, and (to a lesser extent) the Golden State, a streamlined passenger train jointly operated by the Rock Island and Southern Pacific railroads. Santa Fe's route from Chicago to Los Angeles was the lengthiest of the high-speed, long distance trains of the day, making its way through mostly sparsely populated areas (which enhanced the train's already distinctive aura). The Santa Fe Super Chief was the next to last passenger train in the United States to carry an all-Pullman consist; only the Pennsylvania Railroad's Broadway Limited survived longer. The train maintained its legendary high level of service until the end of Santa Fe passenger operations on May 1, 1971.
When Amtrak took over operation of the nation's passenger service on May 1, 1971 it ended the 35-year run of the Super Chief on the Santa Fe, though Amtrak would continue to use the name along the same route for another three years. In 1974 the Santa Fe forced Amtrak to drop the train's name due to a perceived decline in service. Amtrak replaced the train over the same route with its Southwest Limited. Following the delivery of new Superliner equipment, the Santa Fe compromised with Amtrak and the train became known as the Southwest Chief in 1984.

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Motive Power / The FP45 / Super Fleet

Most of Santa Fe's Super Fleet consists of fairly new "widecab" locomotives. The FP45's are the exception to this rule. These units were the first to wear the modern Super Fleet scheme, as it was applied to them as a test before the decision was made to paint new locomotives in this scheme.
All of these locomotives were over 20 years old when they received their current red and silver coats, and were then renumbered to the 100 series (same series as they were numbered when new). The FP45's were soon renumbered to the 5990 series to make room for the new GP60M's, and soon after were renumbered into the current 90 series.

Santa Fe 3751

Santa Fe 3751 is a restored 4-8-4 steam locomotive that was originally owned and operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. It is located in the Central City East neighborhood of Los Angeles, California and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Built in 1927 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, 3751 was Baldwin's and Santa Fe's first 4-8-4. Tests showed that 3751 was 20% more efficient and powerful than Santa Fe's 4-8-2 3700 class steamer, which at the point was the Santa Fe's top of the line steamer. In 1936, the engine was converted to burn oil. Two years later, the locomotive was given a larger tender able to hold 20,000 gallons of water and 7,107 gallons of fuel oil. In 1941, along with other 4-8-4s, 3751 received major upgrades including: 80-inch drive wheels, a new frame, roller bearings all around, and more. That same year, it achieved its highest recorded speed at 103 mph. It continued to be a very reliable work locomotive until 1954 when it pulled the last steam powered passenger train out of San Diego on August 23, where it ran on its last revenue run. Later that year it was officially retired from the roster and placed on display in San Bernardino. In 1981, the San Bernardino Railroad Historical Society was formed with intentions of restoring and operating 3751. Four years later, they achieved their goal when 3751 was sold to them for $1 with conditions, the SBRHS must restore and operate the locomotive. In 1986, 3751 was moved from its display to California Steel industries where it was restored for a cost of $1.5 million dollars and operated for the first time in 38 years in 1991. Since then, it has done countless excursions and special trips and gone to many events.

The locomotive is currently owned by the San Bernardino Railroad Historical Society, the organization that performed the restoration.

In 2000, 3751 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

A second locomotive of the same class has also been preserved, AT & SF Locomotive 3759. It too is listed on the NRHP.

In 2008, 3751 ran on the coast line for two excursions. The first, on June 1st, was a public excursion which left 30 minutes late due to a delayed Metrolink train and arrived 4 hours behind schedule, mostly caused by the single-track railroad south of CP Avery, or the Mission Viejo station. However, it was history in the making, as no steam engine traversed the coast line since the American Freedom Train, and many proud Southern California residents turned out to watch. The train was turned at Miramar Wye, 15 miles north of San Diego station. The second excursion was a private car special, passing San Clemente at 9:30 AM. However, a trespasser was struck at CP Avery, delaying all trains up to 3 hours. 3751 passed CP Avery roughly around 9:00 PM. Still, this excursion was enjoyed by many, even catching the eye of railfans as far north as Simi Valley.

In May of 2010, the 3751 returned to the Surf Line for a third excursion pulling 10 Amtrak cars and a few dome cars, attracting large crowds to see it in action. In order to alleviate issues with turning the train, the excursion was split over two days—south to San Diego on May 1st, and north to Los Angeles the following day. This proved successful as 3751 was on time into San Diego the first day and sustained only normal delays northbound, thus proving the excursion the most successful yet. Proceeds from this trip will be used for the annual $50,000 cost of maintaining and storing the locomotive.

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (reporting mark ATSF), often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger 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 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

Cyrus K. Holliday, the first president of the railroad.

Startup and initial growth

The railroad's charter, written single-handedly by Cyrus K. Holliday in January 1859, was approved by the Kansas' territorial 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; the original eastern terminus was Atchison, Kansas, slightly northeast of Topeka, hence the name. 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)
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 DRGW 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 DRGW was allowed to complete its line and lease it for use by the Santa Fe. The DRGW 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 ATSF 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 ATSF 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 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.

A map of "The Santa Fé Route" and subsidiary lines as published in an 1891 issue of the Grain Dealers and Shippers Gazetteer.

A comparison map prepared by the Santa Fe Railroad in 1921 showing the "The Old Santa Fé Trail" (top) and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad and its connections (bottom).

Facing the competition

An AT&SF passenger train in operation, circa 1895.

While construction over the Rockies was slow and difficult due to the logistics involved, in some instances armed conflicts with competitors arose (such as with the D&RG in Colorado and New Mexico, and — after capturing the Raton Pass — the SP in Arizona and California, as exemplified in the "frog war" between SP and Santa Fe subsidiary the California Southern Railroad at Colton, California in September 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. Union Pacific was another rival, but not that much of one, Union Pacific, or UP, was also in the western expansion and also was a route through the Rocky Mountains for industrial strength.

Expansion through mergers

Having completed a line to the West Coast, by 1886, William B. Strong started looking around for other expansion opportunities. The Financially troubled Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway Company, a Texas line with nearly 700 miles (1,100 km) of track in service provided just such an opportunity. The GC&SF was required, as part of a merger agreement, to construct a 171-mile (275 km) line from Fort Worth to Purcell, in the Indian Territory, where AT&SF had a railhead. The connection was completed, and the merger became official on April 27, 1887. GC&SF continued to operate as a wholly owned subsidiary until finally merged directly into ATSF in 1965, by which time it had about 1,800 miles (2,900 km) of track in service.

Santa Fe No. 2A, an EMC E1 is shown pulling the Super Chief on the cover of the railroad's 1945 promotional publication "Along Your Way."

A brief look at some key figures comparing the railroad's extent between 1870 and 1945 shows just how much the railroad had grown:

	1870	1945
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

Source: Santa Fe Railroad (1945), Along Your Way, Rand McNally, Chicago, Illinois.

Predecessors, subsidiary railroads, and leased lines

• Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway (1887–1965) — an operating subsidiary of ATSF
• 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][dead link]}

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 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 (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 landowner. Some time later, Catellus would purchase the Union Pacific Railroad's interest in the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal (LAUPT).
The paint scheme that would never be completed is called Kodachrome. This is a much loved paint scheme and very few locomotives still bear this paint.

Merger into BNSF

Main article: BNSF Railway

On September 21, 1995 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.
The merged railroads are now know as BNSF. There are multiple paint schemes bearing the BNSF logo. The most modern is the BNSF Swoosh scheme. This features an orange body with black letters and numbers. The logo has BNSF above a big triangle or swoosh.

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^[4]
• 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.
The ubiquitous passenger service inspired the title of the 1946 Academy-Award-winning Johnny Mercer tune "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe." The song was written in 1945 for the film The Harvey Girls, a story about the waitresses of the Fred Harvey Company's restaurants. It was sung in the film by Judy Garland and recorded by many other singers, including Bing Crosby. In the 1970s, the ATSF used Crosby's version in a commercial.

Courtesy of Wikipedia