El Capitan(train)

Sample consists
February 1938
Train	Original consists
	Locomotive:EMC E1Locomotive #5 / #6; Baggage-Dormitory-Chair car (32 seats) #3480 / #3481; Chair car (52 seats) #3103 / #3104; Lunch Counter-Diner#1505 / #1506; Chair car (52 seats) #3105 / #3106; Round-end Chair car /Observation(50 seats) #3198 / #3199;
Summer 1956
Train	Westbound #21
	Locomotives: 4 xEMD F3/EMD F7; Baggage (storage mail); Baggage; Baggage-Dormitory(transition car); Hi-LevelStep Down Chair Car (68 seats); Hi-Level Chair Car (72 seats); Hi-Level Chair Car (72 seats); Hi-Level Diner; Hi-Level Lounge; Hi-Level Chair Car (72 seats); Hi-Level Chair Car (72 seats); Hi-Level Chair Car (72 seats); Hi-LevelStep Down Chair Car (68 seats);

*El Capitan*
El Capitan
	TheEl Capitandepicted on a 1950spostcardat some point after receiving itsHi-Levelequipment.
Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Status	Discontinued
Locale	MidwesternandSouthwestern United States
First service	February 22, 1938
Last service	April 29, 1973
Successor	Southwest Chief
Former operator(s)	Santa Fe; Amtrak(1971–1973)
Route
Termini	Chicago; Los Angeles
Average journey time	39 hrs 30 min
Train number(s)	21 and 22
Line(s) used	Southern Transcon
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft8+1⁄2in(1,435 mm)standard gauge

TheEl Capitanwas astreamlined passenger trainoperated by theAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway( "Santa Fe" ) betweenChicago,Illinois,andLos Angeles,California.It operated from 1938 to 1971;Amtrakretained the name until 1973. TheEl Capitanwas the only all-coach or "chair car" (non-Pullmansleeper) to operate on the Santa Fe main line between Chicago and Los Angeles on the same fast schedule as the railroad's premier all-PullmanSuper Chief.It was also the first train to receive the pioneeringHi-Levelequipment with which it would become synonymous.

History

The train at Albuquerque in 1938

The combinedSuper Chief / El Capitan,led byEMD F7sin Santa Fe'sWarbonnetpaint scheme, pulls into Track 10 at Los Angeles' Union Passenger Terminal (LAUPT) on September 24, 1966.

TheEl Capitandebuted on February 22, 1938, on a twice-weekly schedule, using two five-car sets ofstreamlinedequipment built by theBudd Company.^[1]Like thePennsylvania Railroad'sTrail Blazer,it offered "low-cost passage with high-speed convenience". The fare from Chicago to Los Angeles was $5.00 above the $39.50 regular coach fare in 1938.

Originally conceived as theEconomy Chief,the name 'El Capitan' was chosen to commemorate theSpanish conquistadors;it competed for passenger traffic withUnion Pacific'sChallenger.Unique in charging an extra fare despite being a coach train, it pioneered such features as "RideMaster" seats optimized for sleeping.

On its inaugural run theEl Capitanleft the main line atWilliamsand traveled up theGrand Canyon RailwaytoGrand Canyon Depot.In regular operation passengers bound for theGrand Canyonwould connect at Williams.^[2]

Santa FeEMD F3A#19, assigned to that day'sEl Capitan,smashed through a concrete barrier atLos Angeles Union Stationin January 1948

In its first year and a half theEl Capitanran at 80% capacity, superior to similar services. Reservations had to be made weeks in advance.^[3]In 1942 the consist expanded to 12 cars.^{[citation needed]}Heavy traffic duringWorld War IIforced the Santa Fe to lengthen the train's schedule by two hours in July 1942; it restored the old schedule on June 2, 1946.^[4]On September 29, 1946, theEl Capitanbegan running every other day, departing Los Angeles and Chicago on odd-numbered days (except the 31st). Together with theSuper Chiefon even-numbered days, the two trains formed what the Santa Fe billed as "the first and only daily⁠39+3/4⁠hour service between Chicago and California ".^[5]On January 25, 1948, one of the locomotives assigned to theEl Capitancrashed through a steel bumper post and concrete wall at Los Angeles'Union Passenger Terminal,ending with the locomotive dangling about 20 feet above Aliso Street.^[6]In 1948 the Santa Fe received additional equipment which permitted theSuper ChiefandEl Capitanto start operating daily; the new schedules went into effect on February 29.^[7]The extra-fare charges were dropped from bothEl Capitanand theChiefon December 14, 1953.^{[citation needed]}

El Capitanwas one of the first Santa Fe trains to use the Budd-built "Big Dome"-Loungecars. These were soon given to theChief(another AT&SF Chicago-to-Los Angeles special), and replaced by newdouble-decker"Hi-Level"chair cars(coaches) developed by Budd and the railroad in 1954–1956. These experimental cars had a quieter ride, increased seating capacities, and better views.^[8]^[9]

The Santa Fe combined theSuper ChiefandEl Capitanon January 12, 1958. The combined train used theSuper Chief's numbers, 17 and 18, but the Santa Fe continued to use both names.^[10]On its formationAmtrakcontinued the combinedSuper Chief/El Capitandesignation until April 29, 1973, when it dropped theEl Capitanportion.^[11]Today the route of theEl Capitanis served byAmtrak'sSouthwest Chief.Many Amtrak trains used a combination of refurbished former Santa Fe Hi-Level cars with newerSuperlinerrailcars until the early 2000s.^{[citation needed]}

Equipment

TheEl Capitandebuted in February 1938 with two all-lightweightconsistsmanufactured by theBudd Company.Each included a baggage-dormitory-coach, two coaches, a lunch counter-dining car, and coach-observation car.The baggage-dormitory-coach had a small baggage area forward, followed by bunks for the train's crew and 32 coach seats. Both coaches seated 52 and featured men's and women's restrooms at opposite ends. In the observation car the restrooms were located forward, followed by 50 coach seats. During periods of high demand additional cars were added from theScout's pool.^[14]The Santa Fe also employed its experimentalpendulum car.^[15]

Between 1946 and 1948 the Santa Fe increased the length of theEl Capitanand added new cars built during and afterWorld War II.The newEl Capitanincluded a storage mail car, baggage-dormitory, eight 44-seat "leg-rest" coaches, two lunch counter-dining cars, a club-lounge, and a coach-observation car. Most of the coaches were built byPullman-Standard.^[16]The reduced seating in the coaches was given over to improved leg room for passengers.^[17]

Between 1954 and 1956 the El Capitan's consist included the "Big Dome"-Lounge that replaced the mid-train club-lounge car. On July 15, 1956, the new,"Hi-Level"streamliner consist debuted. Santa Fe purchased enough" Hi-Level "equipment for five nine-car consists. Six of the railroad's older baggage-dormitory cars had a cosmeticfairingapplied to the rear roofline to create the distinctive "transition" cars and maintain a streamlined appearance onEl Capitan.The real transition cars were the 68-seat step down chair cars, which had a regular-height diaphragm at one end and a high-level at the other. The dining cars rode on six-wheel trucks due to their massive weight (all other cars rode on four-wheel trucks). The "Big Domes" were transferred to theChiefpool.^[18]^[19]

As on many "named" long haul trains of the era, the rear of the observation car bore a lighted"Drumhead".^[20]These signs included "El Capitan" in a distinctive logotype with the railroad's logo.^[21]

Pre-1956El Capitandiner
The Big Dome car, 1954
The Hi-Level cars

Notes

^Glischinski 1997,p. 90
^Richmond 2005,p. 10
^Life 1939,p. 49
^Abbey 2016,p. 62
^"Super Chief and El Capitan every other day to California".Pittsburgh Press.September 12, 1946.RetrievedAugust 3,2013.
^"End of the Line, But it Keeps Going: Big Locomotive Crashes Through Wall at Station".Los Angeles Times.January 26, 1948. p. 1.
^Glischinski 1997,p. 90
^Glischinski 1997,p. 91
^Wegman 2008,p. 153
^Dorin 2005,p. 63
^Sanders 2006,p. 125
^"El Capitan - September, 1938".Streamliner Schedules.RetrievedMay 17,2013.
^"Santa Fe El Capitan".Walthers Model Railroading.RetrievedMay 17,2013.
^Wayner 1972,p. 189
^Howe, Ward Allan (December 28, 1941). "RAIL NOTES: TUBE COACH".The New York Times.
^Wayner 1972,p. 192
^Abbey 2016,p. 64
^Glischinski 1997,p. 91
^Wegman 2008,p. 153
^"ABC's of Railroading: Terms of the trade".Trains.Waukesha, WI: Kalmbach Publishing. June 1991. p. 22.
^Solomon 2010,p. 175

References

"Day Coach Limited".Life.August 21, 1939. pp. 48–55.RetrievedAugust 4,2013.
Abbey, Wallace W. (2016). "Short hop on El Capitan". In McGonigal, Robert S. (ed.).Great Trains West.Waukesha, WI:Kalmbach Publishing.pp. 60–65.ISBN 978-1-62700-435-0.
Dorin, Patrick C. (2005).The Super Chief and the El Capitan.Forest, VA: TLC Publishing.ISBN 0-9766-2019-7.OCLC 61048172.
Duke, Donald (1997).Santa Fe...The Railroad Gateway to the American West, Volume 2.San Marino, CA:Golden West Books.ISBN 0-87095-110-6.
Frailey, Fred W. (1974).A Quarter Century of Santa Fe Consists.Godfrey, IL:RPC Publications.
Glischinski, Steve (1997).Santa Fe Railway.Osceola, WI: Motorbooks International.ISBN 978-0-7603-0380-1.
Richmond, Al (April–June 2005)."The Other El Tovar"(PDF).The Ol' Pioneer.16(2). Grand Canyon Historical Society: 3, 10. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on November 10, 2014.RetrievedMay 17,2013.
Sanders, Craig (2006).Amtrak in the Heartland.Bloomington, Indiana:Indiana University Press.ISBN 978-0-253-34705-3.
Schafer, Mike;Welsh, Joe (2002).Streamliners: History of a Railroad Icon.Saint Paul, MN: MBI.ISBN 0-7603-1371-7.OCLC 51069308.
Solomon, Brian (2010). "The Santa Fe Route". In Cooper, Bruce Clement (ed.).The Classic Western American Railroad Routes.New York:Chartwell Books.ISBN 978-0-7858-2573-9.
Strein, Robert; et al. (2001).Santa Fe: The Chief Way.New Mexico Magazine.ISBN 0-937206-71-7.
Wayner, Robert J., ed. (1972).Car Names, Numbers and Consists.New York: Wayner Publications.OCLC 8848690.
Wegman, Mark (2008).American Passenger Trains and Locomotives Illustrated.Minneapolis, Minnesota:Voyageur Press.ISBN 978-0-7603-3475-1.
Zimmermann, Karl R. (1987).Santa Fe Streamliners: The Chiefs and their Tribesmen.New York: Quadrant Press.ISBN 0915276410.OCLC 19005401.

External links

Timetables:1938,1956and1967

[1] Glischinski 1997,p. 90

[2] Richmond 2005,p. 10

[3] Life 1939,p. 49

[4] Abbey 2016,p. 62

[5] "Super Chief and El Capitan every other day to California".Pittsburgh Press.September 12, 1946.RetrievedAugust 3,2013.

[6] "End of the Line, But it Keeps Going: Big Locomotive Crashes Through Wall at Station".Los Angeles Times.January 26, 1948. p. 1.

[7] Glischinski 1997,p. 90

[8] Glischinski 1997,p. 91

[9] Wegman 2008,p. 153

[10] Dorin 2005,p. 63

[11] Sanders 2006,p. 125

[sschedules-12] "El Capitan - September, 1938".Streamliner Schedules.RetrievedMay 17,2013.

[13] "Santa Fe El Capitan".Walthers Model Railroading.RetrievedMay 17,2013.

[14] Wayner 1972,p. 189

[15] Howe, Ward Allan (December 28, 1941). "RAIL NOTES: TUBE COACH".The New York Times.

[16] Wayner 1972,p. 192

[17] Abbey 2016,p. 64

[18] Glischinski 1997,p. 91

[19] Wegman 2008,p. 153

[20] "ABC's of Railroading: Terms of the trade".Trains.Waukesha, WI: Kalmbach Publishing. June 1991. p. 22.

[21] Solomon 2010,p. 175

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El Capitan(train)

Contents

History

Equipment

See also

Notes

References

External links

February 1938
Train	Original consists
Locomotive:EMC E1Locomotive #5 / #6 Baggage-Dormitory-Chair car (32 seats) #3480 / #3481 Chair car (52 seats) #3103 / #3104 Lunch Counter-Diner#1505 / #1506 Chair car (52 seats) #3105 / #3106 Round-end Chair car /Observation(50 seats) #3198 / #3199 ^[12]

Summer 1956
Train	Westbound #21
Locomotives: 4 xEMD F3/EMD F7 Baggage (storage mail) Baggage Baggage-Dormitory(transition car) Hi-LevelStep Down Chair Car (68 seats) Hi-Level Chair Car (72 seats) Hi-Level Chair Car (72 seats) Hi-Level Diner Hi-Level Lounge Hi-Level Chair Car (72 seats) Hi-Level Chair Car (72 seats) Hi-Level Chair Car (72 seats) Hi-LevelStep Down Chair Car (68 seats) ^[13]