Santa Fe

[VentureForth]

The Santa Fe is an interesting paradox. A major national railroad, but entry into it's namesake was/is a very windy time consuming venture. What sort of relationship did Santa Fe, NM have to do with the railroad?

 

[George Harris]

Probably a search on the history of the company would bring some of this out. Santa Fe is a much older city than Albuquerque, and was the capital of the territory, maybe even from Spanish times.

Think of the name: Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe

Atchison was no major metropolis either. Topeka was also ultimately bypassed by the main line and the fastest through passenger trains, pre Amtrak. I am not sure, but I think the line between Topeka and Atchison has been abandoned, so we have what was for a good century one of the best of the major railroad companies whose claim to fame was "Santa Fe all the way" and the fastest time between Chicago and Los Angeles that was named for three points that were ultimately ALL on branch lines.

 

[gswager]

Probably a search on the history of the company would bring some of this out. Santa Fe is a much older city than Albuquerque, and was the capital of the territory, maybe even from Spanish times.

Much older! Here's the info about Santa Fe.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

There was an old song in the 40's called, "On the Atchison Topeka and The Santa fF". I am said to have played it incessantly, nearly driving my parents and sisters to abandon the house and leave me.

It can still be found, sometimes, on the juke boxes at Johnny Rocketts. When I find it, I usually slip about three nickels in there and a eat my hamburger very very slowly.

It is probably my favorite railroad song.

 

[MrFSS]

There was an old song in the 40's called, "On the Atchison Topeka and The Santa Fe". I am said to have played it incessantly, nearly driving my parents and sisters to abandon the house and leave me.

It can still be found, sometimes, on the juke boxes at Johnny Rocketts. When I find it, I usually slip about three nickels in there and a eat my hamburger very very slowly.

It is probably my favorite railroad song.

Bill- I'm, disappointed. I thought your song would be Chattanooga Choo-Choo!

In any event - here is a short history of the Santa Fe and why it didn't go to Santa Fe

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe RailwayFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway

Locale Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas

Dates of operation 1859 – 1995

Successor line BNSF

Track gauge 4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge)

Headquarters Chicago, Illinois

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.

 

[WhoozOn1st]

There was an old song in the 40's called, "On the Atchison Topeka and The Santa fF". I am said to have played it incessantly, nearly driving my parents and sisters to abandon the house and leave me.

It can still be found, sometimes, on the juke boxes at Johnny Rocketts. When I find it, I usually slip about three nickels in there and a eat my hamburger very very slowly.

It is probably my favorite railroad song.

Dude, don't get me started on favorite railroad songs. Your choice has much to recommend it - a classic!

But I'll always go with "Orange Blossom Special," a fast, hard-driving, fiddle-heavy bluegrass tour de force when played right.

Orange Blossom Special

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

There was an old song in the 40's called, "On the Atchison Topeka and The Santa fF". I am said to have played it incessantly, nearly driving my parents and sisters to abandon the house and leave me.

It can still be found, sometimes, on the juke boxes at Johnny Rocketts. When I find it, I usually slip about three nickels in there and a eat my hamburger very very slowly.

It is probably my favorite railroad song.

Dude, don't get me started on favorite railroad songs. Your choice has much to recommend it - a classic!

But I'll always go with "Orange Blossom Special," a fast, hard-driving, fiddle-heavy bluegrass tour de force when played right.

Orange Blossom Special

That is a beautiful postcard Thanks for sharing.

In case anyone wants to know the Orange Blossom Special was a super duper deluxe train on the Seaboard RR. from NYC to FLorida. It was a winter season only train. That is, it catered to the "snowbirders", i.e. people who travel each winter from the frozen climes to the sunny climes.

It was either all sleeper or at least 98 % sleeper, don't remember.

It's last winter season was either Dec. 1952 to April 1953, or perhaps Dec 1953 to April 1954.

It was never streamlined. Instead, it was operated in the manner of a grand older hotel, Like the Palmer House in Chicago or the Roosevelt in New Orleans or the Parker House in Boston, etc. It did receive diesels as you see from the postcard.It was considered a first class train equal to the streamlined Silver Meteor, Silver Star and Silver Comet.

Very rare for a heavyweight train to be accorded that much respect in its latter years.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

And then there is this. After all of my saying it was not a streamllner in the above post, when yiou look close at the card it does say "By streamliner".

No worries.

They were using the word a bit loosely.Since streamlining and diesel power sorta came along about the same time, some folks meant "diesel isntead of steam" by using the word "stremaliner". I assure you the actual passenger care were old but well maintained heavy weight. But with a beautiful "streamlined"locomtove, if you will .

 

[WhoozOn1st]

And then there is this. After all of my saying it was not a streamllner in the above post, when yiou look close at the card it does say "By streamliner".
No worries.

They were using the word a bit loosely.Since streamlining and diesel power sorta came along about the same time, some folks meant "diesel isntead of steam" by using the word "stremaliner". I assure you the actual passenger care were old but well maintained heavy weight. But with a beautiful "streamlined"locomtove, if you will .

Bill Haithcoat, you are a font of information. That's a sincere compliment, not a snide remark, and I hope others also appreciate your attention to detail.

And yeah, railroads were probably playing fast and loose with terminology, so that anything with an E, F, or PA on the nose was called a "streamliner."