San Francisco Chief
Encyclopedia
The San Francisco Chief was a named passenger train operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
as Nos. 1 & 2 from June 6, 1954 to May 1, 1971. It covered the Santa Fe line from near San Francisco, California
to Barstow, California
, then east to Chicago, Illinois via the Belen cutoff
. Previously, this route had been served by one section of the Grand Canyon Limited
. For most of its life it also exchanged through cars for/from Houston
, Dallas
, and New Orleans
with the California Special at Clovis, New Mexico
. At 2554.7 rail miles this was the longest passenger train itinerary in the history of the United States until 1993 when Amtrak
extended the Sunset Limited
east to Miami and Orlando. It remains the longest passenger rail itinerary ever operated entirely on the trackage of a single U.S. railroad. The San Francisco Chief was one of the very last new streamliners
introduced to the traveling public in the post World War II era. The train's equipment was augmented with Budd Hi-level cars in 1964.
Despite its name, the San Francisco Chief never actually terminated in San Francisco. Instead, it ran to Santa Fe's Oakland
Station (actually located in Emeryville
), and after 1958, Richmond
. In the years when it ran to the Oakland depot passengers could continue to San Francisco on a Santa Fe bus, or, if willing to handle their luggage, on a Key System
train on the lower deck of the Bay Bridge. After the service had been cut back to Richmond the San Francisco connection was only by Santa Fe bus.
A 1954 consist:
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
as Nos. 1 & 2 from June 6, 1954 to May 1, 1971. It covered the Santa Fe line from near San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
to Barstow, California
Barstow, California
Barstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 22,639 at the 2010 census, up from 21,119 at the 2000 census. Barstow is located north of San Bernardino....
, then east to Chicago, Illinois via the Belen cutoff
Southern Transcon
The Southern Transcon is a main line of the BNSF Railway between Southern California and Chicago, Illinois. Completed in 1908 by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, when it opened the Belen Cutoff in New Mexico and bypassed the steep grades of Raton Pass, it now serves as a mostly...
. Previously, this route had been served by one section of the Grand Canyon Limited
Grand Canyon Limited
The Grand Canyon Limited was one of the named passenger trains of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. It was assigned train Nos. 23 & 24, and its route stretched between Chicago, Illinois, and Los Angeles, California....
. For most of its life it also exchanged through cars for/from Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, and New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
with the California Special at Clovis, New Mexico
Clovis, New Mexico
Clovis is the county seat of Curry County, New Mexico, United States. Its population was 32,667 at the 2000 census; according to 2010 Census Bureau estimates, the population had risen to 37,775....
. At 2554.7 rail miles this was the longest passenger train itinerary in the history of the United States until 1993 when Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
extended the Sunset Limited
Sunset Limited
The Sunset Limited is a passenger train that for most of its history has run between New Orleans, Louisiana and Los Angeles, California, and that from early 1993 through late August 2005 also ran east of New Orleans to Jacksonville, Florida, making it during that time the only true transcontinental...
east to Miami and Orlando. It remains the longest passenger rail itinerary ever operated entirely on the trackage of a single U.S. railroad. The San Francisco Chief was one of the very last new streamliners
Streamliner cars (rail)
The streamliners are a class of streamlined railway cars built in the forties and fifties of the twentieth century for long distance passenger railservices in North America.-Predecessors:...
introduced to the traveling public in the post World War II era. The train's equipment was augmented with Budd Hi-level cars in 1964.
Despite its name, the San Francisco Chief never actually terminated in San Francisco. Instead, it ran to Santa Fe's Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
Station (actually located in Emeryville
Emeryville, California
Emeryville is a small city located in Alameda County, California, in the United States. It is located in a corridor between the cities of Berkeley and Oakland, extending to the shore of San Francisco Bay. Its proximity to San Francisco, the Bay Bridge, the University of California, Berkeley, and...
), and after 1958, Richmond
Richmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...
. In the years when it ran to the Oakland depot passengers could continue to San Francisco on a Santa Fe bus, or, if willing to handle their luggage, on a Key System
Key System
The Key System was a privately owned company which provided mass transit in the cities of Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, Emeryville, Piedmont, San Leandro, Richmond, Albany and El Cerrito in the eastern San Francisco Bay Area from 1903 until 1960, when the system was sold to a newly formed public...
train on the lower deck of the Bay Bridge. After the service had been cut back to Richmond the San Francisco connection was only by Santa Fe bus.
A 1954 consist:
- EMD F-7 A-B-B-A Unit
- Baggage #3409
- Coach #2816
- Coach #2817
- Coach #2818
- Lunch counter diner #1569
- Big Dome Bar lounge dormitory #550
- Fred Harvey diner #1479
- 24-duplex roomette sleeper Indian-series
- 10-roomette, 6-double bedroom sleeper Blue Bay
- 10-roomette, 6-double bedroom sleeper Pine Bluff
- 4-double bedroom, 4-compartment, 2-drawing room sleeper Regal-series
See also
- Passenger train service on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
External links
- Passenger trains operating on the eve of Amtrak
- San Francisco Chief information from the Santa Fe Railway Historical & Modeling Society.
- Several photos of the San Francisco Chief