A 1948 print advertisement touts the many benefits of riding El Capitan.

El Capitan was one of the named passenger trains of the Santa Fe railroad and second only to the Super Chief in terms of popularity and level of service provided. Its route ran from Chicago, Illinois to Los Angeles, California. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1180x1744, 306 KB)1949 advertisement for Santa Fes El Capitan passenger train. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1180x1744, 306 KB)1949 advertisement for Santa Fes El Capitan passenger train. ... 1948 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... The following is a list of named passenger trains and some summary information about them. ... There are various types of trains designed for particular purposes, see rail transport operations. ... The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (AAR reporting mark ATSF), often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the largest railroads in the United States. ... Chicago, colloquially known as the Second City and the Windy City, is the third-largest city in population in the United States and the largest inland city in the country. ... State nickname: Land of Lincoln, The Prairie State Other U.S. States Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) Official languages English Area 149,998 km² (25th)  - Land 143,968 km²  - Water 6,030 km² (4. ... The Downtown Los Angeles skyline. ... State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ...

This all-coach, streamlined train (assigned Nos. 21 & 22) began operations in February, 1938 in response to the Pennsylvania Railroad's Trail Blazer, which offered "low-cost passage with high-speed convenience." Originally conceived as the Economy Chief, the name El Capitan was ultimately chosen to honor the Spanish conquistadors and their influence on Southwestern culture. Santa Fe's extra-fare all-day coach train operated on Super Chief schedules and required the acquisition of two new Budd-built trains of five cars each out of lightweight stainless steel. Each of the two luxury trains were capable of accommodating 188 passengers for a mere $5.00 upcharge over the price of a ticket on the Chief. In fluid dynamics, a streamline is the path that an imaginary massless particle would make if it followed the flow of a fluid in which it was embedded. ... February is the second month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1938 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1911 map The Pennsylvania Railroad (AAR reporting mark PRR) was an American railroad existing 1846–1968, after which it merged into Penn Central Transportation. ... Conquistador (meaning Conqueror in the Spanish language) is the term used to refer to the soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under Spanish rule between the 15th and 17th centuries. ... The term southwest, when used by itself, can refer to: Southwest, the ordinal direction halfway between south and west, the opposite of northeast The Southwest United States Southwest Airlines The Southwest Biosphere Reserve in Australia; see List of Biosphere Reserves in Australia Southwest England, principally the counties of Dorset, Somerset... The Budd Company (now ThyssenKrupp Budd) is a metal fabricator and major supplier of body components to the automobile industry. ... // The pinnacle of New Yorks Chrysler Building is clad with stainless steel In metallurgy, stainless steel (inox) is defined as a ferrous alloy with a minimum of 10. ...

El Capitan was the first of Santa Fe's trains to utilize the "Big Dome"-lounge cars and double-decker "Hi-Level" coaches developed by Budd in the early 1950's. These experimental units featured a quieter ride, increased seating capacities, and boasted better views of the Southwestern terrain El Cap passed though; it eventually became an all Hi-Level train. Dome car - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... A double-decker is a bus, airplane, train, tram, ferry or any public transit vehicle that has two levels for passengers, one deck above the other. ... This article discusses transportation vehicles. ... The Budd Company (now ThyssenKrupp Budd) is a metal fabricator and major supplier of body components to the automobile industry. ... Events and trends Technology United States tests the first fusion bomb. ...

Today the route formerly covered by El Capitan is served by Amtrak's Southwest Chief. Many of Amtrak's trains (especially those in California) consist of a combination of refurbished former Santa Fe Hi-Level cars along with newer Superliner railcar designs. In recent years, four "mothballed" El Capitan lounge cars were removed from storage, refurbished, and placed into service on Amtrak's Coast Starlight as "Pacific Parlour" first-class lounge cars. These refurbished cars feature a service bar, booths, and chairs on the upper level, and a theater on the lower level. Amtrak is the trademark name of the intercity passenger train system created on May 1, 1971 in the United States. ... The Southwest Chief (or Southwest Limited) is a train route operated by Amtrak in the Midwestern and Southwestern United States. ... The Superliner is a largely disabled-accessible double decker passenger car used by Amtrak, on mainly its western routes. ... Mothballs are small balls of chemical pesticide and deodorant used when storing clothing and other articles susceptible to damage from mold or moth larvae. ... The Coast Starlight is a train route operated by Amtrak on the West Coast of the United States. ... For other usages see Theatre (disambiguation) Theater (American English) or Theatre (British English and widespread usage among theatre professionals in the US) is that branch of the performing arts concerned with acting out stories in front of an audience using combinations of speech, gesture, music, dance, sound and spectacle — indeed...

"Drumhead" logos such as these often adorned the ends of observation cars on El Capitan.

Image File history File links AT&SF Drumhead logos from the El Capitan passenger trains. ... Image File history File links AT&SF Drumhead logos from the El Capitan passenger trains. ... A drumhead is a membrane stretched over one or both of the open ends of a drum. ...

Equipment used

The initial equipment roster (per train) was as follows:

• a Baggage-Dormitory car (32 seats)
• a "Chair" car / Coach (52 seats)
• a Lunch counter-Diner-Lounge car
• a "Chair" car / Coach (52 seats)
• a round-end Observation car (52 seats)

Luggage is any number of bags, cases and containers which hold a travellers articles during transit. ... This article discusses transportation vehicles. ... US postage stamp, indicating the popularity of the diner. ... There is also an album by Blur called Leisure. ... This article discusses transportation vehicles. ... When passenger trains were still the preferred mode of intercity transportation in America, observations often were used by those campaigning for public office, especially for the Presidency of the United States. ...

Timeline

One of Santa Fe's "Big Dome"-lounge cars originally built by the Budd Company for El Capitan; eventually, these cars would find their way into consists on nearly every main line. Unit #506 (shown above) was the only unit retained by the Santa Fe after 1971 (its designation changed to #60); all the rest have been sold to Auto-Train. The car "lives" today as a member of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe roster as BNSF31, the Bay View.

• 1937: El Capitan is conceived to compete with the Pennsylvania Railroad's low-cost, high-speed train the Trail Blazer.
• February 20, 1938: Operations commence with weekly excursions based on the same "over-the-road" time as the Super Chief.
• October 12, 1947: El Capitan trains begin operating on an every-other-day basis.
• February 29, 1948: El Capitan begins its daily schedule between Chicago and Los Angeles.
• 1949: The Union Pacific Railroad reintroduces its popular all-coach Challenger train, set to run on a 39-and-a-half hour schedule in order to compete directly with El Capitan. The UP also announces that there will be no added fare for this train.
• 1952: The Budd Company unveils concepts for a double-decked coach based on similar commuter cars manufactured for the Chicago & Northwestern Railway and Burlington railroads. The Santa Fe plans to upgrade the cars on the Chief with the new design.
• December 14, 1953: The extra-fare charges are dropped from both El Capitan and the Chief.
• March 1954: Six full-length dome-lounge cars (called "Big Domes" by Santa Fe's employees) are delivered for use on El Capitan by the Budd Company.
• July 1954: Two experimental "Hi-Level" intercity coaches arrive and are placed directly on El Capitan instead of the Chief. The railroad trial tests the units for over a year.
• March 25, 1955: The Santa Fe orders 47 Hi-Level cars (35 chair cars, 6 domed diners, and 6 full-length domes) from Budd, enough rolling stock to equip El Capitan on a daily basis with a few cars as spares, making it the first widespread use of such cars to over-the-road streamliners.
• July 8, 1956: Hi-Level ("Top of the Cap") El Capitan trains commence running, simultaneously, from both ends of the line.
• January 12, 1957: The Super Chief and El Capitan are combined into one train during the off-peak travel seasonon a 39½-hour schedule.
• February 1963: Santa Fe orders an additional 24 Hi-Level chair cars, bringing the total inventory to 71 units (enough for a 12-unit consist per train).
• May 1, 1971: Amtrak is formed and takes over operation of the nation's passenger service, thus ending the reign of El Capitan. Amtrak retains the use of the Super Chief/El Cap names, with the Santa Fe's concurrence. Amtrak subsequently acquires a number of Santa Fe passenger cars, including the Hi-Level coaches; the revolutionary cars serve as the inspiration for Amtrak's Superliner fleet of coaches, sleepers, diners, and lounge cars in the late 1970s.
• 1973: Amtrak drops the El Capitan designation.

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x601, 118 KB)AT&SF #506-60, a Big Dome lounge car. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x601, 118 KB)AT&SF #506-60, a Big Dome lounge car. ... Dome car - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... The Budd Company (now ThyssenKrupp Budd) is a metal fabricator and major supplier of body components to the automobile industry. ... 1971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... Auto Train is a scheduled public rail transportation service for both passengers and their personal transportation vehicles operated by Amtrak between Lorton, Virginia (near Washington, D.C.) and Sanford, Florida, near Orlando. ... The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company (AAR reporting mark BNSF) (NYSE: BNI), headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, and established as a result of a 1995 merger between the parent companies of the Burlington Northern Railroad and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, is one of the largest... 1937 was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1911 map The Pennsylvania Railroad (AAR reporting mark PRR) was an American railroad existing 1846–1968, after which it merged into Penn Central Transportation. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1938 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... October 12 is the 285th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (286th in leap years). ... 1947 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... February 29 is the 60th day of a leap year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 306 days remaining. ... 1948 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1949 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... The Union Pacific Railroad (NYSE: UNP) is the largest railroad in the United States. ... Up describes the positive z-value in a gravitational field, just as down represents the negative z-value. ... 1952 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The Budd Company (now ThyssenKrupp Budd) is a metal fabricator and major supplier of body components to the automobile industry. ... The Chicago and North Western Railway (AAR reporting marks: CNW, CNWS, CNWZ) was a Class 1 railroad in the United States. ... Burlington is the name several things: Burlington Industries manufactures clothing and household goods Places in Canada: Burlington, Ontario Places in the United States: Burlington, Colorado Burlington, Connecticut Burlington, Illinois Burlington, Indiana Burlington, Iowa Burlington, Kansas Burlington, Kentucky Burlington, Maine Burlington, Massachusetts Burlington, Michigan Burlington, New Jersey Burlington, New York Burlington... December 14 is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1953 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... March is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1954 was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Budd Company (now ThyssenKrupp Budd) is a metal fabricator and major supplier of body components to the automobile industry. ... July is the seventh month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1954 was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 25 is the 84th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (85th in leap years). ... 1955 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 8 is the 189th day of the year (190th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 176 days remaining. ... 1956 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... January 12 is the 12th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1957 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February is the second month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1963 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... 1971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... Amtrak is the trademark name of the intercity passenger train system created on May 1, 1971 in the United States. ... The Super Chief being serviced at the Albuquerque, New Mexico depot in March, 1943. ... The Superliner is a largely disabled-accessible double decker passenger car used by Amtrak, on mainly its western routes. ... This article provides extensive lists of events and significant personalities of the 1970s. ... 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ...

References

• Duke, Donald (1997). Santa Fe...The Railroad Gateway to the American West, Volume 2. Golden West Books, San Marino, CA. ISBN 0-87095-110-6.
• Frailey, Fred W. (1974). A Quarter Century of Santa Fe Consists. RPC Publications, Godfrey, IL. .
• Schafer, Mike & Joe Welsh (2002). Streamliners: History of a Railroad Icon. MBI Publishing Company, St. Paul, MN. ISBN 0-7603-1371-7.
• 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. Wayner Publications, New York, NY. .
• Zimmerman, Karl (1987). Santa Fe Streamliners: The Chiefs and Their Tribesman. Quadrant Press, Inc., New York. ISBN 0-915276-41-0.

See also

• Amtrak Southwest Chief
• Passenger train service on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway

The Southwest Chief (or Southwest Limited) is a train route operated by Amtrak in the Midwestern and Southwestern United States. ... The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (AAR reporting mark ATSF), often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the largest railroads in the United States. ...

External links

• California State Railway Museum
• Santa Fe Railway Historical & Modeling Society
• Who Killed the Super Chief?
• Amtrak Coaches head North: NERAIL New England photo Archive - two former Santa Fe "Hi-Level" transition coaches in Amtrak livery, photographed traveling north through Bedford, New Hampshire in April, 2003.
• "Day Coach Limted: New transcontinental trains are cheap, fast, and luxurious" article from the August 21, 1939 issue of Life Magazine featuring El Capitan and other contemporary cross-country trains.

A map depicting the "Grand Canyon Route" of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway circa 1901.

April 26, 1950: Train #21, El Capitan, rolls down the Raton Pass near Lynn, New Mexico. Four EMD F3 units, led by engine #20, power the 11-car consist. The debut of the line's signature "Big Dome" and "Hi-Level" passenger cars is still four years off.