Fred Klein, 2003,
2010
This Super Chief brass train is owned and was detailed by Paul Owens, who kindly sent me the photographs after seeing my web page of the 1937 Super Chief. The cars were made by KMT and distributed by Oriental Ltd. The Paint Job, Kadee couplers, diaphragms, windows, and satin finish are by Paul Owens. I merely reformatted the pictures he sent me, wrote some text, and incorporated it into my web site.
The first all-lightweight streamlined train to operate on the Santa Fe was the Super Chief, which began Chicago to Los Angeles service in May 1937. This second lightweight train had different car designs, and was added in 1938 making twice weekly service available. The SC was unique among railroads and very posh with exotic woods and interiors. By 1947 enough other Super Chief trains were built to enable daily service. In 1951 the trains were completely re-equipped with new cars and new power. The Super Chief was all-Pullman (no coaches) and extra fare.
The second lightweight SC entered service in February 1938 with the Budd food and lounge cars, and 6 Pullmans borrowed from the Chief pool. In July 1938, Pullman delivered the 6 sleepers ordered for the second lightweight Super Chief and they replaced the borrowed Pullmans. After an initial baggage-lounge car, the consist had three different Pullman types, a central dormitory-lounge and diner, two more Pullmans, and a sleeper-lounge-observation. None of the cars were identical to those on the 1937 SC.
Unlike most other trains on this web site, these cars are brass and were made as a prototypical train.
|
Car type |
Car name |
|
E1A diesel |
ATSF 3 |
|
E1B diesel |
ATSF 3A |
|
Baggage-dorm |
ATSF 1387 San Acacia |
|
17 Roomette |
Pullman Chimayo |
|
8 sect-2 comp-2 dbr |
Pullman Talwiwi |
|
4 comp-2 draw-4 dbr |
Pullman Tchirege |
|
Dorm-club-lounge |
ATSF 1377 Agathla |
|
Diner |
ATSF 1485 Awatobi |
|
4 comp-2 draw-4 dbr |
Pullman Tsankawi |
|
8 sect-2 comp-2 dbr |
Pullman Tyounyi |
|
Observation-4 draw-1 dbr |
Pullman Puye |
The Electromotive Corporation furnished newly designed E1 diesels for the Super Chief, the first of a long line of E passenger diesels. The locomotives for this second Santa Fe streamliner rated road number 3, number 1 having gone to the box cab units that powered the 1936 heavyweight Super Chief, and number 2 to the 1937 lightweight Super Chief. The power units were semi-permanently coupled together and generated a total of 3600 horsepower. The head end car is Budd’s baggage-dormitory-buffet-lounge #1387 “San Acacia”. I have not seen any RPO or mail cars used in the early Super Chiefs, probably because of the desire to keep the schedules fast.
Budd built the food and lounge cars of the second lightweight SC in 1938, and the sleeper cars were from Pullman Standard. You can easily spot the Budd cars with the corrugated roofs. The Pullman car names in the pre-1940 Super Chiefs were given unique Indian names of tribes and places in Arizona and New Mexico. The first Pullman is the 17-roomette car “Chimayo” (plan 4068F), followed by the 8-section/ 2-compartment/ 2-double bedroom “Talwiwi” (plan 4058B). The curtained sections (4 to a side) are the 4 adjacent windows with the small upper-berth windows. The next car is the 4-compartment/ 2-drawing room/ 4-double bedroom “Tchirege” (plan 4069B). The two pairs of closely spaced windows in the center of the car are the drawing rooms. In mid-train is “Agathla” #1377, the dormitory-club lounge car with a barbershop.
The food section continues with the 36-seat dining car “Awatobi” #1485. The famous “Mimbreno” china was designed for the Super Chief. Next is another 4/2/4 Pullman, “Tsankawi” followed by another 8/2/2 “Tyounyi”. The photo of “Tyounyi” shows the opposite side of the 8/2/2 car than the car above. The last car is “Puye”, a 4-drawing room/ 1-double bedroom/ lounge-observation Pullman.
Randall, David, From Zephyr to Amtrak, Prototype Publications, 1972.
Repp, Stan, The Superchief; Train of the Stars, Golden West Books, 1980.
Wayner, Robert, Car Names, Numbers and Consists, Wayner Publications, 1972.
Zimmermann, Karl, Santa Fe Streamliners; the Chief and their Tribesmen, Quadrant Press, 1987.
