El Capitan (train) - History

History

  • 1937: El Capitan is conceived and designed as an all-coach streamliner.
  • February 20, 1938: two trainsets each start making a round trip each week; 40-hour schedule each way matches the Super Chief.
  • 1942: Consist expands to 12 cars.
  • 1946: El Capitan trains begin operating every other day, leaving each terminal on odd days of the month (but not on the 31st).
  • February 29, 1948: El Capitan begins its daily schedule between Chicago and Los Angeles.
  • October 30, 1949: Train No. 22 travels over a broken section of rail in Kincaid, California. Locomotives #19L/A/B/C derail and burst into flames, causing seven cars (including #2865 and #2878) to leave the tracks.
  • July 6, 1950: Train No. 22 derails while traveling at 90 miles-per-hour through Monica, Illinois, and is subsequently struck by train No. 10 (the Kansas City Chief), traveling at 55 miles-per-hour. A general derailment ensues.
  • 1952: The Budd Company unveils concepts for a double-decked coach based on similar commuter cars manufactured for the Chicago and North Western 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.
  • January 10, 1954: The Union Pacific Railroad reintroduces its Challenger train on a 39-and-a-half hour schedule to compete with El Capitan. The UP also announces that there will be no added fare for this train.
  • March 1954: Six full-length dome-lounge cars (called "Big Domes" by Santa Fe's employees) are delivered for the El Capitan by the Budd Company.
  • July 1954: Two experimental "Hi-Level" intercity coaches arrive and are placed 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 (25 chair cars, #700–725, 10 step down chair cars, #528–537; 6 diners, #650–655; and 6 lounge cars, #575–580) 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.
  • Summer 1956: El Capitan makes three demonstration runs to San Diego, California along the "Surf Line Route" to promote its new "Hi-Level" cars.
  • July 8, 1956: Hi-Level trains commence running from both ends of the line. Ticket stubs bear the verbiage "I traveled the HI-LEVEL Santa Fe way" and "Every seat is on the scenic HI-LEVEL."
  • January 12, 1958: The Super Chief and El Capitan are combined into one train during the off-peak travel season on a 39½-hour schedule.
  • June 18, 1957: Train No. 21 crosses over a loose tie plate while traveling at 79 miles-per-hour, causing the 8th and 9th cars to uncouple; the rear section of the train then collides with the front section.
  • February 1963: Santa Fe orders an additional 24 Hi-Level cars (12 chair cars, #725–736; 12 step-down chair cars, #538–549) 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.

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