Nostalgia & History > Amtrak's Super Chief/El Cap#3- Gallup, NM (8-73)

Ed Smith collection...

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Another one with station...Ed Smith collection

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Note the ATS shoe on 5939's front journal.

Great town....

As immortalized by the velvet voice of the great Nat King Cole (words and music by Bobby Troup):

You see Amarillo,
Gallup, New Mexico,
Flagstaff, Arizona.
Don't forget Winona,
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernandino.

Won't you get hip to this timely tip:
When you make that California trip
Get your kicks on Route 66.

Brian E

Yes he did, and he has a good eye for photography...

And three years later I stopped there on the Southwest Limited on my first ever train trip. Hi-Levels, pleasure dome and SDP40-F's, what a trip. Btw, when did Amtreak lose the "Chief" name anyway?

Allen in the way-back machine.

GREAT PICS!

Evan Werkema writes:

>Note the ATS shoe on 5939's front journal.

For those interested, there was a small group of F-45's that the Santa Fe retrofitted with THROUGH steam lines, ATS shoes and 90 M.P.H. gearing for use on the SWC(not L), or the "Super C". This was a common lash-up for the train at the time - (2) F/FP-45's, an F-3/7B, and one of their staem generator cars. The best of these lash-up's running around was the 5944 (last of the original paint red and silver FP-45's/F-45/F-3 or 7B/and the bi-centennially painted S/G car!!!!!!!).

Very nice memories......

Bob

ATSF100WEST......Out

Depeche Mode did a rather fine rendition of that song too back in '90...

Why were special shoes used for ABS?

m420 Wrote:
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> As immortalized by the velvet voice of the great
> Nat King Cole (words and music by Bobby Troup):
>
> You see Amarillo,
> Gallup, New Mexico,
> Flagstaff, Arizona.
> Don't forget Winona,
> Kingman, Barstow, San Bernandino.
>
> Won't you get hip to this timely tip:
> When you make that California trip
> Get your kicks on Route 66.
>
> Brian E
>
>
>
>

When I was in Raton in 1974 they called it the Southwest Limited. Santa Fe refused to allow Amtrak to use the word Chief as the train was below Santa Fe standards. That changed in the 1980s.

grande473 Wrote:
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> When I was in Raton in 1974 they called it the
> Southwest Limited. Santa Fe refused to allow
> Amtrak to use the word Chief as the train was
> below Santa Fe standards. That changed in the
> 1980s.

The name change to Southwest Limited occured in 1974. The name change to SW Chief occured about 1986. Bob

ATSF100WEST Wrote:

> For those interested, there was a small group of
> F-45's that the Santa Fe retrofitted with THROUGH
> steam lines, ATS shoes and 90 M.P.H. gearing for
> use on the SWC(not L), or the "Super C".

Half the fleet (5920-5939) had through steam lines, and reportedly they all had 60:17 gears, but nailing down which ones had ATS has been more difficult. Staring at engineer's side views looking for the ATS shoe or the bracket on the first journal turns up a few units, but I've never seen a complete list, official or unofficial.

For Dan, "ATS" is automatic train stop. Federal regulations after 1947 required some form of automatic train control if a railroad wanted to run trains faster than 79 mph: either cab signals, ATC, or ATS. ATS was cheapest, and that's what Santa Fe installed over most of its major passenger routes. Removable shoes mounted on one of the journals on the engineer's side of the locomotive would pick up signals from trackside inductors, and stop the train automatically if the engineer failed to acknowledge a restricting signal aspect.

For pecosvalleychief, the name was changed to the Southwest Limited effective May 19, 1974. It became the Southwest Chief on October 28, 1984.

grande473 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> When I was in Raton in 1974 they called it the
> Southwest Limited. Santa Fe refused to allow
> Amtrak to use the word Chief as the train was
> below Santa Fe standards. That changed in the
> 1980s.


That also goes to show you how much Santa Fe cared for passenger trains, even when Amtrak took over!

Nice shots!  Santa Fe Ry conductors and brakemen on the Super Chief were based out of Albuquerque and worked between Albuquerque and Winslow.  Gallup based engine crews worked between Gallup and Albuquerque. Tail end  brakemen and baggagemen based out of Winslow and worked between Winslow and Albuquerque. Winslow hoggers worked between Winslow and Gallup.