Nostalgia & History > Blue Monday: at Sheffield Tower

With the National Rail Passenger Corporation, better known as Amtrak knocking on the door this train’s days are numbered. This is Santa Fe’s San Francisco Chief, a late entry in its famous tribe of long distance passenger trains. My friend John Wegner got this shot less than 2 months prior to Amtrak Day #1: May 1, 1971. We discussed the consist, and John believes we are looking at a steam generator car behind the solid blue F45s. Following are 2 baggage cars, a dorm car, 2 hi-level coaches, a full dome-lounge, the diner, 2 sleepers and another hi-level coach(?) most likely deadheading to Chicago.

The lack of any Red & Silver on a premium Santa Fe passenger train is not all that rare, but it was certainly worthy of the photographic effort John made here! Having never seen this train in person, less fortunate Santa Fe fans (pick me) will always applaud a shot like this. 48 years later it’s a natural for “Blue Monday”, a seldom-used thread theme here on TO. And as John pointed out, Blue Monday now also applies to the depressing state of mind that all Kansas City Chiefs fans are carrying today…

1. AT&SF 5921 leads train #2, the "San Francisco Chief" at Sheffield Tower (out of frame) in Kansas City, MO in March of 1971.

Thanks for looking back!
Lance Garrels (santafe199)
John Wegner (chiefbuilder)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/16/22 03:11 by santafe199.

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This what I have noted as SF Chief WB at Joliet 2/71.

Bob Jordan

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Nice! Pretty similar consists, I'd say. Is that another photographer squatting down right on the diamonds?

Lance/199

So these are F45s and not FP45s?  Can someone explain Santa Fe's reason for buying F45s instead of SD45s?

RRTom Wrote: > ... Santa Fe's reason for buying F45s instead of SD45s?

Starting -I believe- in 1966 Santa Fe stabled 125 SD45s. The original 5500 Class was 5500 ~ 5624. By 1980 they were getting rebuilt and most of them dropped down into a new 5300 Class. This is info I got from Joe McMillan's "Santa Fe's Diesel Fleet", published in the mid-1970s. For further info, there are other TO members vastly more knowledgeable than me about the final disposition(s) of Santa Fe's SD45s...

Lance/199 

These units orginally had the red/slvr scheme but were repainted blu/ylw when they were renumbered from the 100s to the 5900s? 

The gentleman squatting by the diamonds in Joliet could also be the signal maintainer.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

WichitaJct Wrote: > ...  These units originally had the red/slvr scheme but ...

Incorrect, my friend. These 5900 Class F45s were ALWAYS in the Blue/Yellow scheme, later in yellow bonnets. Their original number class was 1900. They were re-numbered into the 5900 Class in the 1969-70 general roster renumbering. The original passenger FP45s were in the 100 Class, later renumbered into the 5940 Class in the 1969-70 general roster renumbering. Info also gleaned from Joe McMillan's "Santa Fe's Diesel Fleet"...

Lance

Back in good old days we could ride either the SF Chief or Grand Canyon from Kansas City to Topeka for the Topeka NRHS Chapter meeting. Back to Kansas City on UP 118.

Posted from iPhone

Did they have steam generators? If not, there must have been one on the rear of the train. 

santafe199 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> WichitaJct Wrote: > ...  These units originally
> had the red/slvr scheme but ...
>
> Incorrect, my friend. These 5900 Class F45s were
> ALWAYS in the Blue/Yellow scheme, later in yellow
> bonnets. Their original number class was
> 1900. They were re-numbered into the 5900 Class
> in the 1969-70 general roster renumbering. The
> original passenger FP45s were in the 100 Class,
> later renumbered into the 5940 Class in the
> 1969-70 general roster renumbering. Info also
> gleaned from Joe McMillan's "Santa Fe's Diesel
> Fleet"...
>
> Lance

WichitaJct Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Did they have steam generators? If not, there must
> have been one on the rear of the train. 
>
> santafe199 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > WichitaJct Wrote: > ...  These units
> originally
> > had the red/slvr scheme but ...
> >
> > Incorrect, my friend. These 5900 Class
> F45s were
> > ALWAYS in the Blue/Yellow scheme, later in
> yellow
> > bonnets. Their original number class was
> > 1900. They were re-numbered into the 5900
> Class
> > in the 1969-70 general roster renumbering.
> The
> > original passenger FP45s were in the 100 Class,
> > later renumbered into the 5940 Class in the
> > 1969-70 general roster renumbering. Info also
> > gleaned from Joe McMillan's "Santa Fe's Diesel
> > Fleet"...
> >
> > Lance

As note the first car in the consist is a steam generator car, there are several tell tale visible.

Bob

robj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> WichitaJct Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Did they have steam generators? If not, there
> must
> > have been one on the rear of the train. 
> >
> > santafe199 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > WichitaJct Wrote: > ...  These units
> > originally
> > > had the red/slvr scheme but ...
> > >
> > > Incorrect, my friend. These 5900 Class
> > F45s were
> > > ALWAYS in the Blue/Yellow scheme, later in
> > yellow
> > > bonnets. Their original number class was
> > > 1900. They were re-numbered into the 5900
> > Class
> > > in the 1969-70 general roster renumbering.
> > The
> > > original passenger FP45s were in the 100
> Class,
> > > later renumbered into the 5940 Class in the
> > > 1969-70 general roster renumbering. Info
> also
> > > gleaned from Joe McMillan's "Santa Fe's
> Diesel
> > > Fleet"...
> > >
> > > Lance
>
> As note the first car in the consist is a steam
> generator car, there are several tell tale
> visible.
>
> Bob

To further add to the confusion, the F45's had steam lines so they could operate in passenger service.  It was not uncommon to
see an FP45 leading a couple of F45's on the "Super Chief/El Capitan" in the last years.  If the F45's ran alone, as illustrated in
this thread, there would need to be a steam generator car in the consist.  Santa Fe had several baggage cars converted for this
service.  

As to why the Santa Fe bought the F45's after the FP45's, I don't know and can't remember hearing a reason for it.

Thanks for posting, Lance.  

Nick Tharalson,
Marion, IA