California Limited
Encyclopedia
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
and a true "workhorse" of the railroad. It was assigned train Nos. 3 & 4, and its route ran from Chicago, Illinois to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Operating seven sections of the Limited was common, and during peak travel periods as many as 23 westbound and 22 eastbound sections departed in a single day.
The line was conceived by company president Allen Manvel
Allen Manvel
Allen Manvel was the eleventh president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.Manvel was born in Alexander, New York. In 1859 he began employment with the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad as a clerk in the purchasing agent's office. He worked his way up through the ranks to...
as a means to "signify completion of the basic Santa Fe
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
system." Manvel felt he could attract business and enhance the prestige of the railroad by establishing daily, first-class service from Chicago to the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
. The California Limited, billed as the "Finest Train West of Chicago," made its first run on November 27, 1892, with five separate trainsets making continuous round trips on a 2½-day schedule each way.
The California Limited was the first of Santa Fe's name trains to feature Fred Harvey Company
Fred Harvey Company
The origin of the Fred Harvey Company can be traced to the 1875 opening of two railroad eating houses located at Wallace, Kansas and Hugo, Colorado on the Kansas Pacific Railway. These cafés were opened by Fred Harvey, then a freight agent for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad...
meal service en route. The later trains also offered all of the amenities of the day including air conditioning, an onboard barber, beautician, steam-operated clothing press, even a shower-bath. The Limited was also the first train in the Santa Fe system to have its observation car
Observation car
An observation car/carriage/coach is a type of railroad passenger car, generally operated in a passenger train as the last carriage, with windows on the rear of the car for passengers' viewing pleasure...
s fitted with illuminated drumhead
Drumhead (sign)
The term drumhead refers to a type of removable sign that was prevalent on North American railroads of the first half of the 20th century. The sign was mounted at the rear of passenger trains, and consisted of a box with internal illumination that shone through a tinted panel bearing the logo of...
s, which bore the train's name juxtaposed over the company's logo.
The California Limited was permanently removed from service on June 15, 1954, giving it the distinction of having had the longest tenure of any train making the Chicago-Los Angeles run within the Santa Fe system.
Timeline
- October 1892: The Pullman CompanyPullman CompanyThe Pullman Palace Car Company, founded by George Pullman, manufactured railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the early decades of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Pullman developed the sleeping car which carried his name into the 1980s...
delivers five six-car trainsets for the initiation of California Limited service. - November 27, 1892: The Santa Fe inaugurates the westbound California Limited on a 2½-day schedule between ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Locomotives and crews were changed fifteen times en route. - December 1, 1892: The first eastbound California Limited arrives in Chicago from Los Angeles.
- 1893: The train receives four new elegant dining cars designed by master car builders Barney & Smith.
- May 4, 1896: The train is temporarily taken out of service.
- November 1896: Regular service resumes on a 66-hour schedule.
- 1899: The Limited is reduced to four trains per week.
- 1902: The train resumes daily service on a 68-hour schedule.
- 1910: The train is completely re-equipped with new locomotives and passenger cars.
- December 12, 1911: The Limited loses some of its prestige to the Santa Fe's new, more opulent de LuxeSanta Fe de LuxeThe Santa Fe de Luxe was the first extra-fare named passenger train on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.The de Luxe was inaugurated on December 12, 1911 on a seasonal weekly schedule between Chicago, Illinois, and Los Angeles, California...
service. - November 14, 1926: The Limited is relegated to true second-class status following the inception of the Santa Fe's all-Pullman, extra-fare limited ChiefChief (passenger train)The Chief was one of the named passenger trains of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Its route ran from Chicago, Illinois to Los Angeles, California. The Chief was inaugurated as an all-Pullman limited train to supplement the road's California Limited, with a surcharge of USD $10.00 for...
. - Early 1930s: The train’s dining car is removed midway between Chicago and Los Angeles as a cost-saving measure.
- April 1, 1938: The Limited is temporarily suspended.
- May 22, 1938: Regular service resumes.
- September 4, 1945: The second section of Train No. 4 enters a siding near milepost 126 in the City of Santa AnitaSanta AnitaSanta Anita may refer to:*Metro Santa Anita, a station on the Mexico City Metro*Rancho Santa Anita, a 13,319-acre land grant given to Hugo Reid*Santa Anita, Baja California Sur, a village in Baja California del Sur, Mexico...
at excessive speed and derails. Some 200 people are injured, five fatally. One cleanup worker dies the following day in a freak accident. - June 15, 1954: The California Limited is withdrawn from service.
Equipment used
A wide variety of steam- and diesel-powered locomotives served the California Limited over the course of its lifetime.In 1892, the rolling stock delivered for the California Limited consisted of all heavyweight cars built by the Pullman-Standard. The equipment used on each train was as follows:
- a compartment and drawing-room Sleeping carSleeping carThe sleeping car or sleeper is a railway/railroad passenger car that can accommodate all its passengers in beds of one kind or another, primarily for the purpose of making nighttime travel more restful. The first such cars saw sporadic use on American railroads in the 1830s and could be configured...
- a Dining carDining carA dining car or restaurant carriage , also diner, is a railroad passenger car that serves meals in the manner of a full-service, sit-down restaurant....
that served "the best Fred Harvey meals on rails" - a Club carClub CarClub Car is the world’s largest manufacturer of small-wheel, zero-emissions electric vehicles.-Powertrain:From initial introduction of their gas powered golf carts, Club Car used a Kawasaki FZ340 9 horsepower engine until 1991. In 1992, it was replaced by a Kawasaki 286 cc FE290 9 horsepower...
/ Parlor car - a full-compartment Sleeping car
- a compartment drawing-room Sleeping car
- a combination 10-compartment Sleeping car / open-end Observation carObservation carAn observation car/carriage/coach is a type of railroad passenger car, generally operated in a passenger train as the last carriage, with windows on the rear of the car for passengers' viewing pleasure...
Though the cars would in time change to the all-steel heavyweight variety, followed eventually by stainless-steel lightweight construction, for years the consist of the California Limited remained at only six cars per section.
See also
- Passenger train service on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
External links
- California State Railway Museum
- Santa Fe Railway Historical & Modeling Society
- Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Verde Valley — photos and short history of a California Limited Sleeping Car built in 1942.