Route of the Chiefs: Santa Fe in the Streamlined Era
How does one describe the Santa Fe in the era of the streamliner? The best way to go? The most popular carrier to California? The railroad with the best reputation or public relations? If you ask the general public what the Super Chief was, chances are they will guess a passenger train and maybe even the name Santa Fe Railway. The Santa Fe is still famous today and it seems more remembered than its competitors of the past. This is the third title by the author Greg Stout for White River Productions following Route of the Eagles (1995) and Route of the Rockets (1997) on the famous trains and railroads of the streamlined era.
It's nice to have such a volume of information all between the hard covers of this book. I appreciate the horizontal format of this title. The large pages with excellent color reproduction, the extensive captions and rosters make this a book many fans will want to have in their book collection - even non-Santa Fe Railway fans.
This long-anticipated volume is finally here! Route of the Chiefs is the ultimate photographic history of how the Santa Fe rose to being one of the foremost passenger carriers in America's streamliner era. From the premiere Super Chief to the extensive network of secondary trains, this new 256-page volume is the next best thing to being on board.
If ever a railroad was a friend to the passenger, Santa Fe was it. From the 1892 version of the California Limited to the Santa Fe De-Luxe, to the 1926 Chief, to the 1937 Super Chief, no other railroad offered greater luxury to its first-class clientele. Later, with the inauguration of the 1938 El Capitan, the company brought fast, modern accommodations to coach travelers as well. Add to that the remaining Chiefs and streamliners, including the San Francisco Chief, Texas Chief, the Chief itself, plus the Grand Canyon, Chicagoan, Kansas Cityan, San Diegan, Golden Gates, and a host of supporting cast players like The Cavern, El Pasoan, Tulsan and others, and it is hard to conceive of any railroad that did it better, or even as well.
Table of contents
Chapter 1: The Super Chief and El Capitan, pp. 8-51,
Chapter 2: The Fred Harvey Mystique, pp. 52-61,
Chapter 3: Every Man's Luxury Liner: The Chief, pp. 62-81,
Chapter 4: Carrying the Mail: The Fast Mail Express, pp. 82-89,
Chapter 5: Surf Line Corridor: The San Diegans, pp. 90-105,
Chapter 6: Going to Kansas City: The Kansas Cityan, Chicagoan, and Kansas City Chief, pp. 106-121,
Chapter 7: Valley Girls: The Golden Gates and Valley Flyer, pp. 122-127,
Chapter 8: Sooner State Streamliners: The Tulsan and Oil Flyer, pp. 128-137,
Chapter 9: Ports of Call for Chiefs on the Move, pp. 138-153,
Chapter 10: Santa Fe's Lone Star Streamliner: The Texas Chief, pp. 154-173,
Chapter 11: Not Quite a Chief: The Grand Canyon, pp. 174-195,
Chapter 12: Bay Bound Beauty: The San Francisco Chief, pp. 196-219,
Chapter 13: Little Chiefs of the Santa Fe, pp. 220-229,
Appendix A: Santa Fe's Streamlined Passenger Car Fleet, pp. 230-245,
Appendix B: Power for the Chiefs: The Locomotive Fleet, pp. 246-255,
Index, pg. 256.
White River Productions, hardcover with jacket, 256 pages, 9 x 11 x .75 in., B&W, color photographs, maps and illustrations, rosters.
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