Being very new to the hobby and for that matter the world of prototype Trains (their world, operation etc.) could anyone point me towards some good information about what the operation and track for the AT&SF’s Super Chief was like in the mid 1950’s primarily along Route 66 through Texas, New Mexico and Arizona?
I am looking to try and come up with a track plan and banging my head trying to even come up with a basic -idea- for a track plan and the mere thought of “Operations” has me very intimidated and balking.[banghead]
Any help or direction would be greatly appreciated.
You don’t have to model every spuare mile of the line. One part of the layout might be a interesting scene from the line like a stretch of track or a mountain grade. Remember it’s the sum of all the parts that make a layout convincing.
As for operation there are many good books,DVDS, websites, this forum that can help you.
Q Station will link everything you will need. Give 'em a try. There also should be some instructions on Q Station about how to get on THE Santa Fe List server. There are many folks on that list that can handle most questions Santa Fe.
Great sites. Thank you for the lead on them. After several hours reading and searching through them Inow know a lot more about the consist of the SC in my target year 1954, Unfortunately Im still lost on any ideas for trackplan; the idea on sompression display I grasp firmly, no need to even try and model every square mile. I’m with you there… just getting a little over my head I suppose, the prototype modeling thing is starting to make my head hurt. chuckles Operation still has me boggled, well all one can do is swamp through! pulls up pants legs
the SuperChief didn’t run in Texas–it took the northern route through New Mexico through Albequerque and over Raton Pass into Colorado on the original ATSF line. The Chief that ran in Texas along route 66 (for a few miles, at least around Amarillo) was the San Francisco Chief. The ATSF paralleled route 66 from about Barstow, CA to Albequerque, NMex. But, hey, it’s YOUR train, and if you want to run it in Texas, go ahead, LOL! I model a ficticious Rio Grande extension in the California Sierras, and I’m having a heck of a lot of fun doing it.
Tom [:P][:P]
groans Yikes! oh well I’ll just do the AT&SF from Calf to N.M. [:)]
Tom as always you are a true voice of reason and an insperation, thanks as always.
Maybe I should just give the OL track planning as a ummm a something to do between her PT yes! That’s it I’m just trying to keep her from being bored!!
if you’re modelling that area you’ll probably want this book http://www.signaturepress.com/sfr.html
i just finished reading it , if you need any info let me know .
it is mostly about the construction of the A&P (later ATSF) line from NM to Cal. there is some info and pics of the super chief in the 50’s
i’m sure there are other books on the super chief , and i know there are a ton of books on the ATSF and a couple on Route 66 , so you’ve got some reasearch ahead of you trying to combine the various subjects
I got TOO MUCH information about the Super Chief to want to model it anymore. When I didn’t know any better, I had fun building a “Santa Fe streamliner in the desert” 30 by 40 inch layout in 10 days for a display project.
For a track plan, depends a lot on your space, but a back-dated version of a layout similar to Pelle Soeberg’s layout shown in recent Model Railroaders would be a good start… ONE town scene and a little bit of out in the country running and then the train disappears.
And I presume you have eliminated all Texas. The Super Chief ran on the northern main line over Raton Pass. It would have left route 66 somewhere around the cut off to Santa Fe New Mexico (Glorieta). Depending on what you consider the route of 66 the furthest east the Super Chief and Route 66 would have met (In the states you specified) was Pecos NM, or Las Vegas NM. Of course this is under normal operating conditions. There were probably natural disasters that re-routed the Super Chief onto the southern main.
The Santa Fe loved their crack passenger trains and there would be hell to pay if some freight crew caused a Chief to be delayed. So for track plans you probably want:
Passing tracks long enough to hold at least a reasonable representation of a Chief. An operational thing would be to be certain the frieights had the main cleared in time.
Hidden staging tracks to hold the Super until time for it’s grand arrival.
Model a City large enough where there was a regularly scheduled stop.
Albuquerque and Winslow (crew change) come to mind. Towns like Lamar
Colorado (just an example. It is way off of Route 66, just happens to be what
I am familiar with) were on the schedule but still only a flag stop if there
were passengers.
In that choosen town make the appropriate tracks and sidings for the head end car moves of other passenger trains. In the mid 50’s there were tons of passenger trains along this track. In addition to the Super Chief and trains with only numbers there was the El Capitan, Fast Mail & Express, Grand Canyon Limited, the Chief, California Lim
A good magazine which would help you research what was along Route 66 is the quarterly magazine “Route 66”. In my area, it is available at Borders, Barnes & Noble, etc. A lot of historic and current information is in each issue and nearly, if not all, back issues are available from the publisher. Usually a railroad article every year or so.
The web site is: www.route66magazine.com and if you have trouble finding a copy, their phone # is 702.299.0856.
Jay
BTW, the Spring 2005 issue has an article, “Tracks by the Road”, about the author’s trips as a teen with his family going from Amarillo to California via Route 66. Also mentions riding side by side with the Chief and other passenger trains on a few occasions.
