Scott Special
Encyclopedia
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...
(Santa Fe) from 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...
, to Chicago, Illinois, at the request of "Death Valley Scotty
Walter E. Scott
Walter Edward Perry Scott , also known as Death Valley Scotty, was a prospector, performer, and con man, who was made famous by his many scams involving gold mining and the iconic mansion in Death Valley, popularly known as Scotty's Castle.- Early years :Scott was born in Cynthiana, Kentucky to...
". At the time of its transit in 1905, the Scott Special made the 2265 miles (3,645.2 km) trip between the two cities at the fastest speed recorded to date; in doing so, it established the Santa Fe as the leader in high-speed travel between Chicago and the West Coast. The Scott Special made the trip in 44 hours and 54 minutes breaking the previous records, set in 1900 by the Peacock Special, by 13 hours and 2 minutes, and in 1903 by the Lowe Special, by 7 hours and 55 minutes. Santa Fe's regular passenger service from Los Angeles to Chicago at the time was handled on a 2½-day schedule by the California Limited
California Limited
The California Limited was one of the named passenger trains of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway 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...
. It was not until the 1936 introduction of the Super Chief
Super Chief
The Super Chief was one of the named passenger trains and the flagship of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. It was often referred to as "The Train of the Stars" because of the many celebrities who traveled on the streamliner between Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California.The Super...
that Santa Fe trains would regularly exceed the speeds seen on the Scott Special.
Background
Walter E. Scott
Walter Edward Perry Scott , also known as Death Valley Scotty, was a prospector, performer, and con man, who was made famous by his many scams involving gold mining and the iconic mansion in Death Valley, popularly known as Scotty's Castle.- Early years :Scott was born in Cynthiana, Kentucky to...
) had used some ore samples he collected near Cripple Creek, Colorado
Cripple Creek, Colorado
The City of Cripple Creek is a Statutory City that is the county seat of Teller County, Colorado, United States. Cripple Creek is a former gold mining camp located southwest of Colorado Springs near the base of Pikes Peak. The Cripple Creek Historic District, which received National Historic...
, as a ruse to convince some bankers in 1902 that he had a claim on a high-grade ore mine in Death Valley, California. By 1905 he had conned the banks out of nearly $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
10,000. Another con he ran in 1905 earned Scott an additional $4,000. It was then that he met E. Burdon Gaylord, the owner of the Big Bell mine. Gaylord needed a flashy way to promote his mine and Scott sought the money behind the mine; the two formed a partnership in which Gaylord would finance Scott and Scott would promote the mine like no other.
After a few high-priced and newsworthy train trips around the southwest
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
, Scott met with the Santa Fe's General Passenger Agent, J. J. Byrne, at the railroad's office in Los Angeles on July 8, 1905. Once Scott (who had already travelled cross-country on the Santa Fe some thirty-two times) got in to talk to Byrne, the arrangements were made, thanks to a deposit from Scott of $5,500 in cash. The two agreed on a 46-hour schedule from Los Angeles to Chicago that would begin the following day.
The passenger list for the train was a mere four people: Scott himself, his wife, F. N. Holman, and Charles E. Van Loan, a writer for the Los Angeles Examiner(and one who was adept at helping Scotty create his "miner" persona, inflating the amounts Scotty really spent while "promoting" his "mine"). The schedule involved operating a three car train across the system, led by no less than 19 different locomotives (and the train was double-headed through some of the mountain passes). The engineers of these locomotives came to be known as the "Nervy Nineteen".
Equipment used
Baggage car
A baggage car or luggage van is a type of railway vehicle often forming part of the composition of passenger trains and used to carry passengers' checked baggage, as well as parcels . Being typically coupled at the front of the train behind the locomotive, this type of car is sometimes described...
#210, dining car
Dining car
A 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....
#1407, and Pullman Muskegon. Altogether, the three cars weighed a total of 170 short ton
Short ton
The short ton is a unit of mass equal to . In the United States it is often called simply ton without distinguishing it from the metric ton or the long ton ; rather, the other two are specifically noted. There are, however, some U.S...
s (155 metric tons). While the three cars remained constant throughout the run of the Scott Special, the locomotive did not. In order to prevent delays on the trip as the train would need to stop for water and fuel, nineteen locomotives were prepared along the route so that as one reached the end of its supplies, it would relay the three cars off to the next fully fueled and ready locomotive to continue the run. For the more strenuous grades over Cajon Pass
Cajon Pass
Cajon Pass is a moderate-elevation mountain pass between the San Bernardino Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California in the United States. It was created by the movements of the San Andreas Fault...
in California and Raton Pass
Raton Pass
Raton Pass is a mountain pass on the Santa Fe Trail along the Colorado-New Mexico border in the United States. Raton Pass is a federally designated National Historic Landmark...
in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
and Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, helpers
Bank engine
A bank engine or helper engine or pusher engine is a railway locomotive that temporarily assists a train that requires additional power or traction to climb a grade...
were added to get the train up and over the summits. At various points throughout the run, problems such as hotboxes
Hot box
A hot box is the term used when an axle bearing overheats on a piece of railway rolling stock. The term is derived from the journal-bearing trucks used before the mid 20th century. The axle bearings were housed in a box that used oil-soaked rags or cotton to reduce the friction of the axle...
did occur, or in one instance a complete mechanical failure of the locomotive, but in each case, the train's crew was able to get the train to the next relay point, and they usually arrived ahead of schedule.
| Locomotives and crews for the Scott Special | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Section | Distance | Average speed | Time | Locomotive number | Wheel arrangement (Whyte notation Whyte notation The Whyte notation for classifying steam locomotives by wheel arrangement was devised by Frederick Methvan Whyte and came into use in the early twentieth century encouraged by an editorial in American Engineer and Railroad Journal... ) |
Engineer Railroad engineer A railroad engineer, locomotive engineer, train operator, train driver or engine driver is a person who drives a train on a railroad... |
Fireman |
| Los Angeles Los Ángeles Los 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... - Barstow, California Barstow, California Barstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 22,639 at the 2010 census, up from 21,119 at the 2000 census. Barstow is located north of San Bernardino.... |
141.1 miles (227.1 km) | 48.5 miles per hour (78 km\h) | 2 hours 55 minutes | 442 | 4-6-0 4-6-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This wheel arrangement became the second-most popular... |
John Finlay | C. B. Ashbaugh |
| Barstow - Needles, California Needles, California Needles is a city located in the Mojave Desert on the western banks of the Colorado River in San Bernardino County, California. It is located in the Mohave Valley, which straddles the California–Arizona border. The city is accessible via Interstate 40 and U.S. Route 95... |
169.3 miles (272.5 km) | 51 mph (82.1 km/h) | 3 h 19 m | 1005 | 2-6-2 2-6-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels, six coupled driving wheels and two trailing wheels.Other equivalent classifications are:... |
Thomas E. Gallagher | E. D. Nettleton |
| Needles - Seligman, Arizona Seligman, Arizona Seligman is a census-designated place in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. The population was 456 at the 2000 census.-History:Between 1889-1891, Seligman was established by the Theut and Moultrie families. Both were prosperous slaughterhouse owners in Southern antebellum families who lost... |
148.9 miles (239.6 km) | 42.4 mph (68.2 km/h) | 3 h 31 m | 1010 Santa Fe 1010 Santa Fe 1010 is a 2-6-2 type steam locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works for Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway . It was used in the record breaking 1905 Scott Special on the segment between Needles, California, and Seligman, Arizona... |
2-6-2 | Fred W. Jackson | H. Nelson |
| Seligman - Williams, Arizona Williams, Arizona Williams is a city in Coconino County, Arizona, United States west of Flagstaff. Its population was 2,842 at the 2000 census; according to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 3,094. It lies on the route of Historic Route 66, Interstate 40, and the Southwest Chief Amtrak... |
50.8 miles (81.8 km) | 34.4 mph (55.4 km/h) | 1 h 29 m | 1016 | 2-6-2 | Charles Wood | R. Edgar |
| Williams - Winslow, Arizona Winslow, Arizona -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 9,520 people, 2,754 households, and 1,991 families residing in the city. The population density was 773.1 people per square mile . There were 3,198 housing units at an average density of 259.7 per square mile... |
92.2 miles (148.4 km) | 42.1 mph (67.8 km/h) | 2 h 11 m | 485 | 4-6-0 | D. A. Lenhart | W. P. Sugurue |
| Winslow - Gallup, New Mexico Gallup, New Mexico - Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there were 20,209 people, 6,810 households, and 4,869 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,513.7 people per square mile... |
128 miles (206 km) | 49.4 mph (79.5 km/h) | 2 h 35 m | 1000 | 2-6-2 | John F. Briscoe | B. F. Chambers |
| Gallup - Albuquerque | 157.8 miles (254 km) | 49.4 mph (79.5 km/h) | 3 h 12 m | 478 | 4-6-0 | Henry J. Rehder | F. Brown |
| Albuquerque - Las Vegas | 132.2 miles (212.8 km) | 44 mph (70.8 km/h) | 3 h 0 m | 1211 | 4-6-2 4-6-2 4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics... |
Edward Sears | G. A. Bryan |
| Las Vegas - Raton | 110.8 miles (178.3 km) | 50.5 mph (81.3 km/h) | 2 h 12 m | 1208 | 4-6-2 | George A. Norman | E. Chrystal |
| Raton - La Junta, Colorado La Junta, Colorado The City of La Junta is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Otero County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 7,568 at the U.S. Census 2000. La Junta is located on the Arkansas River in southeastern Colorado east of Pueblo.-History:During... |
104.5 miles (168.2 km) | 46.2 mph (74.4 km/h) | 2 h 17 m | 1215 | 4-6-2 | Hudson A. Gardner | R. P. Hinze |
| La Junta - Syracuse | 100.8 miles (162.2 km) | 63.7 mph (102.5 km/h) | 1 h 35 m | 536 | 4-4-2 4-4-2 (locomotive) Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-2 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle... |
David Lesher | William McClerkin |
| Syracuse - Dodge City | 101.6 miles (163.5 km) | 62.2 mph (100.1 km/h) | 1 h 38 m | 531 | 4-4-2 | H. G. Simmons | G. Davis |
| Dodge City - Kent | 153.4 miles (246.9 km) | 57.9 mph (93.2 km/h) | 2 h 39 m | 530 | 4-4-2 | Edward Norton | C. L. Gray |
| Kent - Newton | 1095 | 2-6-2 | Oliver W. Halsey | ||||
| Newton - Emporia | 73.1 miles (117.6 km) | 62.6 mph (100.7 km/h) | 1 h 10 m | 526 | 4-4-2 | Hadley R. Rossetter | Andy Fairchild |
| Emporia - Argentine | 120.2 miles (193.4 km) | 57.3 mph (92.2 km/h) | 2 h 10 m | 524 | 4-4-2 | Josiah Gossard | H. H. Hill |
| Argentine - Marceline | 108 miles (173.8 km) | 54 mph (86.9 km/h) | 2 h 1 m | 547 | 4-4-2 | A. F. Bauer | Robert Shirk |
| Marceline - Shopton | 112.8 miles (181.5 km) | 55 mph (88.5 km/h) | 2 h 3 m | 542 | 4-4-2 | Richard Jones | J. J. O'Connor |
| Shopton - Chillicothe | 104.7 miles (168.5 km) | 62.3 mph (100.3 km/h) | 1 h 41 m | 510 | 4-4-2 | Charles Losee | W. M. Schlosser |
| Chillicothe - Chicago | 134.3 miles (216.1 km) | 61 mph (98.2 km/h) | 2 h 12 m | 517 | 4-4-2 |
Route and schedule
La Grande Station
La Grande Station was the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway's main passenger terminal in Los Angeles, California, until damage from the Long Beach earthquake of 1933 forced its closure. When Union Station opened in 1939, Santa Fe moved all of its passenger services there.- History :Santa Fe...
in Los Angeles at 1:00 pm Pacific Time
Pacific Time Zone
The Pacific Time Zone observes standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time . The clock time in this zone is based on the mean solar time of the 120th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory. During daylight saving time, its time offset is UTC-7.In the United States...
on July 9, 1905. The locomotive and three cars left the station and the cheering crowds, estimated at 20,000 people, and began its run eastward. The number of people at La Grande Station is remarkable in itself since the train's schedule was planned only one day before the event; the Santa Fe used the train as an opportunity to publicize itself and got the word out to news agencies across the railroad's territory.
In rail transport terminology
Rail terminology
Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term railroad and the international term railway is the most obvious difference in rail terminology...
, the Scott Special operated as an "extra" train. Normally such trains are not allowed any special considerations for schedule and are switched into siding
Rail siding
A siding, in rail terminology, is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line or branch line or spur. It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end...
s to clear the main line for the railroad's regularly scheduled trains. For this run, however, the special was afforded rights over all of the railroad's regular trains; all other trains were required to clear the main line no less than one hour before the special was scheduled to pass. As most of the Santa Fe was still a single track railroad, this meant that quite a few regular trains were put into sidings to wait for the special. This accommodation, along with the numerous locomotive changes en route helped to ensure that the train would arrive in Chicago within the 46-hour schedule.
The first locomotive and crew change occurred in Barstow
Barstow, California
Barstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 22,639 at the 2010 census, up from 21,119 at the 2000 census. Barstow is located north of San Bernardino....
after the train had passed through Cajon Pass
Cajon Pass
Cajon Pass is a moderate-elevation mountain pass between the San Bernardino Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California in the United States. It was created by the movements of the San Andreas Fault...
. At one point after passing Cajon summit, the train was clocked at 96 mph (155 km/h). The locomotive and crew were again changed successively at Needles
Needles, California
Needles is a city located in the Mojave Desert on the western banks of the Colorado River in San Bernardino County, California. It is located in the Mohave Valley, which straddles the California–Arizona border. The city is accessible via Interstate 40 and U.S. Route 95...
, Seligman
Seligman, Arizona
Seligman is a census-designated place in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. The population was 456 at the 2000 census.-History:Between 1889-1891, Seligman was established by the Theut and Moultrie families. Both were prosperous slaughterhouse owners in Southern antebellum families who lost...
, Williams
Williams, Arizona
Williams is a city in Coconino County, Arizona, United States west of Flagstaff. Its population was 2,842 at the 2000 census; according to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 3,094. It lies on the route of Historic Route 66, Interstate 40, and the Southwest Chief Amtrak...
, Winslow
Winslow, Arizona
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 9,520 people, 2,754 households, and 1,991 families residing in the city. The population density was 773.1 people per square mile . There were 3,198 housing units at an average density of 259.7 per square mile...
and Gallup
Gallup, New Mexico
- Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there were 20,209 people, 6,810 households, and 4,869 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,513.7 people per square mile...
before the train arrived in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
, at 9:30 am on July 10.
To cross Raton Pass
Raton Pass
Raton Pass is a mountain pass on the Santa Fe Trail along the Colorado-New Mexico border in the United States. Raton Pass is a federally designated National Historic Landmark...
, locomotives and crews were changed at Las Vegas
Las Vegas, New Mexico
Las Vegas is a city in San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States. Once two separate municipalities both named Las Vegas, west Las Vegas and east Las Vegas , divided by the Gallinas River, retain distinct characters and separate, rival school districts. The population was 14,565 at the 2000...
, Raton
Raton, New Mexico
Raton is a city in Colfax County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 7,282 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Colfax County. The city is located just south of Raton Pass.-Name:...
and La Junta
La Junta, Colorado
The City of La Junta is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Otero County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 7,568 at the U.S. Census 2000. La Junta is located on the Arkansas River in southeastern Colorado east of Pueblo.-History:During...
. From La Junta, the train was powered by a succession of 4-4-2
4-4-2 (locomotive)
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-2 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
type locomotives that were swapped across the plains in Syracuse
Syracuse, Kansas
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,812.-Geography:...
, Dodge City
Dodge City, Kansas
Dodge City is a city in, and the county seat of, Ford County, Kansas, United States. Named after nearby Fort Dodge, the city is famous in American culture for its history as a wild frontier town of the Old West. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,340.-History:The first settlement of...
, Newton
Newton, Kansas
Newton is a city in and the county seat of Harvey County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 19,132. Newton is located north of Wichita and is included in the Wichita metropolitan statistical area...
, Emporia
Emporia, Kansas
Emporia is a city in and the county seat of Lyon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 24,916. Emporia lies between Topeka and Wichita at the intersection of U.S. Route 50 with Interstates 335 and 35 on the Kansas Turnpike...
, Argentine
Argentine, Kansas
Argentine is a community of Kansas City, Kansas, located in the southern part of Wyandotte County. It is bordered on the west by the Turner community, on the east by the Rosedale community, on the south by Johnson County, and on the north by Armourdale community and by the Kansas River. Argentine...
and Marceline
Marceline, Missouri
Marceline is a city in Chariton and Linn Counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 2,221 at the 2010 census.-History:In 1887 the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway began construction from Kansas City, Missouri to Chicago...
to the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
crossing at Shopton, Iowa, near Fort Madison
Fort Madison, Iowa
Fort Madison, situated on the Mississippi River, is a city in and one of the county seats of Lee County, Iowa, United States. The other county seat is Keokuk. The population was 10,715 at the 2000 census...
. Locomotive 530 was scheduled to take the train completely between Dodge City and Newton, but a burst cylinder
Cylinder (engine)
A cylinder is the central working part of a reciprocating engine or pump, the space in which a piston travels. Multiple cylinders are commonly arranged side by side in a bank, or engine block, which is typically cast from aluminum or cast iron before receiving precision machine work...
head in Kent necessitated adding locomotive 1095 for the 26 miles (41.8 km) between Kent and Newton.
En route, Scott and his guests enjoyed the finest meals that the 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...
had to offer. Menu selections included such luxurious offerings as caviar
Caviar
Caviar, sometimes called black caviar, is a luxury delicacy, consisting of processed, salted, non-fertilized sturgeon roe. The roe can be "fresh" or pasteurized, the latter having much less culinary and economic value....
, iced consommé
Consommé
In cooking, a consommé is a type of clear soup made from richly flavored stock or bouillon that has been clarified usually through a fining process involving egg protein. It usually requires an advanced knowledge of cooking and past experience to create a high quality consommé...
, and Porterhouse steak à la Coyote.
One more locomotive and crew took the train to Chillicothe
Chillicothe, Illinois
Chillicothe is a city on the Illinois River in Peoria County, Illinois. The population was 5,996 at the 2000 census. Chillicothe is just north of the city of Peoria and is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.- Geography :...
where it made its final locomotive change for the last leg into Chicago. Engineer Charles Losee piloted the train for its entire run across Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, at an average speed of 60 mph (97 km/h), staying aboard the train during the locomotive change in Chillicothe. The train officially arrived at Dearborn Station
Dearborn Station (Chicago)
Dearborn Station was the oldest of the six intercity train stations serving downtown Chicago during the heyday of rail in the twentieth century. Additionally, the station was used as a terminal for commuter traffic. Located at Dearborn and Polk Streets, it was also referred to as Polk Street Station...
at 11:54 am Central Time
Central Time zone
In North America, the Central Time Zone refers to national time zones which observe standard time by subtracting six hours from UTC , and daylight saving, or summer time by subtracting five hours...
on July 11.
Legacy and preservation
Super Chief
The Super Chief was one of the named passenger trains and the flagship of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. It was often referred to as "The Train of the Stars" because of the many celebrities who traveled on the streamliner between Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California.The Super...
in 1936. What makes the Scott Special especially remarkable is that it was run under normal operating conditions:
In 1955, on the 50th anniversary of the special's run, the Scott Special was re-enacted for television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
. For the show "Death Valley Days
Death Valley Days
Death Valley Days is an American radio and television anthology series featuring true stories of the old American West, particularly the Death Valley area. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was broadcast on radio until 1945. It continued from 1952 to 1975 as a syndicated television series...
", the production crew was able to reuse Santa Fe locomotive number 1010
Santa Fe 1010
Santa Fe 1010 is a 2-6-2 type steam locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works for Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway . It was used in the record breaking 1905 Scott Special on the segment between Needles, California, and Seligman, Arizona...
, the 2-6-2
2-6-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels, six coupled driving wheels and two trailing wheels.Other equivalent classifications are:...
locomotive that was used in the original run between Needles
Needles, California
Needles is a city located in the Mojave Desert on the western banks of the Colorado River in San Bernardino County, California. It is located in the Mohave Valley, which straddles the California–Arizona border. The city is accessible via Interstate 40 and U.S. Route 95...
and Seligman
Seligman, Arizona
Seligman is a census-designated place in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. The population was 456 at the 2000 census.-History:Between 1889-1891, Seligman was established by the Theut and Moultrie families. Both were prosperous slaughterhouse owners in Southern antebellum families who lost...
(and the only unit still on Santa Fe's active roster). Robert Hinze, a fireman on the original Scott Special, was on hand to aid in the recreation as the replica train worked over Cajon Pass
Cajon Pass
Cajon Pass is a moderate-elevation mountain pass between the San Bernardino Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California in the United States. It was created by the movements of the San Andreas Fault...
in California. In October 1984, the Santa Fe donated locomotive 1010 to the California State Railroad Museum
California State Railroad Museum
The California State Railroad Museum is a museum in the state park system of California, USA, interpreting the role of the "iron horse" in connecting California to the rest of the nation. It is located in Old Sacramento at 111 I Street....
, where it remains on static display.
The 100th anniversary of the Scott Special was commemorated with localized events and interpretive displays along the train's route sponsored by various historical organizations. One such display was shown at Joliet, Illinois
Joliet, Illinois
Joliet is a city in Will and Kendall Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, located southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County. As of the 2010 census, the city was the fourth-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 147,433. It continues to be Illinois' fastest growing...
, by the Blackhawk Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society; the Scott Special passed Joliet just after 11:00 am on July 11, 1905.
Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
's daily Southwest Chief
Southwest Chief
The Southwest Chief is a passenger train operated by Amtrak on a 2256-mile BNSF route through the Midwestern and Southwestern United States. It runs from Chicago, Illinois, to Los Angeles, California, passing through Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and California...
follows nearly the same route as the Scott Special. As of 2006, the Southwest Chief makes the journey in just under 43 hours, departing Los Angeles Union Station
Union Station (Los Angeles)
Los Angeles Union Station is the main railway station in Los Angeles, California. The station has rail services by Amtrak and Amtrak California and Metrolink; light rail/subways are the Metro Rail Red Line, Purple Line, Gold Line. Bus rapid transport runs on the Silver Line...
at 6:45 pm Pacific Time, and scheduled to arrive at Chicago Union Station
Union Station (Chicago)
Union Station is a major train station that opened in 1925 in Chicago, replacing an earlier 1881 station. It is now the only intercity rail terminal in Chicago, as well as being the city's primary terminal for commuter trains. The station stands on the west side of the Chicago River between Adams...
at 3:20 pm Central Time on the second day of the trip.
See also
- Passenger train service on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
- Scotty's CastleScotty's CastleScotty's Castle is a two-story Mission Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival style villa located in the Grapevine Mountains of northern Death Valley in Death Valley National Park, California, U.S.. It is also known as Death Valley Ranch...