No. 10481 Baldwin Class 3460 "Blue Goose" Streamlined 4-6-4 "Hudson" Type Steam Locomotive, heading up the "Chief" Streamlined Passenger Train

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad

By the mid-1920s the need for more passenger capacity between Chicago and Los Angeles had become evident, necessitating longer and heavier passenger trains. To provide power for these trains, the Santa Fe railroad placed an order with the Baldwin Locomotive Works for a fleet of the heaviest and most powerful passenger locomotives ever manufactured, the 4-8-4 "Northern"-type, first delivered to the Santa Fe in 1927 (see No. 10658).

These locomotives proved extremely successful, pulling the deluxe "name" trains, such as the "Chief," the entire 2239 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles with speed and comfort, until diesel locomotives replaced the "Northerns" between 1947-1950.

The streamlined diesel era on the Santa Fe really began early in 1938 with the introduction of General Motors Electro-Motive Division's newly designed E-1 and later FT streamlined diesel-electric locomotives to head up the "Super Chief" (see No. 10467) and "El Capitan" (see No. 10185). At the same time, however, the Santa Fe elected to streamline a special order Baldwin-built 4-6-4 "Hudson"-type steam locomotive to power the "Chief" streamliner, introduced to the train in 1938 to complement the new streamlined diesels heading up the "Super Chief" and "El Capitan." Only one "Hudson" was streamlined, in 1937, No. 3460, and it was nicknamed the "Blue Goose" because of its distinctive medium and light blue coloring, separated by an 18"stainless steel strip running the full length of the engine and tender at running board level. At the time, the "Chief" was mostly steam-powered, but the "Blue Goose" was Santa Fe's only streamlined steam locomotive, built that way, not a cover-over product. The "Blue Goose" was part of an order of six Class 3460 "Hudsons" delivered by Baldwin to the Santa Fe in 1937 (Nos. 3460-3465), all oil burners; the other five were non-streamlined and used mostly to power the "Chief" to La Junta, Colorado, from Chicago. The 4-8-4 "Northerns," not streamlined, while powerful and dependable, looked old-fashioned, inappropriate for Santa Fe's new "moderne" image in 1938. No. 3460 toiled mostly on the 992-mile run between Chicago and La Junta, retired postwar during the diesel revolution.

It was a 63-hour trip from Los Angeles to Chicago in 1926, pared to 58 hours by 1936 and 50 hours by 1938. In 1938 the "Chief" received new lightweight stainless steel cars from Budd and Pullman-Standard, though still steam-powered and by then secondary to the newer, faster "Super Chief," with service first established in 1937 (see No. 10088). By 1939, the "Chief" was the only deluxe all-Pullman train to run daily between Chicago and Los Angeles in each direction (there were six "Chief" consists).  In 1947, new 4000 horsepower Electro-Motive E-7 AB twin-unit diesel locomotives replaced steam on the refurbished "Chief," permitting a reduction in travel time to under 47 hours. The "Blue Goose," still streamlined to the end, was scrapped in 1954.

In January, 1954, the "Chief" lost its all-Pullman status with the addition of reclining-seat coaches, but appeal was maintained with the addition of Budd-built "Big Dome" lounge cars at this time.  Travel time was reduced to 39-3/4 hours and the extra-fare was dropped. 

A new train, the Pullman-equipped "San Francisco Chief," was introduced in June, 1954 (Chicago-Oakland) (2555 miles), featuring daily service and Budd-built "Big Dome" lounges, adding bi-level "Hi-Level" coaches in 1965, also by Budd.   

The jet airliner came of age in the 1960s, dramatically affecting Santa Fe's transcontinental ridership and revenues. The "Chief" became an early casualty, and was terminated in 1968, but the "San Francisco Chief" continued its excellent service, along with the "Super Chief," right up to Amtrak in May, 1971, when it was discontinued.  

No. 10481 represents an accurate scale model of Santa Fe's oil-burning streamlined Baldwin-built Class 3460 "Blue Goose" 4-6-4 "Hudson"-type steam locomotive No. 3460, heading up the 8-car lightweight streamlined "Chief" passenger train in two-tone blue and stainless steel, matching the locomotive (Nos. 10482 and 10483). The model train is in "0" gauge by MTH, and is shown as it would have been seen out of Chicago heading west 1938-1947.  The Dome Lounge Car (called "Big Dome") (No. 10459) would not be added to this train until 1954, however, as dome cars were not introduced to the Santa Fe until the Pleasure Domes of 1951 (Pullman-Standard) and Big Domes of 1954 (Budd).  

It is interesting to note the design similarity between the "Blue Goose" and New Haven's ten streamlined I-5s (see No. 10473), all delivered in 1937, by Baldwin.

As a footnote, the "Chief" began service between Chicago and Los Angeles in November, 1926, as Santa Fe's flagship train, supplementing "California Limited" service, established in 1892, attracting film stars and celebrity businessmen traveling from coast to coast. Once in Chicago, they would board New York Central's famous "20th Century Limited" (see No. 10073) or Pennsylvania Railroad's prestige train "Broadway Limited" (see No. 10078) to New York City. The  extra-fare "Chief" was all-Pullman 1926-1954.  Motto:  "Extra Fast, Extra Fine, Extra Fare."  There were seven cars on the new 1926 train:  four sleepers, club car, dining car, and the traditional brass-railed lounge/observation car.  

Amtrak has adopted the "Chief" name for its currently operating coach and sleeper train "Southwest Chief" between Chicago and Los Angeles. This fine streamliner features a full-service Dining Car and a Cafe'/Lounge Car with sandwiches, snacks, and bar service.  Notable are the bi-level "Superliner" stainless steel coach, sleeping, lounge, and dining cars (see Nos. 10359 and 10600).