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 streamlined Super Chief (assigned train Nos. 17 & 18) was the first Diesel-powered, all-Pullman sleeping car train in America, and it eclipsed the Chief as Santa Fe's standard bearer. The extra-fare Super Chief-1 commenced its maiden run from Dearborn Station in Chicago on May 12, 1936. Just over a year later, on May 18, 1937 the much-improved Super Chief-2 traversed the 2,227.3 miles (3,584.5 kilometers) from Los Angeles over recently upgraded tracks in just 39 hours and 49 minutes (averaging 60.8 miles-per-hour (90.0 km/h), often exceeding 100 miles-per-hour in the process). ******************************* With only one set of equipment, the train initially operated but once a week from both Chicago and Los Angeles. From that day forward the Super Chief set a new standard for luxury rail travel in America. At the height of its popularity, the trains of the Super Chief would make daily departures from both ends of the line. Adding to the train's mystique were its gourmet meals and Hollywood clientele. **************************************** Direct competitors to the Super Chief during its lifetime were the City of Los Angeles, a streamlined passenger train jointly operated by the Chicago and North Western Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad, and (to a lesser extent) the Golden State, a streamlined passenger train jointly operated by the Rock Island and Southern Pacific railroads. Santa Fe's route from Chicago to Los Angeles was the lengthiest of the high-speed, long distance trains of the day, making its way through mostly sparsely populated areas (which enhanced the train's already distinctive aura). The Santa Fe Super Chief was the last passenger train in the United States to carry an all-Pullman consist. When Amtrak took over operation of the nation's passenger service on May 1, 1971 it ended the 35-year run of the Super Chief on the Santa Fe, though Amtrak would continue to use the name for another three years. In 1974 the Santa Fe forced Amtrak to drop the trains name due to a perceived decline in service. Amtrak replaced the train over the same route with its Southwest Limited. Later the Santa Fe compromised with Amtrak and the train became the Southwest Chief in 1984.*********************The world-famous Super Chief was an almost-instant success among travelers who appreciated its modern, air conditioned equipment, high amenity levels, and smooth ride, all of which lent the train a certain "snob appeal." The train was staffed with top-of-the-line crews who were engrained in the best traditions of the railroad, and not only drew passengers from competing railroads but from other Santa Fe trains such as the Chief as well. Patrons took pleasure in the ability to "...Travel Santa Fe — all the way" to their destinations without the need to change trains, or at least railroads, en route. The Super Chief quickly became "the" train to ride between Chicago and Los Angeles, much as New York Central's 20th Century Limited was the favored travel option of the time for the East Coast-bound. To acquaint passengers with the various points-of-interest located along the route, Santa Fe constructed a series of seven signs marking such notable features as the Continental Divide and Raton Pass.*********************In the mid-1940s, company president Fred G. Gurley went to great lengths to solicit business from California's motion picture industry. To that end, a passenger agent was located in Hollywood specifically for the purpose of maintaining close contact with the movie studios. Furthermore, the train stopped at the Pasadena station solely for the purpose of allowing celebrities the opportunity to board or disembark away from the "hustle and bustle" of Los Angeles' Union Passenger Terminal (LAUPT). When the Santa Fe was notified that a particular celebrity was going to be traveling on board the Super Chief, a press release was issued to allow the media the opportunity to interview and photograph the star. In time, the passenger list would resemble a veritable "who's who" of Hollywood stars: Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, James Cagney, Judy Garland, and Bing Crosby (to name but a few) all rode the Super Chief. The train's appeal was not limited to those in the entertainment industry, though, as it also played host to Ronald Reagan, former presidents Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower, and their wives.**************In June, 1952 Warner Bros. Pictures released Three for Bedroom C, a romantic comedy starring Gloria Swanson, James Warren, Fred Clark, Hans Conried, and Steve Brodie. In the film, an aging movie star (Swanson) and her precocious daughter hide out in the compartment of a scientist (Warren) during a cross-country journey from New York to Los Angeles aboard the Super Chief. Swanson's first color film also bears the distinction of being one of very few to be shot entirely aboard actual railroad equipment. Santa Fe transported actual passenger cars from the Super Chief to the production company's studio lot for filming. The film met with lukewarm reviews and did not, as had been hoped, revitalize Swanson's career. It did, however, nicely showcase the many features of the Super Chief, which many train buffs feel is the real star of the motion picture.********The Super Chief is mentioned in the second chapter of Playback (1958), the final, complete novel by Raymond Chandler to feature his iconic creation Philip Marlowe.**********