Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
Overview

ATSF system (shown in blue) at the time of the BNSF merger
Headquarters	Chicago, Illinois
Locale	List Arizona California Colorado Illinois Iowa Kansas Louisiana Missouri Nebraska New Mexico Oklahoma Texas
Dates of operation	1859–1996; 29 years ago (1996)
Successor	Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway (later BNSF Railway)

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (reporting mark ATSF), often called the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was a very large railroad company in the United States. It started in February 1859. The railroad reached the border between Kansas and Colorado in 1873. By 1876, it had arrived in Pueblo, Colorado.

To get more people to use its services, the railroad opened offices to sell farm land. This helped create a need for their trains. Even though it was called "Santa Fe," the main train line never actually went to Santa Fe, New Mexico. This was because the mountains and land were too difficult to build on. Instead, a smaller branch line from Lamy connected to Santa Fe.

The Santa Fe Railway officially stopped operating on December 31, 1996. It joined with the Burlington Northern Railroad to form a new company called the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway.

The Santa Fe Railway: Building an Empire
- Early Days and Growth
- Joining Forces: The Burlington Northern Merger
Santa Fe Railway by the Numbers
Images for kids
See also

The Santa Fe Railway: Building an Empire

The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway (AT&SF) was officially created on February 11, 1859. Its main goal was to connect Atchison and Topeka, Kansas, with Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Early Days and Growth

In its first years, the railroad played a big part in helping people settle in Kansas. A lot of the company's money came from carrying wheat grown in Kansas. They also transported cattle that were herded north from Texas to towns like Wichita and Dodge City. By September 1872, the railroad was busy moving these goods.

The AT&SF trains reached Albuquerque in 1880. As mentioned, Santa Fe, the original place the railroad wanted to reach, was served by a short branch line from Lamy, New Mexico.

Joining Forces: The Burlington Northern Merger

On September 22, 1995, the AT&SF railroad joined with the Burlington Northern Railroad. Together, they formed a new company called the Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway (BNSF).

The two railroad companies continued to run their operations separately for a while. However, on December 31, 1996, they officially became one company, the BNSF.

Santa Fe Railway by the Numbers

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway grew a lot over the years. Here's a look at some of its numbers from 1870 and 1945:

	1870	1945
Money earned (Gross operating revenue)	$182,580	$528,080,530
Total track length	62 miles (100 km)	13,115 miles (21,107 km)
Freight carried	98,920 tons	59,565,100 tons
Passengers carried	33,630	11,264,000
Locomotives owned	6	1,759
Unpowered rolling stock owned	141	81,974 freight cars 1,436 passenger cars

Source: Santa Fe Railroad (1945), Along Your Way, Rand McNally, Chicago, Illinois.

Images for kids

AT&SF trademark in the late 19th century incorporated the British lion out of respect for the country's financial assistance in building the railroad to California.
D&RGW through Royal Gorge in 1881
Gold bond of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad Company, issued October 1, 1889
A map of "The Santa Fé Route" and subsidiary lines, as published in an 1891 issue of the Grain Dealers and Shippers Gazetteer
A comparison map prepared by the Santa Fe Railroad in 1921, showing the "Old Santa Fé Trail" (top) and the AT&SF and its connections (bottom)
AT&SF and SP Railroad trains meet at Walong siding on the Tehachapi Loop in the late 1980s.
AT&SF passenger train, c. 1895
A map depicting the "Grand Canyon Route", c. 1901
AT&SF pass from 1923
Scene from the filming of The Harvey Girls (1946)
The San Francisco Chief in the 1950s
The exterior of a Hi-Level lounge on the El Capitan soon after completion in 1956
ATSF EMD F7 in classic Warbonnet livery, leading the San Diegan, heading south near Miramar, California, in 1973
A promotional brochure for the Santa Fe Railway's Scott Special passenger train
AT&SF#1129, a 1902 Baldwin 2-6-2 Prairie locomotive, preserved at Las Vegas, New Mexico, since 1956
AT&SF No. 870, a 1906-built 2-8-0 from Burnham, Williams & Co. on static display at park in Santa Fe Springs
EMC 1800 hp B-B in the original Golden Olive scheme (1935)
EMC E1 in Warbonnet (1938)
Santa Fe#103, an EMD FT unit decorated in the "Cat Whiskers" scheme, receives service during World War II.
A museum restoration of Kennecott Copper Corporation #103 (an Alco model RS-2) now bears the #2098 and the ATSF Zebra Stripe paint scheme.
Santa Fe #2378, an Alco S-2 switcher in the Billboard scheme (1966)
ATSF 108 at Southern California Railway Museum
Warbonnet roof details
ATSF San Diegan EMD F7 (1968), displaying the "SANTA FE" in black Railroad Roman letters along each side
Santa Fe #98, an EMD FP45 decked out in Warbonnet colors, including the traditional "cigar band" nose emblem
Santa Fe #681 in Sealy Texas, June 2001
The L.A.-bound Super Chief gets its 5-minute pit-stop service in Albuquerque, 1943
ATSF 9542 in Kodachrome leads other locomotives in Freightbonnet (1990)