Southwest Chief facts for kids
Amtrak's Southwest Chief at Devil's Throne in New Mexico
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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Service type | Long-distance higher speed rail |
| Status | Operating |
| Locale | Midwestern and Southwestern United States |
| Predecessor | Super Chief, El Capitan |
| First service | 1974 |
| Current operator(s) | Amtrak |
| Ridership | 1,006 daily 367,267 total (FY15) |
| Route | |
| Start | Chicago, Illinois |
| Stops | 31 |
| End | Los Angeles, California |
| Distance travelled | 2,265 mi (3,645 km) |
| Average journey time | 43 hours, 15 minutes |
| Service frequency | Daily each way |
| Train number(s) | 3 (Chicago to Los Angeles) Westbound 4 (Los Angeles to Chicago) Eastbound |
| On-board services | |
| Class(es) | Coach Sleeper |
| Seating arrangements | Airline-style coach seating |
| Sleeping arrangements | Superliner Roomette (2 beds) Family Bedroom (4 beds) Superliner Bedroom (2 beds) Superliner Bedroom Suite (4 beds) Superliner Accessible Bedroom (2 beds) |
| Catering facilities | Dining car On-board café |
| Observation facilities | Sightseer Lounge Car |
| Baggage facilities | Checked baggage (select stations) |
| Technical | |
| Rolling stock | P42 locomotives Superliner cars |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Operating speed | 90 mph (145 km/h) maximum 55 mph (89 km/h) average (including stops) |
| Track owner(s) | BNSF Railway |
The Southwest Chief (formerly the Southwest Limited and Super Chief) is a passenger train operated by Amtrak. It is on a 2,265-mile (3,645 km) route that goes through the Midwestern and Southwestern United States. It goes between Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California, going through Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and California.
During fiscal year 2018, the Southwest Chief carried 331,239 passengers. This was 8.8 percent less than it was from FY 2017. The route grossed $43,184,176 in revenue during FY 2018. This was 3.8 percent less than it was from FY 2017. Amtrak had plans for replacing the route between Albuquerque, New Mexico and Dodge City, Kansas with bus service. As of October 2018, these plans were canceled.
History
Accidents and incidents
- On October 2, 1979, the Southwest Limited derailed (went off the rails) at Lawrence, Kansas. Of the 30 crew and 147 passengers on board, two people were killed and 69 were injured. The cause was too much speed on a curve. Other causes included an engineer that was not familiar with the route, and that a sign that said to slow down had been removed during track repairs.
Images for kids
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Boy Scouts unload their equipment at Raton in 2011.
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Southwest Chief #4 arriving at Trinidad, CO
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Southwest Chief #3 stopping at Albuquerque station
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Southwest Limited dome car, 1974. Photo by Charles O'Rear.
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Amtrak Eng. 69 on the Southwest Chief at Barstow, California in 1999
