Q: I recently purchased the Kato 20th Century Limited in N scale. The documentation with the set says that run-through service was provided with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe. Where can I find information on which ATSF cars were used for this service and where would they be cut into the NYC consist? – Mark Deutscher, Fulton, Ill.
A: Starting on March 31, 1946, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe started offering transcontinental service by including three run-through sleepers on The Chief. These cars would travel from Los Angeles to Chicago on The Chief, where they would be swapped for run-through sleepers that had arrived on the New York Central’s 20th Century Limited, the Baltimore & Ohio’s Capitol Limited, and the Pennsylvania RR’s Broadway Limited. After their trip east, the cars would return to Chicago on their respective trains, where they would again be swapped with three sleepers from The Chief for the rest of the journey westward.
Three 4-bedroom, 4-compartment, 2-drawing room sleepers alternated Chief duties on the NYC: the Imperial House, Imperial Domain, and Imperial Empire. For the Santa Fe, 4-4-2 sleepers in the Regal series would do the run-through duties on the 20th Century. In 1948-1949, the NYC switched to cars in the Bridge series. In 1949, a 10-roomette, 5-double-bedroom sleeper was added to the mix; NYC used cars from the Cascade series and the Santa Fe used Pine cars.
One account for 1951 lists the cars in the NYC rotation as the 4-4-2 Castleton Bridge, George Washington Bridge, Thousand Islands Bridge, Tri-Boro Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge, International Bridge, and Rip Van Winkle Bridge, as well as 10-roomette, 6-double-bedroom sleepers Chicago River and Chateaugay River. For the Santa Fe, 4-4-2 sleepers Nava, Bacobi, Saydatoh, Tsankawi, and Seboyeta did the job, along with 10-6 sleepers Pine Bell, Pine Beach, Pine Brook, Pine Cavern, and Pine Arroyo. Other cars that occasionally filled in were the NYC’s 4-4-2 High Bridge, Imperial Chariot, Imperial Crown, and Imperial Empire.
In January 1954, the Santa Fe switched its transcontinental service to the Super Chief, and run-through duties were performed almost entirely by ATSF cars. Santa Fe 4-4-2 sleepers that would be seen on the 20th Century Limited included Regal Gate, Regal Gulf, Regal Arms, Regal Creek, Regal Town, and Regal Court. Sleepers Pine Arroyo, Pine Brook, Pine Dale, Pine Island, Pine Cove, and Pine Fern filled the 10-6 role.
Run-through service of 10-6 cars on the 20th Century Limited came to an end January 12, 1958. In April of that same year, the 4-4-2’s were dropped, as well.
Kato’s nine-car 20th Century Limited set includes the 4-4-2 sleeper George Washington Bridge, which would have been in run-through service from 1948 to 1954; the 10-6 sleeper Chicago River is included in Kato’s four-car add-on set. Both these cars would be coupled near the head of the train, just behind the baggage car, in order to minimize jostling the other cars in the consist while switching these over to the Santa Fe. If you’re modeling the Super Chief era (1954-1958), look for Kato’s Super Chief four-car add-on set; the 4-4-2 Regal Gate could be used on the 20th Century Limited as-is, but 4-4-2 Regal Hunt and 10-6 sleepers Palm Haven and Palm Top would have to be renamed. Microscale decal set 60-114 includes the names Pine Island, Pine Dale, Regal Creek, and Regal Arms, among others.
Q: I’m looking for Model Railroader articles on logging operations and buildings, especially with plans on how to build sawmills and buildings from the 1950s. – Mike Rottenberger, Lebanon, Ohio
A: We just so happen to have a book on that very topic – The Model Railroader’s Guide to Logging Railroads by Matt Coleman. You can find it in the Kalmbach Hobby Store, https://KalmbachHobbyStore.com/product/book/12423. To search our 88 years of back issues for even more articles on logging railroads, sign up for our online Archive.
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