|
Year |
Notable Events |
|
1930 |
Catastrophic drought hits
the Great Plains, creating what is known as the "Dust
Bowl". Clemente, Texas, locomotive
shops complete modernization process. The ICC
approves a plan for Santa Fe to build a new line from
Amarillo, Texas, through Oklahoma to Colorado to compete
with the Burlington Texas-Colorado run. |
|
1931 |
The Santa Fe lines reach
their maximum mileage of 13,568 miles and is the largest
railroad in the United States. Track is built from
Amarillo to Boise City, Oklahoma, on the faster
Texas-Colorado line but construction is halted due to
economic conditions and the Dust Bowl. Traffic
begins decreasing due to the economy. |
|
1932 |
|
|
1933 |
Stoney retires as president
of Santa Fe and is replaced by Samuel T. Bledsoe, an
attorney and the first non-technical president of the
company. |
|
1936 |
The Super Chief, the first
deisel-powered locomotive, is introduced.
Construction resumes on the Texas-Colorado line. |
|
1937 |
The streamlined Super Chief
debuts, greatly improving the speed of both passenger
and freight trains. The fast line from Texas to
Colorado is completed at a cost of $3.75 million when
Boise City is connected to Las Animas, Colorado, where
it then connects into the main line. Santa Fe
purchases a branch line from Frisco between Fort Worth,
Texas, and Menard, Texas, in order to shorten the
Texas-California line. |
|
1938 |
The Chief is streamlined
and the El Capitan, the Golden Gate, and the San Diegan
streamliners enter service. |
|
1939 |
World War II begins in
Europe. Bledsoe dies after an illness and is
replaced by Edward J. Engal, another non-technical
manager who rose through the ranks. Traffic begins
to increase to normal numbers again. Dearborn
Station in Chicago is remodeled and a new station is
opened in Galveston. The Los Angeles Union
Passenger Terminal is opened, replacing the older La
Grande Station, of which Santa Fe has a 23% ownership. |
|
1941 |
The United States enters
World War II. |
|
1942 |
Santa Fe passenger traffic
rises 88% from the previous year and the amount of
freight hauled doubles. |
|
1944 |
Centralized Traffic Control
(CTC) signaling is installed at Raton Pass to help deal
with the heavy traffic. Engel retires as president
of Santa Fe and is replaced by Fred G. Gurley, an
operations man and a progressive technologist.
Radio communication debuts on Santa Fe trains, allowing
locomotive-caboose communication at first and then
system-wide communication. |
|
1945 |
World War II ends with
Alllied victories in Europe and the Pacific. |
