Santa Fe's 1949-54 Chief Train & A New Crossover into Staging Yards

 

This time we'll cover the Santa Fe's Chief passenger train in Victorville during 1949-1954, and then we'll look at several weeks of slow work on adding a new mainline crossover into the staging yards, plus a visit to the annual Model Train Festival in Tacoma.

For this 2nd report on the Chief passenger train, I'll be using slides and photos again from my 2010 clinic about the Postwar Chief.  Here's an opening image, showing the rear drumhead emblem for the Chief train:

 

Here we see the Chief departing Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal in March, 1949, behind a set of passenger FTs, with a rare steam helper (4-8-4 #2928) on the point, thanks to H.L. Kelso:

Here's a photo of the eastbound Chief rounding the curve into Summit behind a set of F3s in 1949:

Here's a table of the train's consist at this time, along with the HO models available as of 2010:

Here we see a Stan Kistler photo of Alco PAs with the Chief, climbing the westbound grade at Frost (just outside Victorville) in June of 1950:

Here's a slide listing the changes to the Chief's consist during 1950:

 

Here we see the Chief pulled by a set of Alco PAs, climbing the eastward Cajon Pass grade toward Sullivan's Curve in 1950, thanks to Thomas Hotchkiss:

 

Here's a color photo of the eastbound Chief coming into Summit behind PAs in 1950:

Here's a table of the train's consist during late 1950 and early 1951:

Thomas Hotchkiss shot this photo showing the rear of the Chief climbing eastbound past Cajon station in 1950:

 

Here are the changes to the Chief's consist during 1951:

Here now is a table of the Chief's consist during 1951-1952:

 

Here we see a color photo of the rear part of the eastbound Chief entering the first Alray tunnel on Cajon Pass:

And here is the train's consist from late 1952 up to early 1954:

I always report on the times of day when the train traveled through Victorville (without stopping), so here are the times during 1949 to early 1954:  In 1949 Train 19's time was 5:10 a.m. and Train 20's time was 3:48 p.m.  On April 2, 1950, Train 20's time changed to 3:44 p.m.  On Jan. 28, 1951, Train 20's time changed again to 3:41 p.m.  There were no more changes until a radical change on Jan. 10, 1954, when Train 19 changed to 7:25 p.m. and Train 20 changed to 6:53 p.m. in Victorville.

I will want to model this train in HO, so I will check the spreadsheet data given above for the available models.  Robert Rogers informs me that the only two HO models for this train added since 2010 are the Walthers 8-2-2 without skirts (but they can be added) and the Walthers Budd diner.

I will continue with this report on the Chief in my next blog entry here, which will cover 1954 and later.

My next topic today will be two more bi-weekly layout progress reports, as usual.  On Dec. 4, 2025, I wrote this report:

With various family events and preparations for the holidays, I didn't get much done since my last report on Nov. 30.

When I left off last time, I was connecting two turnouts to become the new crossover between the two mainline tracks leading into the A and B staging yards, replacing the previous double-slip switch.  To make way for the new crossover, I had to use my Dremel tool to cut the rails of the mainlines in several spots, and then I had to use a putty knife to dig through the caulk that held the old track in place.

Here's a photo I shot when the old tracks had been removed -- note the bare roadbed, and the new crossover tracks sitting on the white papers:

 

Then I worked on fitting the new crossover into place, which included removing ties to make room for new rail joiners.  Here's a view looking in the other direction, with the crossover in place but not yet entirely connected with rail joiners:

 

 

I'll keep working on this as I find time.  Then there will be more track cutting and replacing on the next part of the mainlines.  No fun.

Last time I mentioned that I was hoping to get Craig Wisch interested in modeling the Union Oil dealer's facility that was along a spur track on the far side of the wye in Victorville.  Good news -- he did get interested and has been working on a cardstock model of the building and its connected truck garage!

What did the trick was sending him the beautiful scale drawings that my architect friend Jim Coady had drawn for me way back in 2018.  Here's the first page of his drawings, with perspective views and part of a rare old photo I had found:

 

 

Here are the elevation drawings of the long sides:

 

Finally, here are the end drawings and the plan view from the top: 

 

Thanks to these drawings, Craig Wisch has made great progress on his cardstock model, but it is not yet complete.  Here are the four views of his model that he sent me today.  This one shows the track side, with the loading dock on the right end:

 

Here is the street side, with the loading dock on the left:

This view shows the truck garage on the left end of the track side:

And here we see the truck garage on the right end of the street side:

Craig is doing beautiful work on this model!

The other thing I can report on is the op session I attended at Bill Messecar's big Santa Fe HO layout on Wednesday, Dec. 3.  Here's a photo of Bill James and me switching the Riverside Turn:

 

 

In another aisle, Dave Peck and Colin Kikawa were switching the Placentia Turn:

 

And here we see Bill Messecar switching the Corona Turn:

 

We all had fun that morning, and then we all went to lunch together at the local IHOP.

The next big event for me will be running trains at the annual model railroad show in Tacoma during the weeks before and after Christmas.

Bill Messecar is planning to build the Victorville sand house and bin as soon as Jim Coady finds time to prepare some drawings.  If you can also help with my layout, either in person or by building models for Victorville, please let me know. 

 

My next layout report went out on Dec. 28, 2025.  It was sent out in three parts, because of AOL's limit on message sizes, but I will present it here as one message:

 

With all of the holiday events going on, I didn't get much done on my layout, except for completing the track connections in the new curving crossover between the mainlines.  It took a lot of work to cut the tracks to size and to get all the rail joiners into all the new track connections, but that annoying work is done now.  Here's a view of the new curving crossover (on the left):

 

As you can see, I still need to insert loose ties under the rail joiners and glue them all down.  Here's a view looking in the other direction, from above the new crossover, toward the new turnout that will lead to the helix in the right distance:

 

Meanwhile, my helper in Victorville, Craig Wisch, has been adding more details and some oil storage tanks to the Union Oil dealer model he showed us last time.  Here's one view, showing the street side, with the new storage tanks in the background:

 

And here's a track side view, with the new tanks in the foreground:

On Monday and Friday mornings of this past week I made the long drive to Tacoma to help the Boeing Employees Model Railroad Club keep the trains running on their portable modules for the public at the annual Model Train Festival..  Friday (the day after Christmas) was a very busy day for the show!

On both days I was working with Jay Biederman to run the two trains on the double-track rectangular loop:

 

Here's a view as the trains meet on the opposite side of the rectangle:

 

I also visited all the other model train layouts on display at the show.  Here's a view from behind the main roundhouse at the very large permanent HO layout of the Puget Sound Model Railroad Engineers (PSMRE):

 

And a view of a train as it curves past the roundhouse:

 

 

They have a large, detailed HO model of Tacoma Union Station, as seen here from the left side:

 

 

Across the aisle I could see a Milwaukee Road Hiawatha train being pulled by a Bi-Polar loco:

 

 There is also a scene featuring the NP roundhouse that was in Auburn:

 

 

Here's an HO modular layout I hadn't seen before, run by the European Train Enthusiasts:

 

 

Here we see another fast train passing that depot in the other direction:

 

On another day there I got a shot of a European steam train in action:

 

 

Adjacent to that layout was the HO modular layout of the 4th Division NMRA group:

 

 

In another part of that layout was a scene with a modern diesel shop:

 

On the nearby 4th Division N-Trak modules, two trains were curving past their Turntable Mall scene:

 

 

And some Milwaukee Road F-Units were entering a bridge on the same layout:

One floor down from these was the large Mount Rainier N-Scale modular layout.  Here's their module with a carfloat scene (and note the UP steam train in the distance):

 

And here we see a N&W 2-8-8-2 passing their Circa-1944 US Army Base scene (my favorite scene):

 Adjacent to there was their circa-1970 US Army Base scene:

On another part of their modules I shot their N&W 2-8-8-2 crossing a bridge:

 

And here it passes their large Darigold plant:

 

And here it passes their amazing carfloat scene:

By the entry on the 3rd floor is the modular layout of the Pierce County Lionel Train Club, where the trains run fast.  Here's a view from the 4th Floor overlook:

 

I was pleased to see a big O-scale Santa Fe 2-10-4 in action on the Lionel layout:

 

Here are some Western Pacific F-units in action on the same layout: 

Here we see their Lionel NYC steam train racing around a curve:

I also got to see their huge UP Big Boy crossing a bridge:

 

Down on the 2nd Floor, I found the modules of the NW Pacific Z Scalers:

Near there the very large locos of the Kitsap Live Steamers were on display, such as this one:

 

 

On Monday, Dec.29,  I worked the morning shift again at the Boeing Employees Model Railroad Club modules.  My partner this time was a new, young member of the club, Ryan Schmierer ("shmeer"), as seen here beside me (photo shot by Jim Billington, who's been there for every shift this year):

 

 

Once again, there were lots of families visiting us, with wide-eyed children, as seen here:

 

 

As always, it was fun to run the trains and to see all the other layouts in action.

If you can help me with my layout in any way, in person or by building models remotely, please let me know.

John