The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-04-21
RAILROAD NEWS.
California Limited VIII Be Run
Again.
w. j. Black Denies Reports Of
Its Being Discontinued.
SUCCESSFUL SEASON.
Earnings of the Train Have
Been Enormous.
Will Be a Semi-WeekIy Train
SUCCESSFUL SEASON.
Will Be a Semi-WeekIy Train
During the Summer.

There has been some talk lately to the
effect that the season which VIII shortly
be closed has been a very unsuccessful
one for the Santa FEES limited train to
California and that it is therefore to be
given up as a bad job and discontinued.
This. together with the following from
san Bernardino. which is exactly con
rrary to statements given out by them.
has succeeded in making local officials
very warm under the collar,
Limited trains on transcontinental
lines are said TO be doomed: railway men
assert that they are money losers for
the companies operating them and that
they have no good points to keep them
in service. Already the Rock Island
system has announced the abandonment
si its Golden State Limited a<ter May
] the Santa Re is said to contemplate
the abandonment of its limited service,
and the Sunset Limited may be replaced
by a train giving regular through serV-
ice but playing no favorites."
Yesterday when the above was shown
20 W. j. Black general passenger agent
Tor the Santa Fe, he said:
so far as the Santa Fe is concerned
there is positively not a word of truth
in ii. and considering the fact that the
California Limited has been just as sue
cessful this last season. if not more so
than it has in former years. 1 cannot
see how such rumOr ever originated.
We have just lately been compll-
menting ourselves that the train has
been SO successful, and so far as I know
all statements that have been given out
have been to this effect. Considering
the general conditions during last sea-
son accidents have been few and far be-
tween and the equipment of the train
is practically is good as it was when It
was put i'm service last fall.
"Of course there may be something in
the wind that has not yet reached me.
but I hardly think that this is probable.
If the train was to be discontinued per
manently President Ripley would be the
person to authorize such action. and il
ne has done SO. or even cOutemolates
doing so. I am sure that we would re-
CeiVe notice here long before the time
for it to be taken off, in order that We
might make preparations and advertise
the tcf No such notice has been re-
"Of course when California tourists
have returned TO the east and traffic no
iy4-seI Iecessltates the running of the
Limited. the daily trains Will be taken
or and it will be run as a semi weekly
train leaving Chicago on whatever days
OF the week that are considered to be
most favorable. But this action does
not signify in the least that the Limited
is 10 be discontinued on account of the
fact that this has been done every sum
mer since the train was first put on
about ten years ago 1t costs a great
deal Of money to run a limited train
and no railroad can afford to run one
when passenger traffic is light
AS to the part of the story about the
Sunset Limited I can say this: The
real Sunset Limited was discontinued
several years ago and the Southern Pa
cifc has had no limited train since that
time [ suppose that it did not prove
to be a paying investment. When this
train was taken off it was substituted
with regular through train from New
Orleans to California, such as the Santa
FEES No 1 and No 2. hut although the
equipment of the train was changed the
name was not and it is still known as
the Sunset Limited. This trains equip
ment is composed partly OF chair cars
and coaches and second class transpor-
tation is accepted which fact precludes
the use of the word limited This
change took place about three years ago
30 you see whoever wrote this story
was little late in getting the news
"Of what the Rock Island Intends to
DO with their Golden State Limited I
know nothing but you can say positive
ly that as long as traffic on the Santa
Fe continues to be as heavy as it has
been during the last season. just so long
Will the California Limited leave Chi
cago for. San Francisco. After that I
cannot say what will happen"