The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-03-21
RumOr of New Mail Train on
Santa Fe.
Make Record Time from Chicago
to Coast.
MAY START AT X. c.
O7ertake the California Limited
at La Junta.
Reported That New Equipment
Is Being Built.

Though the Santa F'e officials will not
admit it. there is persistent rumOr
that this road is planning to put on
new transcontinental mail train. to run
from Chicago to San Francisco on
much faster schedule than any other
transcontinental train now in service.
1t will make as fast time from Chicago
to the coast as is now made by the
fast mail from Kansas City to Newton.
The reason for the addition of this
train to the present service is the
rapid increase in the amount of trans
continental mail now carried on the
fast trains. especially the California
Limited. The passenger business of
the California Limited is said to be
getting so heavy that the Santa Fe is
DESTROYS of eliminating several of the
heavy mail cars which now run on that
train.
Another object of the fast train is to
improve the mail facilities all along the
line, and give quicker service.
If the Santa Fe decides not to put
this Chicago-San Francisco train in
service, it is said that it is almost GER
tain that new fast train will be put in
from Kansas City to Ia Junta. The
object of this train would be to connect
with the IL a. m. Missouri Pacific mails
from st. Louis, which now have to lie
over III Adl4SdS lily 1OI SOIle lllllC.
The new train would pick I'D these
mails. and make the trip across the
state of Kansas to La Junta. Colo, in
such time that it would there oVertake
the California Limited, which would
have about three hours the start of IL
out of Kansas City. This would put the
St. Louis mails down into New Mexico,
Arizona and California nearly a day
earlier than at present.
A man who is closely in touch with
the Santa Fe mail service said the
other day: I'VE have been hearing the
rumor of this new train so persistently
for the past two or three months that
nearly everybody believes that there is
heard was that the new train would be
put into service just as soon as the new
equipment could be built. The plan is
TO have an exceptionally heavy and we'll
built lot of mail cars of this train; as
heavy and substantial as Pullman
coaches"
The new train would carry no pas
sengers what ever, according to reports,
except railroad officials and employees.
The feasibility of running a train at a
much faster rate than any train now in
regular service is said to have been
demonstrated to the Santa Fe officials
by the performances of the special
trains which have recently been run
across the continent at such terrific
speed. The California limited has been
regarded as very fast train, but it
speed as by few stops. It does not stop
except at some of the larger towns on
its route, and is therefore able to save
a lot of time. The proposed new mail
train will combine high speed with as
few stops as possible.
The Santa Fe has recently been get
ting in a new style Of very fast bal
anced compound locomotives, intended
for passenger service. These balanced
compounds have been given try-outs be-
tween Dodge City and La Junta and
have been breaking all records 1t is
likely that some of these are the en-
gines destined to haul the proposed fast
mail train
1t is natural that even if such
move is underway, the officials would
not care to have it known until al
the plans are completed, and the train
schedule has been made out. Denials
are therefore to be expected, and so
far all of the high officials have
claimed to know nothing whatever of
the proposed change.
When asked regarding the probable
ity of new mail train, H. U. Nudge,
general manager of the Santa Fe,
said:
I have heard nothing of it. If the
story is true it comes from a different
source than Topeka. I can't hardly
believe that such a thing can be pro-
bable though. AS [ understand the sit
uation there is no need for a train of
that kind. The trains which we now
have in service can handle what mail
is sent over the Santa Fe. The gov
eminent may have some such PROPOSE
ion in contemplation but even that is
not probable or I would have received
some communication regarding the
matter.
How about the train between Kan
sas City and La Junta?" was asked.
Il know no more about one than [
do about the other"