Scott Special

At the time of its transit in 1905, the Scott Special made the 2,265-mile (3,645 km) trip[1] between the two cities at the fastest speed recorded to date; in doing so, it established the Santa Fe as the leader in high-speed travel between Chicago and the West Coast.

[4] Santa Fe's regular passenger service from Los Angeles to Chicago at the time was handled on a 2½-day schedule by the California Limited.

After a few high-priced and newsworthy train trips around the southwest, Scott met with the Santa Fe's General Passenger Agent, J. J. Byrne, at the railroad's office in Los Angeles on July 8, 1905.

The special departed from Santa Fe's La Grande Station in Los Angeles at 1:00 pm Pacific Time on July 9, 1905.

This accommodation, along with the numerous locomotive changes en route helped to ensure that the train would arrive in Chicago within the 46-hour schedule.

The locomotive and crew were again changed successively at Needles, Seligman, Williams, Winslow and Gallup before the train arrived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at 9:30 am on July 10.

Menu selections included such luxurious offerings as caviar, iced consommé, and Porterhouse steak à la Coyote.

[14][15] The speed record set by the Scott Special stood for many years and was not beaten in regular service until the introduction of the Super Chief in 1936.

[16] In 1955, on the 50th anniversary of the Scott Special's 1905 run, the event was re-enacted for the syndicated television anthology series, Death Valley Days, hosted by Stanley Andrews.

Robert Hinze, a fireman on the original Scott Special, was on hand to aid in the recreation as the replica train worked over Cajon Pass in California.

[17] In October 1984, the Santa Fe donated locomotive 1010 to the California State Railroad Museum, where it remains on static display.

[20] The 100th anniversary of the Scott Special was commemorated with localized events and interpretive displays along the train's route sponsored by various historical organizations.