My knowledge of Santa Fe's passenger trains isn't quite the best :tb-embarrassed: I was just wondering, when Santa Fe ran the San Dieagans in the 60's-70's did they ever carry any express/mail cars on the head end? I haven't seen any photos but my database is limited right now. Thanks geep_fan
"when Santa Fe ran the San Diegans in the 60's-70's"??? FIRST, the U S Post Office Department pretty much ended ALL Railway Post Office (mail car) operation in the entire country in 1968. So no mail cars after 1968. And 1970s??? AMTRAK took over the operation of most railroad passenger service on April 1, 1971. The entire Santa Fe system was left with only three trains- the combined Super Chief El Capitan; the Texas Chief; and the San Diegans. (And an odd season or two, the Chief...) I don't know whether Amtrak carried baggage-express on this run. For the period before 1968, I checked Fred W. Frailey's A Quarter Century of Santa Fe Consists (Godfrey, Ill: RPC Publications, 1974), 170-172.* #74 & #75 all coach in summer 1968 #76 Los Angeles-San Diego had a lightweight (streamlined) baggage-express on the REAR end in summer 1968. #77 San Diego-Los Angeles had a lightweight (streamlined) baggage-express on the head end in summer 1968. *Sorry, I am working on a Master's Degree in history and can't help putting things in bibliographic form...
