In 1935 the Santa Fe mountains and northerns rarely handled passenger trains east of La Junta, Colorado. For one thing, they had enough to do in the mountains west of there. For another, the Santa Fe had 274 pacifics. So that made their hudsons the kings of their central and eastern regions. But here's one on the Ranger in 1935. The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe usually got hand-me-downs, not the latest and greatest. But California was served by Chiefs, Scouts, California Limiteds, Grand Canyons, Missionaries... The (Texas) Ranger tended to do the whole job. The Antelope was cut back to mainly hauling mail south from Newton, Kansas. And other trains on the route tended to disappear also, just as the Ranger did when the Texas Chief was inaugurated. There's a pic of a 3400 class heavy pacific in Iron Horses of the Santa Fe Trail hauling a massive nineteen car Ranger into Dearborn. So, it's no wonder the 3450 class hudsons got the assignment, and carried it out right through WWII.
