The late day sun is setting on a sunday evening in late October of 1989. This is the Amtrak Southwest Chief (formerly santa fe Superchief)Leaving Chicago on the original Santa Fe right of way, about to pass below the Central Avenue Bridge south of 39th street (Pershing Road) near the towns of Stickney and Forest View Illinois, in the Western suburbs. During the Early 1990's, the Santa Fe built a huge Intermodal Yard west of here in Willow Springs Illinois. This soon caused many Delays On this particulair line.
After the merger with the Burlington Northern Railroad...This train was re-routed on the old CB&Q mainline (Burlington Northern) where it would rejoin the old Santa Fe mainline at Galesburg Illinois, and proceed west along the original route to Los Angeles California. During pre Amtrak -pre Jet Airline days...This train carried Movie Stars to Chicago and Other citties East (transfering trains at Dearborn Station.) back when this First Class Luxury Train was known as the Santa Fe "Superchief".
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Willow Springs had been the home of a Fisher Body General Motors plant which was great business for the Santa Fe: Three switch engines handled 60 gondola cars full of flat rolled steel on the "Willow Springs Turn" inbound and countless 50' and larger box cars bound for GM assembly plants mostly on the eastern lines through Corwith every night.
The Los Angeles based on-board service crew in the Superlined Diner is likely ramping up to serve dinner...The Chief is probably in the Sleepers passing out reservations.
Some former Santa Fe Crew members still worked out of the Chicago crew base in 1989, but by this time the Southwest Limited was handled by the Los Angeles crew base. These service attendants out of Los Angeles were ususally much younger and unlike the former waiters who worked on the original Chief, didn't mind if diners wore hats while eating in the diner.
By the time of the BN merger, the Chief was no longer taking the original Santa Fe route all the way into Los Angeles. At San Bernadino, the Chief now diverges from the original route that entered Los Angeles via Cucamonga Azusa and through the back yards of Pasadena. It now enters Los Angeles via Riverside.
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