Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad
American, 1859 - 1995
The railroad was further expanded in the 1880s and early 1890s to reach about 9,000 miles (14,480 km), but it lost some of this mileage in a reorganization brought on by the financial crisis of 1893. Under Edward Payson Ripley, its president from 1895 until 1920, the Santa Fe flourished and grew to more than 11,000 miles (17,700 km) of track. By 1941 it had more than 13,000 miles (21,000 km) of track, but it shrank gradually thereafter. In 1968 the company became a subsidiary of Santa Fe Industries, Inc., a holding company. In 1983 this company and the Southern Pacific Transportation Company agreed to merge into the Santa Fe Southern Pacific Corporation, but the merger was rejected by the ICC in 1987. The Southern Pacific rail system was sold off in 1988, and in 1989 the Santa Fe parent company became known simply as the Santa Fe Pacific Corporation. Burlington Northern, Inc., purchased the Santa Fe Pacific Corporation in 1995, and the resulting company took the name Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation.
Before it was acquired by the Burlington Northern railroad, the Santa Fe Railway covered 12 states, with most of its trackage in the midwestern and southwestern portions of the United States. Its freight revenues came principally from intermodal traffic, farm and food products, chemicals, motor vehicles and parts, and industrial raw materials. The days of its famed passenger trains such as the Super Chief were largely over by 1970, and it sold its passenger service to the National Railway Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) in 1971.
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company". Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Jan. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Atchison-Topeka-and-Santa-Fe-Railway-Company. Accessed 5 October 2022.
Person TypeInstitution
Last Updated8/7/24
Terms
Boston, 1831 - 1920, Boston
South Shields, England, 1860 - 1946, Santa Fe, New Mexico
American, active 1836 - 1983
Little Rock, 1886 - 1950, Little Rock
Grand Rapids, 1876 - 1945, Santa Fe
St. John, New Brunswick, Canada, 1837 - 1905, Riverside, California
Cincinnati, 1840 - 1907, Westwood, Massachusetts