Question: Santa Flush SuperChief and Kato cars....

[sizemore]

I collect the Kato "Name-Train" sets, and received the Super Chief as a present for turning 21 for the 11th time. The information I found on the early fifties consist only listed a single dome #504, the Kato set has #500, Kato produced an additional dome car #501 sold separately. I cannot find any additional information through the Kato website about the car. So two questions:

1. Was it typical for the Santa Fe to include a second dome car in the consist?
2. Was the 501 dome an add-on car for the Chief roundy-round set?

Thanks,
The S.

[Blazeman]

There was a thread on here the day that linked to some video. When the YouTube came up, the listing of offerings of a similar nature had the ATSF promo film for the Super Chief done in 1954. There was one dome car in the consist.

[Nato]

         The Pooper (Super Chief) Pleasure Dome Lounge Cars were almost copies of the single dome observation car "Moon Glow"built for the 1947 GM Train of Tomorrow by Pullman Standard. The Santa Fe cars however were built as mid train cars, the dome area contained fewer seats as they were swiveling seats execpt at the ends.The short or forward end of the car did not have a cocktail lounge,but instead the famous Torquoise Room, a private dining room area,that could be reserved,the cars ran short end to the rear next to the dining car kitchen to service that dining room. Each Super Chief consist ran with one dome lounge car from the 500 series. There were just enough for each connsist. The cars were originally to be named with names like "Plazza Santa Fe",but numbers were used instead. One of the surviving cars now in Private Car service on the West Coast has been named "Plazza Santa Fe". The Super also carried a dorm lounge like that in the Kato sets either built by Pullman or American Car & Foundry (ACF). Nate Goodman (Nato).