The El Capitan 3103 and 3105 Chair Cars

Two new passenger cars were added to the garage El Capitan. Another pair of Lionel 3103 and 3105 Chair Cars. These passenger cars are based on the pre-Hi-Level cars purchased by Santa Fe from Pullman-Standard for use on the El Capitan line. The 3103 and 3105 were included in the Lionel 6-30001 El Capitan set and were not sold separately.

What makes the chair cars so special is the El Capitan was America’s first and only deluxe all-chair-car transcontinental train. The train ran from Chicago to Los Angeles in only thirty-nine hours and forty-five minutes. The term Chair Car was intentionally used in place of the term "coach" because a chair car was specifically designed for long-distance travel. It had full extending leg rests and the seat backs reclined fully. The cars made by Pullman featured 44 Ride-Master seats (the earlier Budd cars featured 48-seats.) The reduced seating in the coaches was given over to improved leg room for passengers.

Between 1946–1948 Santa Fe increased the length of the El Capitan and added new cars built during and after World War II. The new El Capitan consist included a storage mail car, baggage-dormitory, eight 44-seat "leg-rest" coaches, two lunch counter-dining cars, a club-lounge, and a coach-observation car.

The El Capitan was the only all-coach or "chair car" (non-Pullman sleeper) to operate on the Santa Fe main line between Chicago and Los Angeles. It ran on the same 39 3/4-hour fast schedule as the Super Chief. In-car amenities included radio and recorded musical programs. A Courier-Nurse, Porter service and free drinking cups!

The seats on the El Capitan chair cars were specially ordered with foam rubber cushions molded to body measurements; full leg rests (some made by Heywood-Wakefield) tucked under the seats when not in use. The seat arms were upholstered with fingertip controls releasing the seat backs to three different reclining positions. The window spacing in these coaches was rearranged for better vision than in previous coaches. The floors were carpeted with tones representing the desert sands of the southwest. The walls and ceilings were of pastel tones, which varied from car to car to avoid monotony. Contrasting shades were used subtly; old rose with red, buff with tans, olive with gray-greens, all highlighted by stainless steel and chrome trim. The sidewalls of all of the cars were finished in Flexwood veneers. The colors were accented by soft indirect lighting as well as individual lights over the seats.