Lionel Santa Fe El Capitan Consist Complete!

6-38204 - Non-Powered FT Deisel B-Unit #160

It took me almost 18 months to find the last car to complete my El Capitan set. The 6-38204 Non-Powered FT Deisel B-Unit #160 has arrived!

First appearing on page 22 of the Lionel 2005 Volume 1 Catalog, this set was offered from 2005 to 2010. The Lionel 6-30001 Santa Fe El Capitan starter set included a classic conventional FT Diesel locomotive with road number #158. The locomotive was equipped with realistic sounds from the TrainSounds sound system. The FT would hurtle down the “Route of the Warbonnets” from Chicago to Los Angeles with three streamlined passenger cars—two illuminated coaches and an illuminated observation car—that follow the westbound locomotive. The Lionel starter set also included a CW-80 Transformer and a loop of FasTrack track.

 Lionel 6-30001 Santa Fe El Capitan starter set - $349.99:

1. 6-24568 - FT Deisel Locomotive #158
2. 6-25130 - Coach #3103
3. 6-25131 - Coach #3105
4. 6-25132 - Observation #3198

To complete the El Capitan consist Lionel offered five add-on cars sold individually:

1. 6-35102 - Diner #5109 - $64.99 (produced in 2007) 
2. 6-35129 - Vista Dome #3153 - $69.99 (produced in 2008)
3. 6-35128 - Baggage #2103 - $69.99 (produced in 2008)
4. 6-28905 - Non-Powered FT Deisel A-Unit #160 - $119.99 (produced in 2009-2010) 
5. 6-38204 - Non-Powered FT Deisel B-Unit #160 - $119.99 (produced in 2010) 

Prices noted show the original catalog price as supplied by FindMyLionel.com. As of 2023, you can still buy the starter set aftermarket (used with a box) for ~$350, the add-on cars typically sell at a premium for ~$170 - $200 each.

El Capitain B-Unit Holy Grail?

Featured in the Lionel 2010 Signature Edition Catalog, this Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (ATSF) B-unit PN 6-38204 was a one-year-only offering and was listed as road number 160 but does not have any actual road numbers on the unit. 

How did the simplest car in the El Capitan family become my holy grail? This car has no interior, no lights, no sound, and no power. But they must be fairly rare because I've been watching for a while and have not found a single one for sale on eBay. It might be time for me to start attending train shows.

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.

The #160 A-unit has arrived with a bonus.

I just added one more piece of my El Capitan set the rare (probably because no one really wants them) non-powered 6-28905 A-unit road number 160 (seen in the back of the picture below). These locomotives were manufactured to be an add-on for the 6-30001 El Capitan set and were sold in the 2009-2010 catalog.

However, this #160 unit came as part of a $200 eBay bundle that included a complete 6-30001 set. The set included the standard powered #158 6-24568, 2 Chair Cars, and an Observation car. The extra set of passenger cars will definitely be added to the garage consist because I've always felt my "all chair car" El Capitan was seriously lacking chair cars.

My intention was to swap the shells and run the powered 6-24568 with the #160 6-28905 shell so I can have two power units pulling my consist. The extra power will be helpful as my El Capitan consist is now 11 cars. But after further review, I've determined it will be easier to simply re-number the 6-24568. Both use the exact same shell as the cast numbers are identical but the 6-24568 shell has all the lights and engineer figurines hot-glued in place. Rather than hacking them all up, I will work on making a new set of white-on-black number decals. Maybe the decal project will motivate me to make new numbers for the duplicate 3103 and 3105 cars as well.

The last piece of the puzzle is to replace my 1996 6-18129 RailSounds B-Unit with one or two matching 4-window 6-38204 B-Units. I really like the rail sounds, but the 6-38204 is the correct B-Unit to complete this set.

Santa Fe Baggage Car

Lionel Santa Fe El Capitain 6-35128 Baggage Car

A few months back a listing for a 6-35129 Vista Dome car came up for sale on eBay. The seller stated he was selling off his recently-passed Father's train collection and would be listing other trains in the future. Since he had a Vista Dome from the El Capitan set, I emailed him and asked if he had a Baggage Car. The response was "maybe". He indicated he was working his way through a collection and was unsure of exactly what he would have for sale. Six months later and his father's El Capitain 6-35128 Baggage surfaced in his father's collection and this Santa Fe Baggage car has a new home. Sadly someday this story will likely repeat itself.

The Baggage car is representative of the "support" cars that operated with the passenger cars. As the name implies this car would be loaded with passenger baggage and could also carry freight or mail as an RPO (Rail Post Office) car. Baggage cars were always run directly behind the locomotives so they could be switched quickly in and out of a train. Railroads included these in what they referred to as their "head-on equipment" which included the A and B locomotives.

A baggage car is easily recognizable in the consist due to its lack of windows and pair of sliding doors fore and aft. Like the Vista Domes, these cars represent a bygone era, because the newer modern passenger cars like the Santa Fe El Capitan Hi-level had additional baggage storage built into the car typically eliminating the need for extra baggage cars. Another blow to the Baggage car came in the late 1960s when the Post Office canceled its rail contracts, and the profit for railroads associated with carrying parcels evaporated.

As far as the story repeating itself, it's a typical tale. Will I pass someday? Most certainly. Will my kids sell off my train collection? Most likely. Will someone else pay too much for a baggage car to complete their Santa Fe El Capitain consist? Probably. That's the hobby, the people come and go and the trains live on forever. Now, who has that 4-windowed B-Unit I have been looking for?

 

Time to Complete the Consist

My New Year's Resolution is to complete my El Capitan 9-car consist. This is the list of the cars in the consist order. 

1. 6-24568 - FT Deisel Locomotive #158 (only available in the Santa Fe El Capitan set) 
2. 6-38204 - Non-Powered FT Deisel B-Unit #160 (produced in 2010 sold individually) 
3. 6-28905 - Non-Powered FT Deisel A-Unit #160 (produced in 2009-2010, sold individually) 
4. 6-35128 - Baggage #2103 (produced in 2008, sold individually) Done!
5. 6-25130 - Coach #3103 (only available in the Santa Fe El Capitan set) 
6. 6-35129 - Vista Dome #3153 (produced in 2004-2007, sold individually) Done!
7. 6-35102 - Diner #5109 (produced in 2004-2007, sold individually)  Done!
8. 6-25131 - Coach #3105 (only available in the Santa Fe El Capitan set) 
9. 6-25132 - Observation #3198 (only available in the Santa Fe El Capitan set)

Yep that's me I'll be the guy on eBay bidding against you for the following:

Update: 7/1/2022 the #160 has arrived.

Update: 4/1/2022 the #2103 has arrived.

Ride Santa Fe Streamliners

This El Capitan ad is using a reprint of an early black and white postcard image. Note the front end of the Electromotive E1A locomotive is different than the later F7 units modeled by Lionel for the 6-30001 El Capitan set.

Early El Capitan postcard with the same Electromotive E1A locomotive pictured as above. 

EL CAPITAN — This Santa Fe day-saving, dollar-saving transcontinental streamlined train is dedicated entirely to the service of chair-car passengers. It makes the 2227-mile journey between Chicago and Los Angeles twice-weekly as swiftly as the fastest luxury streamliners—in just 39 3/4 hours. El Capitan, behind a 3600 H.P. Deisel-electric locomotive, capable of 120 miles an hour, carries 6 or more ultra-modern air-conditioned lightweight streamlined stainless steel cars—including beautifully appointed 52-seat chair cars with spacious dressing rooms; a modern club-chair car; and a unique Fred Harvey lunch counter-dining car. 

Lionel Santa Fe High Cube Box Car

The latest addition to the freight consist is a Santa Fe High Cube Box Car 6-9626. These were made from 1982-1984 and are taller than a standard boxcar and is about the same height as the triple-deck auto carrier. The freight consist is now: 

1. High Cube Box 6-9626 
2. Auto Carrier 6-9281
3. Flatcar with Boat 6-39433 
4. Jim Beam Kentucky Bourbon Billboard Reefer 6-9835
5. Wabash Operating Brakeman Car 6-26770

The auto-Carrier is almost full. It's carrying 3 Maisto 66 GTOs, 1 Maisto 62 Bel Air, 2 Maisto 70 Novas, 1 Jada 70 Chevelle, and one each Racing Champions 68 Camaro and 68 Firebird. The Jada Chevelle and Racing Champions Camaro/Firebirds are (1:55) scale and are the largest scale you could fit on these 6-9281 Auto Carriers.

Santa Fe Diesel to Pull the Freight Consist

 My Lionel 6-18128 locomotive has arrived as part of a Lionel 6-18130 AB set. This will be the workhorse to pull my Santa Fe freight consist. This locomotive paired with a Lionel 6-18129 B-unit will be the perfect power for my second train.

The L ionel 6-18130 AB set was manufactured and sold only in 1996. These were some of the last of the USA-made Lionel Santa Fe locomotives. The set includes the 6-18128 #2343 powered F-3A  and the 6-18129 #2343C F-3B with RailSounds.

A Lionel 6-24568 (front w/ dual headlamp) pulls my El Capitan consist. The 6-18128 (back w/ single headlamp will pull my Santa Fe freight consist. 

Old Man Take a Look at My Life, I'm a lot Like You

Neil Young fans will recognize the line from his song "Old Man" which is from his 1972 solo album Harvest. Lionel fans will also recognize Neil as one of the former owners of Lionel Trains. Young has been an avid train enthusiast and collector since he was a child and has said the vast model train layouts at his California ranch helped him connect with his son Ben, who has cerebral palsy.

This video was filmed at Young's California ranch in the mid 1990's around his train layout with his family, Pegi, Ben, and Amber. The segment was broadcast on the Nickelodeon Network and was hosted by Linda Ellerbee.

In 1995 Neil was part of an investment group that bought Lionel Trains and he is credited as the inventor of the LionTech TrainMaster Command Control (TMCC) system used in Lionel Trains from 1994-2006. LionTech, roughly headquartered on Young's northern California ranch, consisted of a loose confederation of technology developers whom Young had assembled to help develop individual components of the TrainMaster Command Control system.

In 2017, Neil auctioned off his model train collection passing on his hobby to another generation of collectors.

Grandpas Railroad Crummy

Growing up outside of Seattle, WA I fondly remember visiting my Grandfathers home workshop. It was a magic place of wonder. This was not a large space, just a tool shed at the back of his carport in Sultan, WA. But the tools hanging on every square inch of the walls and the ceiling made it seem like a museum of mystery where anything was possible and anything could be fixed. Sitting just outside his workshop sat Grampa's Crummy. 

This 1969 Suburban is similar to my grandfather's Crummy, his definitely had more rust...

Grandpas "Crummy" was a late 60's GMC Suburban in a weather-worn Orange color and had an elegant rusty patina. General Motors made these 3-door workhorses from 1967 to 1972 and they were often used by railroads as crew cars. The idea behind the 3-doors was that the passengers in the backseat could only exit on the safe (non-traffic) side of the vehicle. 

I remember seeing Grandpa one random Sunday morning wearing his denim overalls with his church clothes on underneath. He emerged from beneath the hood of the Crummy with a smile on his face and a wrench in his hand. Who knows? He might have been fixing something or simply giving it an oil change, but the Crummy was ready to go!

How Grandpa's Suburban got Nicknamed the Crummy

We always called Grandpa's Suburban the "Crummy" and I thought it was a unique nickname to his special vehicle but a few years ago I was visiting a car show and spotted a 3-door late 1960's Suburban. I told the owner about my Grandfathers Crummy and he told me that was a common name for these vehicles. He told me the railroads would use these for their road crews and since being on the road crew was the crummiest job on the railroad, that's how the nickname came to be.

Another theory is that on train lines, the caboose was often called a "crummy" because of the sparse accommodations for the crew. Grandpas Crummy might have gotten its nickname for the same reason. His Suburban was no luxury SUV like our modern Suburbans. It was nothing more than a work pickup truck with a roof over the bed and an extra row of seats. Monday through Saturday it could fit all of his tools, and on Sunday it would fit all of his grandkids, whichever was needed.

Whether it was the spartan similarity to a caboose or the job description of the road-crew occupants, General Motors' sales of vehicles to the railroads is well documented and the "Crummy" is another example of one of the vehicles that kept the railroads running.

Santa Fe Freight BA (Dummy) Locomotives

I picked up a dummy locomotive and B-Unit for my Santa Fe freight train consist. The red GM logo on the locomotive indicates this 1/2 of a Lionel 6-38312 Santa Fe F3 AA Conventional Classics set. These reissues were released in 2009 and were based on the Lionel Post War 2343's from the 1950's. 

This set is notorious for the fact that the original red paint was considered too flat and there were replacement shells sent to the owners with a glossier red finish. These body shells have the silver metal mesh (screen) top vents just like the post-war 2343 diesels and will actually fit the chassis from the 1950's. My 6-38317 is in the original dull finish.

• The powered locomotive would be the Lionel 6-38316 2343P
• This dummy locomotive would be the Lionel 6-38317 2343T (pictured below)

Note the single headlight consistent with Santa Fe freight trains of the mid-1950's.

  

Dummy units are empty inside except for the lamp that lights the headlight and cab. Typically they are rear-facing in the consist.  

The B-Unit is a Lionel 6-18129 2343C Santa Fe F3 Non-Pwd B-Unit Diesel Locomotive w/ Railsounds from 1996. This is a Made in the USA piece and adds robust sound to the consist.

The Lionel 6-18129 2343C has a volume knob on the top and requires a 9-Volt battery to run the rail sounds after the track power is cut. 

For now, I have added both of these to my Santa Fe El Capitan passenger consist. But the 6-38317 2343T (dummy) will be added to the "Nova" freight train consist when I find a matching 6-38316 2343P to pull it.

The El Capitain with an ABA Locomotive, Passenger, Vista, Diner, Passenger, and an Observation car.

El Capitan Diner Car added to the Consist

The Hotrod Diner El Capitan consist has just added a second of the three extra cars Lionel produced for the El Capitan. This car is the Lionel 6-25411 Santa Fe El Capitan Diner car (5109). 

Lionel 6-25411 Santa Fe El Capitan Diner car (5109) was produced from 2004-2007

This car represents the modest El Capitan dining experience with a small dining area at one end, a  lunch counter in the center, and a pantry and kitchen at the other end.

The Santa Fe El Capitan Diner Car from a 1940s era Santa Fe brochure. 

Serving economical and selective Fred Harvey table d’hote meals, a la carte meals and special meals for children. In this unique restaurant-on-wheels, there is a lunch counter seating 14 persons; and a formal section, with 6 tables of four places each.

Postcard of the El Capitan Diner car dining room with white linen service.

El Capitan Pulman Standard 1950's era diner car from Amtrack after they updated their 20-year-old Santa Fe Diner cars with a modern "Brady Bunch" color scheme. The dining room was behind the glass panels at the back of the photo. 

Nova Train?

I've come to the conclusion that the Hotrod Diner train route needs a freight train to go with the El Capitan passenger train. I'm thinking of recreating a Santa Fe version of this Rio Grande "Nova train" from 1973. Yep, that's a trainload of 1973 Novas!

I found this Lionel 6-9281 triple deck car hauler in Santa Fe livery that is similar to the cars pictured. It looks like this will hold 3 rows of 4 cars each. I'd like to string at least 3 of these in a row. So I'm going to need a bunch of cars!

Lionel 6-9281 triple deck car hauler box has smaller cars pictured like a typical 1:64 Matchbox.

The challenge is most of the O-scale train world generally uses 1:43 scale cars to go with O-scale trains. But the O-27 gauge trains that Lionel produces are not actually "scale" to anything.

Pictured above is a similar Lionel car in Penn Central livery with 1:64 Matchboxes. 

I'm thinking a "train load" of 1:64 Maisto Pro Rodz 1970 Novas. This Nova is the close to the 73's and the design fits my Hotrod Diner theme as I already have several 1:24 Maisto Pro Rodz on my Hotrod Diner marque.

1:64 Maisto Pro Rodz 1970 Novas come in green, blue and yellow,

Update

The Nova Train has begun. This is a Lionel 6-9281 in Sante Fe livery with three Pro-Rodz 66 GTOs and a 62 Belair mocked-up for size. In-person I feel these are just too small so I'm going to check and see if I can fit 1:55 or even 1:50 scale cars on the carrier. 

The Lionel 6-9281 triple deck car hauler with four Maisto Pro Rodz  1:64 scale cars. 

Added a Vista Dome car to the El Capitan Consist

I added a Lionel 6-35129 El Capitan Vista Dome #3153 to my El Capitan Consist. This car is based on the early 50's "glass penthouse" vista dome cars used by a variety of passenger train lines. It's a fantasy car as Santa Fe never actually used the small dome cars on the El Capitan. Santa Fe called their six (6) small dome cars the "Pleasure Dome" and they were exclusive equipment to the Super Chief.

In 1954 the El Capitan consist was equipped with full-length dome cars and two years later they got the high-level cars that really put the El Capitan on the map. But this fantasy Lionel car is decorated in their El Capitan single stripe and was added to the catalog in 2008.

The Vista-Dome car was conceived by Cyrus Osborn, a General Motors vice president, in 1944 as he rode in the diesel locomotive of a freight train in the Glenwood Canyon. Overtaken with the views that were not obscured by the walls of a passenger car, he contemplated a method to provide passengers with the same breathtaking views he was experiencing and started sketching away to provide train passengers a means of viewing the scenery. 

Introduced in 1951, Santa Fe called their dome cars "Pleasure Dome". (Burlington Railroad was the first adopter of Mr. Osborn's invention, coined and used the name, "Vista Dome".) The Santa Fe cars were built by Pullman and their domes had flat panes of glass.

"Top of the Super, next to the stars"—this unusual dome lounge with its deep cushioned swivel chairs and glare-proof windows gives you a wonderful unobstructed view of the scenic Santa Fe route.

The Santa Fe Pleasure Dome cars may have been the most luxurious style dome cars ever built. A large lounge with seats for about 20 graced the long end of the car, while a smaller lounge with seats for ten was located under the dome along with a small bar to serve drinks. The short end of the car was the famous Turquoise Room, a private dining room for up to 12 people. The car was always located next to the train’s diner so waiters could easily serve people in the Turquoise room.

This El Capitan poster shows the combination Super Chief El Capitan that Santa Fe started running in 1958 with a Pleasure Dome car in the consist.

Although the El Capitan never ran a small dome car, for my train line, a Vista Dome is the perfect addition! In addition to the Vista Dome Lionel also made a tri-colored single-stripe add-on Baggage Car and add-on Diner car for their Lionel El Capitan consist.

Better trains follow General Motors locomotives

Sante Fe opted to power their El Capitan with the same streamlined locomotive as their Super Chief. The FT Deisel Locomotive was manufactured by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division. The original FT was a 1,350 hp B-B diesel-electric locomotive produced between November 1939 and November 1945. The "F" stood for "freight" and the "T" for 2700 horsepower with a 2 unit set. A total of 555 cab-equipped A units were built, and 541 cabless booster B units, for a total of 1,096 locomotive units were constructed. All of these were sold to railroads in the United States. It was the first model in General Motors EMD's very successful F-unit series of cab unit diesels and this was the locomotive that convinced many US railroads that the diesel-electric freight locomotive was the future. Many rail historians consider the FT one of the most important locomotive models of all time. 

The first units produced for a customer were built in December 1940 and January 1941 for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. FTs were generally marketed as semi-permanently coupled A-B sets (a lead unit and a cabless booster connected by a solid drawbar) making a single locomotive of 2,700 hp. Many railroads used pairs of these sets back to back to make up a four-unit A-B-B-A locomotive rated at 5,400 hp.

Note the Single Headlight indicating this restored locomotive was originally manufactured to pull freight cars. (Dual headlight locomotives were used for passenger trains.)

General Motors Electro-Motive Division FT demonstration ABA

The Santa Fe passenger trains with their distinctive Warbonnet paint scheme were so popular General Motors used one to promote their FT Deisel Locomotives to the public. 

El Capitan Chicago Dearborn Station to Los Angeles Union Station

 Postcards picture the two terminal stations that mark the final destinations of the Santa Fe El Capitan

Lionel El Capitan 6-30001

The Lionel El Capitan 6-30001 was introduced in 2004 and was featured on the cover of the Lionel Ready-to-Run catalog in 2009.

The Lionel Santa Fe El Capitan 6-30001 was built between 2004-2009. The set included one Lionel FT Diesel Locomotive 6-24568 (158).

The Lionel El Capitan Conventional FT Deisel 6-24568 (158) was built from 2004-2009 and was only available as part of the 6-30001 El Capitan passenger set. This locomotive was based on the Sante Fe FT manufactured by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division. Designed to run on O27 and greater radius 3-rail track it is decorated in the ubiquitous Santa Fe Warbonnet paint scheme. The El Capitan Conv. FT Diesel features included: a three-position E -Unit, Operating headlight, Trainsounds sound system with diesel engine revving, horn, bell, squealing brakes, and operator-controlled CrewTalk, operating front coupler, dual maintenance-free motors, traction tires, die-cast trucks, pilot, frame, and fuel tank lighted cab, and fireman and engineer figures.

Lionel made a powered 'A' Locomotive, a Non-Powered 'A' Locomotive, a Non-Powered B-Unit and 6 Passenger cars for the Lionel El Capitan 6-30001 consist.

1. 6-24568 - FT Deisel Locomotive #158 (only available in the Santa Fe El Capitan set)
2. 6-28905 - FT Deisel Locomotive #160 (Non-Powered, sold individually) 
3. 6-38204 - FT Deisel B-Unit #160 (Non-Powered, sold individually)
4. 6-25130 - Coach #3103 (only available in the Santa Fe El Capitan set)
5. 6-25131 - Coach #3105 (only available in the Santa Fe El Capitan set)
6. 6-25132 - Observation #3198 (only available in the Santa Fe El Capitan set)
7. 6-35102 - Diner #5109 (produced in 2004-2007, sold individually)
8. 6-35128 - Baggage #2103 (produced in 2004-2007, sold individually)
9. 6-35129 - Vista Dome #3153 (produced in 2004-2007, sold individually)

The Lionel El Capitan 6-30001 included one FT diesel locomotive 6-24568 (158), two coaches 6-25130 (3103), 6-25131 (3105), and one Observation car 6-25132  (3198).

In the years following the introduction of the El Capitan, Lionel released three more cars to complete the El Capitan consist.

Lionel 6-25411 Santa Fe El Capitan Diner car (5109) produced 2004-2007

Lionel 6-35128 Santa Fe El Capitan Baggage car (2103) produced 2004-2008

Lionel 6-35129 (3153) Santa Fe El Capitan Vista Dome.produced 2004-2008

Santa Fe El Capitan Drum Head

 It was a popular photo-op to get a photo of a celebrity or a pretty girl pictured behind the Observation car featuring the El Capitain drum head to promote traveling the Santa Fe train.

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