Mainline/transcontinental diesel power on the AT&SF, 1950-1955

That's just about right.

The F-units were also used on Chicago-LA freights.

There was lone Alco DL-109A-B set and a Fairbanks-Morse "Erie-Built" A-B-A trio that proved unsuitable for the Chicago-LA name trains.

Santa Fe Fairbanks-Morse had H12-44 and H12-44TS(passenger terminal) switchers, while the H16-44 road switcher saw local service. 

Alco was pretty much confined to S-2's, S-4's, RS-1's, RS-2 and RS-5's, again for switching or local service.  RS-5's were also used as helpers.  The only "road" Alco freight locomotives were the RSD-15's which appeared in 1959.

And there was a handful of Baldwin switchers.

Rusty

I figured as much from what I had read. Name transcontinental passenger trains had F3s, F7s, or PAs. Transcontinental freights had ABBA FTs, F3s, F7s or 3-4 GP7/GP9s. At least in the 1950-1955 time frame.

EDITED TO ANSWER ADDITIONAL INQUIRIES ABOUT 1950-1955:

As F7's kept being delivered, 1949-1953, the FT's gradually moved to the Eastern Lines.  By 1953, FT's were rare west of Clovis, very common on the "transcon" east of Kansas City, and also on all lines in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.

There were only two 4-unit freight F3's, late models with GE stainless steel grilles, and they worked right along with the F7's.  The A-B-B dual service 325 Class rednose F7's were often seen on Illinois Division freight trains, but much less often in freight service west of Kansas City, although they were used to at least some degree clear across the transcon.  West of Kansas City they were more likely to be seen on a passenger train.  Although some GP7 units were used in freight service on the Transcon, they were secondary to the F7's, and more likely to be on a drag rather than a hotshot.

In your time period, transcon passenger was mostly 6,000 horsepower locomotives: 4-unit F3's and F7's, 300 and 325 Class F7's in 4500 hp A-B-B configuration, Alcos and Erie-Built Number 90 in A-B-A formation.  Number 90 was in the transcon pool until 1956, then in a rotation between Los Angeles and Barstow until 1958, then assigned to Kansas City-Tulsa. So, in your time frame, they were running L.A. to Kansas City or Chicago.  The F-units, both freight and passenger, were kept in numerically matched consists during your era, with no extra units added, and no Santa Fe cab units were equipped with nose m-u connections, thus no elephant style.  Alcos were never used in 4-unit, 8,000 hp consists until later.

You did not mention the EMC and EMD E1, E3, E6, and E8m units, as, apparently you were aware that hey were not in transcontinental service after World War II.  They served on the Chicago to Fort Worth or Dallas trains, and the E8m's were on San Diegans and San Joaquins in 1953, then in 1954 were transferred to the Chicago-Fort Worth/Dallas pool and also on secondary lines to Lubbock, Clovis, El Paso, Denver, Paris, and Tulsa.

I figured 100 class FTs and 200 class F3/F7s were common transcontinental freight power in the 1950-1955 time frame but how common were GP7/GP9s in the same service at that time?

Weren't any EMD E8s used? 

Mitch

M. Mitchell Marmel posted:

Weren't any EMD E8s used? 

Mitch

I seem to recall that the E8 units were primarily used on the Texas trains, i.e. NOT between Chicago & LA. The E type units did NOT like the very steep grades on Raton Pass.

Hot Water posted:

M. Mitchell Marmel posted:

Weren't any EMD E8s used? 

Mitch

I seem to recall that the E8 units were primarily used on the Texas trains, i.e. NOT between Chicago & LA. The E type units did NOT like the very steep grades on Raton Pass.

Plus, Santa Fe didn't roster that many E8s, rebuilt from the earlier Class 1 and Class 2 E1A-B's in 1952-1953 and classified as E8m's.,

13 units total by my count.  I can only find one photo of a Santa Fe E8mB, fresh out of EMD rebuilding,

Rusty

Were there any dual service F units in blue?

Dominic Mazoch posted:

Were there any dual service F units in blue?

From what I gather a few 200 class F7s had steam generators for troop/special train service if needed.

I think by the 1950-55 time frame E8m and E6s were assigned to trains between Chicago and Kansas City quite frequently.

There were about 20 blue 200-Class consists (A-B-B-A) that had through steam piping, a communication pipe, ATS, and one OK-4740 steam generator.  I.E., only one of the booster units (the one with the suffix A, I think) had a steam generator.  I am not certain from memory whether the other three units had water tanks, or possibly only the "L" unit.  I'll check that and revise this afterward.

Those consists were used when there was high demand for the rednose fleet, such as when many trains running in the summer in two or three sections.  Their most common use was on tour specials and things like Boy Scout or Shriner specials, that did not make normal passenger stops and carried no head-end business.  These trains only stopped to load passengers at their origin station and to unload passengers at their destination station, and at crew change points (some of which were also fueling locations and mandatory train inspection points).  

You see, the Santa Fe maximum authorized speed for passenger trains was 100 MPH over much of the Transcon until around 1961, and 90 MPH thereafter.  The maximum allowable speed for 200-Class blue F7's was 65 MPH until around 1960, and 70 MPH thereafter.  A 70 MPH passenger train could keep up with the fleet if it did not make all the passenger stops of regular trains.  On ascending grades, the major ones as well as the lengthy ones of 1% to 1.5%, the freight F7's were just as fast as the passenger F7's on trains of similar tonnage.  When the freight F7's had to be used on a regular train (usually the humble but very well-equipped Grand Canyon, and never on any Chief), it was on the last section, as it could make fair -- not great -- time if it did not have all the express work at stations, which was on preceding section(s).

Number 90 posted:

You see, the Santa Fe maximum authorized speed for passenger trains was 100 MPH over much of the Transcon until around 1961, and 90 MPH thereafter. 

I recall seeing an eastbound Santa Fe passenger train in August, 1954, in New Mexico or Arizona. I waited at a crossing for the train and still recall that it was really moving. Being from Maryland I was used to the Pennsylvania going 90 MPH but this Santa Fe train was seemingly moving much faster. It had the usual four F units and a streamlined consist.

The fastest I ever clocked a train I was on was the Burlington's Zephyr going from the Twin Cities to Chicago in 1965. It had 3 E units and 9 cars - 5 of which were dome cars as I recall, and I clocked it at 104 MPH by the milepost markers and my second hand watch.