ATSF 315 and 316 in the famous Warbonnet paint scheme
Built in 1953 for the Southern Pacific Railroad as #644 and Texas and New Orleans Railroad as #365. The Warbonnets came to the museum in 2012 to replace the museum’s Texas Limited engines #100 and #200, which were destroyed in Hurricane Ike.
Although they never served on the Santa Fe, the Museum received permission from Burlington Northern Santa Fe to paint them in the iconic Warbonnet paint scheme to honor the Texas Chief, which operated out of this Depot between 1948 and 1967. They are Amtrak certified, and are used for passenger excursions.
The Texas Chief was the only streamlined train that connected Chicago to the Gulf Coast. The total route was 1,410 miles, which it typically crossed in 26.5 hours. Although it stopped operating out of Galveston in 1967, it ran between Houston and Chicago until Amtrak took it over in 1971. Amtrak shut down the line in 1974, but still operates the Lone Star over some of the Texas Chief’s old track.
