You may often encounter the red and yellow Santa Fe train without realizing that you are looking at a symbol of American railroad luxury and innovation, combining artistic style, cultural motifs, and corporate identity.
The design was created by artist Leland A. Knickerbocker of the General Motors Art Department in the mid-1930s. He was inspired by the Native American ceremonial headdress with a red bonnet, yellow trim, and thin black trim. This style perfectly complemented the E1 series locomotives pulling the luxurious passenger train Super Chief, which first went on the road in May 1937.
The Warbonnet became one of the most recognizable and aesthetically impressive railroad liveries in history, symbolizing style, luxury, and long-distance travel across the Wild West.
Today, the legendary locomotives can be seen in American museums in California, Texas, and Kansas. Railroad enthusiasts also often recreate the red and yellow Santa Fe train as models or LEGO dioramas.
California State Railroad Museum (Sacramento, California) – on display is Santa Fe F7A #347C, painted in its original Warbonnet color. It is one of the most famous surviving models.
Museum of the American Railroad (Dallas, Texas) – on display is Santa Fe #49, an EMD F7 (former Canadian National #9167) restored and painted in Warbonnet in 2006. It is even available for special events.
Orange Empire Railroad Museum (Perris, California) – FP45 #108, the last Santa Fe passenger locomotive, is restored and occasionally used in its late 1960s Warbonnet appearance.
Galveston Railroad Museum (Galveston, Texas) – the museum features a pair of visually restored Warbonnet locomotives, the spirit of the Middle Eastern super chief.
Wichita Union Station (Wichita, Kansas) – the museum, housed in a former train station, features an original FP45 in Warbonnet livery that was used in the 1960s before being relegated to freight service.
Great Plains Transportation Museum (Wichita, Kansas) – the museum features an ATSF SDFP45 diesel locomotive (representative of the FP45’s power) and other Santa Fe steam and diesel engines.
