The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (reporting mark ATSF), often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States, chartered in February 1859.
Despite the name its main line never serves Santa Fe, New Mexico, as the terrain is too difficult (Santa Fe is ultimately reached by a branch line from Lamy).
The Santa Fe's tracks reach he Kansas/Colorado state line in 1873 and Pueblo, Colorado in 1876.
Santa Fe sets up real estate offices and sells farm land from the land grants that the railroad is awarded by Congress; these farms will create a demand for transportation (both freight and passenger) by Santa Fe.Ever the innovator, Santa Fe is one of the pioneers in intermodal freight service, an enterprise that (at one time or another) includes a tugboat fleet and an airline (the short-lived Santa Fe Skyway).
A bus line allows the company to extend passenger transportation service to areas not accessible by rail, and ferry boats on the San Francisco Bay allow travelers to complete their westward journeys all the way to the Pacific Ocean.
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway ceases operations on December 31, 1996 when it merges with the Burlington Northern Railroad to form the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway or BNSF Railway.At the end of 1970, AT&SF operates 12,881 miles of road on 21,472 miles of track.
