The Super Chief was one of the named passenger trains and the flagship of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. The then-modern streamliner was touted in its heyday as "The Train of the Stars" because it often carried celebrities between Chicago, Illinois, and Los Angeles, California. Super Chief The Super Chief in March 1971 at Los Angeles Overview Service type Inter-city rail Status Discontinued Locale Midwestern and Southwestern United States First service May 18, 1937 Last service May 19, 1974 Successor Southwest Chief Former operator(s) Santa Fe Amtrak (1971–1974) Route Termini Chicago Los Angeles Average journey time 39 hrs 30 min Service frequency Daily (after 1948) Train number(s) 17 and 18 Line(s) used Southern Transcon Technical Track gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Route map vte Legend 1937–1971 Chicago Joliet Streator Chillicothe Galesburg Illinois Iowa Fort Madison Shopton Iowa Missouri Kansas City Garden City Missouri