Uhm... please try to research the subject a little before commenting, especially since it's rather obvious you don't know the history of this line or the locomotives that were used on it very well (if at all).

For the benefit of your knowledge, the Raton Pass line was part of the Santa Fe's "Passenger Main" route, which meant that it was the primary route for the railroad's LA-Chicago passenger trains; most of of these had 4-8-4s at the head end on this segment of the run, either as the assigned power or as helpers (or both). More to the point, all of Santa Fe's Northerns were specifically designed for operation over Raton and Glorieta Passes and did so throughout much (if not most) of their operating lives. So, contrary to what you may think, Raton Pass is very much "the best place" for that particular locomotive design, since that is where it used to run!