Burlington Route's Pioneer Zephyr preserved at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, IL. Photograph copyright Mitch Goldman and reproduced courtesy of RailPictures.Net
The year 1932 saw the beginning of two significant projects: the D&RGW Dotsero Cutoff, which would give Denver a direct rail line west via the Denver & Salt Lake Railway, and the ordering of a stainless-steel streamline train from the Budd Company.
The Zephyr, the country's first diesel-powered streamliner, was delivered in 1934 and was soon followed by a family of Zephyrs. In 1939, the CB&Q teamed up with the DRG&W and Western Pacific railroad (WP) to operate a through passenger train between Chicago and San Francisco via the Dotsero Cutoff — the Exposition Flyer. In 1945, CB&Q built the first Vista-Dome coach. These elements achieved their ultimate synthesis in 1949 with the inauguration of the Vista-Dome-equipped California Zephyr, operated between Chicago and San Francisco by the CB&Q, DRG&W and WP. The route was longer and slower than that of the competition, but the schedule took advantage of the breathtaking scenery through the Rocky Mountains. The train was an immediate success and remains so under Amtrak.
The Zephyr fleet included:
- Pioneer Zephyr (Lincoln–Omaha–Kansas City)
- Twin Cities Zephyr (Chicago–Minneapolis-St. Paul)
- Mark Twain Zephyr (St. Louis–Burlington)
- Denver Zephyr (Chicago–Denver)
- Nebraska Zephyr (Chicago–Lincoln)
- Sam Houston Zephyr (Houston–Dallas-Ft. Worth)
- Ozark State Zephyr (Kansas City–St. Louis), jointly with the Alton Railroad
- General Pershing Zephyr (Kansas City–St. Louis)
- Silver Streak Zephyr (Kansas City–Omaha–Lincoln)
- Ak-Sar-Ben Zephyr (Kansas City–Omaha–Lincoln)
- Zephyr Rocket (St. Louis–Burlington–Minneapolis-St. Paul), jointly with the Rock Island
- Texas Zephyr (Denver–Dallas-Ft. Worth)
- American Royal Zephyr (Chicago–Kansas City)
- Kansas City Zephyr (Chicago–Kansas City)
Although the distinctive, articulated stainless steel trains were well known, and the railroad adopted the "Way of the Zephyrs" advertising slogan, they did not attract passengers back to the rails en masse, and the last one was retired from revenue service with the advent of Amtrak in 1971.
My Opinion
I think this would be a great train for TS, just imagine the possibilites it could bring. This can make a perfect add on to Soldier Summit, or Sherman Hill. I think this would be a perfect train for DTG to make in TS, just because of its unique look and the nostalgia it can bring to railfans. I feel as though this a proposal that cannot be denied and I hope it will come true in the future of TS.
Thanks for reading my proposal.
Images
The Pioneer Zephyr
The two “streamliner” trains that changed America’s railroad industry in the late 1930s: the Union Pacific M-10000 (left) and Burlington Zephyr. Photograph copyright and reproduced courtesy of Union Pacific Museum.
General Pershing Zephyr