Denver Zephyr
Encyclopedia
The Denver Zephyr was a passenger train operated by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
between Chicago, Illinois, and Denver, Colorado
. The Burlington operated the train right up until Amtrak
took over operations of the majority of intercity passenger train service in the United States
in 1971.
, Twin Cities
, and Mark Twain Zephyr
s, the Burlington ordered two pairs of full length stainless steel streamliners from the Budd Company
. One of these pairs were fully articulated 6 car trainsets used to reequip the 3 car Twin Cities Zephyrs, freeing the two older trainsets for other duties. The other pair consisted of 10 car trainsets, only partially articulated, which became the Chicago-Denver Denver Zephyr. The accommodations on these trains included coaches, sections, single and double rooms, and dining and lounge facilities. The observation car
s carried parlor seats for local travel.
The train operated on an overnight schedule, covering the 1034 miles (1,664.1 km) between Denver and Chicago in 16 to 16½ hours. Within an additional 2 years, an additional dinette coach and an all-room sleeper were added.
The trainsets were refurbished in the winter of 1948-49 and continued to operate in DZ service until October 1956, at which point they were reassigned to the Denver-Fort Worth/Dallas Texas Zephyr
route operated by Burlington subsidiaries Colorado and Southern
and Fort Worth and Denver Railway
s.
began reequipping its competing City of Denver
with new equipment. In addition, the Burlington, Denver and Rio Grande Western
, and Western Pacific Railroad
s replaced their heavyweight Chicago-Oakland Exposition Flyer with a new streamlined California Zephyr
carrying Vista-domes. Both of these trains began to divert passengers away from the DZ. However, ridership remained very respectable. But the nature of the train's consist — semi-articulated with a unique braking, steam connection system that was incompatible with other standard equipment — meant that the additional cars could not be added to the train proper, but rather had to be added ahead of the baggage car
, or as a separate section. These cars thus needed their own food service, compromising the economics of adding the additional cars. As a result, the Burlington decided in 1955 to reequip the train with more conventional non-articulated equipment. Thus was conceived the last complete streamlined train to be built for a private railroad in the United States.
The new stainless steel train, also built by the Budd Company, offered all room sleeping accommodations and, in addition to a full diner, offered a coffee shop car called the Chuckwagon. Parlor seats continued to be available in the observation car. Because of the popularity of the Denver-Chicago segment of the Vista-dome California Zephyr, the new train also carried Vista-Domes. In addition, a new all room sleeping accommodation, the slumbercoach
, offered private sleeping facilities, with in-room washstand and toilet, to passengers at coach fares plus a small surcharge. These cars were revolutionary in their use of fiberglass room modules. Each train carried two and they always were sold out, even up to the beginning of Amtrak. By 1959, slumbercoaches would appear on the trains of four other railroads, although three would later give them up. Between 1959 and late 1964, CB&Q’s four cars and Northern Pacific Railway
’s four cars were pooled in Denver Zephyr / North Coast Limited
service. The pool required tight scheduling and good timekeeping and was discontinued when NP acquired eight additional slumbercoaches second-hand. Even though only 18 of these revolutionary cars were built new, they remained popular, even after operation of rail passenger service was assumed by Amtrak, and carried passengers until the mid-1990s, when age and changes in passenger car requirements forced their retirement.
The second Denver Zephyr began operation at the end of October 1956 and within a short time eclipsed its competitor, the Union Pacific Railroad's City of Denver
. As the train was now composed of conventional equipment, it could be expanded with other cars of Burlington streamlined passenger car fleet as well as leased cars. During the summer months, trains of 20 or more cars were not uncommon and during that and holiday seasons, the train was often split into two sections.
{|
With the 1956 reequipping, the train also began to serve Colorado Springs
. Sandwiched between the diner and the Chuckwagon, the section consisted of a coach, a slumbercoach, and a sleeper. These cars ran on the Denver and Rio Grande Railway's Royal Gorge passenger train between Denver and Colorado Springs.
Initially, the Chuckwagon operated with the section on to Colorado Springs, but, by the mid 1960s, to allow a longer service time between runs, the car ran only to Denver and a dome coach was substituted for the Chicago-Colorado Springs coach. On January 1, 1967, the Colorado Springs section was replaced by a bus connection.
Though the number of cars were reduced during the off-season, the train ran more-or-less intact until September 7, 1968, when the Chuckwagon became seasonal and the observation car, with its flat end and rear-diaphragm, became a midtrain lounge during the off season. The train was retained by Amtrak in May 1971.
had become part of the merged Burlington Northern Railroad
, Amtrak, in its first year of operation, 1971, decided to keep the Denver Zephyr as a daily operation between Chicago and Denver. Because the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railway declined to join Amtrak, the triweekly Union Pacific/Southern Pacific
City of San Francisco
was diverted from Cheyenne
into Denver for combination with the Zephyr to Chicago. Initially, during the summer of 1971, traffic was sufficient for the City and the Zephyr to operate as separate trains between Denver and Chicago. During this time, all coach cars on the DZ generally carried domes. However, as the off season occurred, the two trains were combined on the days the City ran. By 1972, the City of San Francisco portion of the train was operating daily and the name San Francisco Zephyr
was applied to the combined train. For a few years thereafter, the Denver Zephyr had its own columns in the Amtrak timetable, but did not exist operationally as a separate train. Eventually, this fiction was dropped and the Denver Zephyr name was relegated to the history books. Although the San Francisco Zephyr carried Chicago-Denver cars, these eventually dwindled to a single storage mail car. The Chicago-Denver slumbercoaches were removed from the train in 1975, being reassigned to eastern trains.
In 1983, the Rio Grande, which had been operating the sole remaining segment of the original California Zephyr
, decided to make a deal with Amtrak to cover the service. Thus the San Francisco Zephyr was re-routed via the Rio Grande. At that time, the train was renamed the California Zephyr. This train continues to run today.
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington or as the Q, the Burlington Route served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri,...
between Chicago, Illinois, and Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. The Burlington operated the train right up until Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
took over operations of the majority of intercity passenger train service in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1971.
The first Denver Zephyr
As a result of the success of the 3-4 car PioneerPioneer Zephyr
The Pioneer Zephyr is a diesel-powered railroad train formed of railroad cars permanently articulated together with Jacobs bogies, built by the Budd Company in 1934 for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad , commonly known as the Burlington...
, Twin Cities
Twin Cities Zephyr
The Twin Cities Zephyr was a streamlined passenger train service of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad . It was the second Zephyr service introduced by CB&Q following the record-setting Denver–Chicago "dawn to dusk dash" of the Pioneer Zephyr trainset...
, and Mark Twain Zephyr
Mark Twain Zephyr
The Mark Twain Zephyr was an early articulated trainset that was similar to the Pioneer Zephyr in style. The train was built by Budd Company and was powered by a diesel engine produced by the Winton Engine Company. The train was given the name of 'Mark Twain Zephyr' because it was scheduled to...
s, the Burlington ordered two pairs of full length stainless steel streamliners from the Budd Company
Budd Company
The Budd Company is a metal fabricator and major supplier of body components to the automobile industry, and was formerly a manufacturer of stainless steel passenger rail cars during the 20th century....
. One of these pairs were fully articulated 6 car trainsets used to reequip the 3 car Twin Cities Zephyrs, freeing the two older trainsets for other duties. The other pair consisted of 10 car trainsets, only partially articulated, which became the Chicago-Denver Denver Zephyr. The accommodations on these trains included coaches, sections, single and double rooms, and dining and lounge facilities. The observation car
Observation car
An observation car/carriage/coach is a type of railroad passenger car, generally operated in a passenger train as the last carriage, with windows on the rear of the car for passengers' viewing pleasure...
s carried parlor seats for local travel.
The train operated on an overnight schedule, covering the 1034 miles (1,664.1 km) between Denver and Chicago in 16 to 16½ hours. Within an additional 2 years, an additional dinette coach and an all-room sleeper were added.
The trainsets were refurbished in the winter of 1948-49 and continued to operate in DZ service until October 1956, at which point they were reassigned to the Denver-Fort Worth/Dallas Texas Zephyr
Texas Zephyr
The Texas Zephyr was a named passenger train operated by the Colorado and Southern Railway and the Fort Worth and Denver Railway...
route operated by Burlington subsidiaries Colorado and Southern
Colorado and Southern Railway
The Colorado and Southern Railway was a railroad company in the western United States that operated independently from 1898 to 1908, then as part of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad until it was absorbed into the Burlington Northern Railroad in 1981.The railway began as the...
and Fort Worth and Denver Railway
Fort Worth and Denver Railway
The Fort Worth and Denver Railway , nicknamed "the Denver Road," was a class I American railroad company that operated in the northern part of Texas from 1881 to 1982, and had a profound influence on the early settlement and economic development of the region....
s.
The second Denver Zephyr
By the early 1950s, Union PacificUnion Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
began reequipping its competing City of Denver
City of Denver
The City of Denver was a passenger train operated jointly by the Chicago and North Western and Union Pacific railroads. The train operated on both railroads' rights of way between Chicago, Illinois, and Denver, Colorado...
with new equipment. In addition, the Burlington, Denver and Rio Grande Western
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to Rio Grande or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, is a defunct U.S. railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow gauge line running south from Denver, Colorado in 1870; however, served mainly as a transcontinental...
, and Western Pacific Railroad
Western Pacific Railroad
The Western Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was formed in 1903 as an attempt to break the near-monopoly the Southern Pacific Railroad had on rail service into northern California...
s replaced their heavyweight Chicago-Oakland Exposition Flyer with a new streamlined California Zephyr
California Zephyr
The California Zephyr is a long passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the midwestern and western United States.It runs from Chicago, Illinois, in the east to Emeryville, California, in the west, passing through the states of Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California...
carrying Vista-domes. Both of these trains began to divert passengers away from the DZ. However, ridership remained very respectable. But the nature of the train's consist — semi-articulated with a unique braking, steam connection system that was incompatible with other standard equipment — meant that the additional cars could not be added to the train proper, but rather had to be added ahead of the baggage car
Baggage car
A baggage car or luggage van is a type of railway vehicle often forming part of the composition of passenger trains and used to carry passengers' checked baggage, as well as parcels . Being typically coupled at the front of the train behind the locomotive, this type of car is sometimes described...
, or as a separate section. These cars thus needed their own food service, compromising the economics of adding the additional cars. As a result, the Burlington decided in 1955 to reequip the train with more conventional non-articulated equipment. Thus was conceived the last complete streamlined train to be built for a private railroad in the United States.
The new stainless steel train, also built by the Budd Company, offered all room sleeping accommodations and, in addition to a full diner, offered a coffee shop car called the Chuckwagon. Parlor seats continued to be available in the observation car. Because of the popularity of the Denver-Chicago segment of the Vista-dome California Zephyr, the new train also carried Vista-Domes. In addition, a new all room sleeping accommodation, the slumbercoach
Slumbercoach
The Slumbercoach is an 85-foot-long, 24 single room, 8 double room streamlined sleeping car originally built in 1956 by the Budd Company for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad for service on the Denver Zephyr...
, offered private sleeping facilities, with in-room washstand and toilet, to passengers at coach fares plus a small surcharge. These cars were revolutionary in their use of fiberglass room modules. Each train carried two and they always were sold out, even up to the beginning of Amtrak. By 1959, slumbercoaches would appear on the trains of four other railroads, although three would later give them up. Between 1959 and late 1964, CB&Q’s four cars and Northern Pacific Railway
Northern Pacific Railway
The Northern Pacific Railway was a railway that operated in the west along the Canadian border of the United States. Construction began in 1870 and the main line opened all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific when former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in...
’s four cars were pooled in Denver Zephyr / North Coast Limited
North Coast Limited
The North Coast Limited was a named passenger train operated by the Northern Pacific Railway between Chicago and Seattle via Bismarck, North Dakota...
service. The pool required tight scheduling and good timekeeping and was discontinued when NP acquired eight additional slumbercoaches second-hand. Even though only 18 of these revolutionary cars were built new, they remained popular, even after operation of rail passenger service was assumed by Amtrak, and carried passengers until the mid-1990s, when age and changes in passenger car requirements forced their retirement.
The second Denver Zephyr began operation at the end of October 1956 and within a short time eclipsed its competitor, the Union Pacific Railroad's City of Denver
City of Denver
The City of Denver was a passenger train operated jointly by the Chicago and North Western and Union Pacific railroads. The train operated on both railroads' rights of way between Chicago, Illinois, and Denver, Colorado...
. As the train was now composed of conventional equipment, it could be expanded with other cars of Burlington streamlined passenger car fleet as well as leased cars. During the summer months, trains of 20 or more cars were not uncommon and during that and holiday seasons, the train was often split into two sections.
{|
With the 1956 reequipping, the train also began to serve Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
. Sandwiched between the diner and the Chuckwagon, the section consisted of a coach, a slumbercoach, and a sleeper. These cars ran on the Denver and Rio Grande Railway's Royal Gorge passenger train between Denver and Colorado Springs.
Initially, the Chuckwagon operated with the section on to Colorado Springs, but, by the mid 1960s, to allow a longer service time between runs, the car ran only to Denver and a dome coach was substituted for the Chicago-Colorado Springs coach. On January 1, 1967, the Colorado Springs section was replaced by a bus connection.
Though the number of cars were reduced during the off-season, the train ran more-or-less intact until September 7, 1968, when the Chuckwagon became seasonal and the observation car, with its flat end and rear-diaphragm, became a midtrain lounge during the off season. The train was retained by Amtrak in May 1971.
The Zephyr under Amtrak
At a time when the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy RailroadChicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington or as the Q, the Burlington Route served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri,...
had become part of the merged Burlington Northern Railroad
Burlington Northern Railroad
The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company formed from a merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1996....
, Amtrak, in its first year of operation, 1971, decided to keep the Denver Zephyr as a daily operation between Chicago and Denver. Because the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railway declined to join Amtrak, the triweekly Union Pacific/Southern Pacific
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
City of San Francisco
City of San Francisco
The City of San Francisco was a streamlined passenger train operated jointly by the Chicago and North Western Railway, the Southern Pacific Railroad, and the Union Pacific Railroad...
was diverted from Cheyenne
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
into Denver for combination with the Zephyr to Chicago. Initially, during the summer of 1971, traffic was sufficient for the City and the Zephyr to operate as separate trains between Denver and Chicago. During this time, all coach cars on the DZ generally carried domes. However, as the off season occurred, the two trains were combined on the days the City ran. By 1972, the City of San Francisco portion of the train was operating daily and the name San Francisco Zephyr
San Francisco Zephyr
The San Francisco Zephyr was the name adopted in June 1972 for the Amtrak passenger train between Chicago, Illinois and the San Francisco Bay Area in California. Previously Amtrak had called it the City of San Francisco on the tri-weekly run west of Denver and Denver Zephyr on the daily run between...
was applied to the combined train. For a few years thereafter, the Denver Zephyr had its own columns in the Amtrak timetable, but did not exist operationally as a separate train. Eventually, this fiction was dropped and the Denver Zephyr name was relegated to the history books. Although the San Francisco Zephyr carried Chicago-Denver cars, these eventually dwindled to a single storage mail car. The Chicago-Denver slumbercoaches were removed from the train in 1975, being reassigned to eastern trains.
In 1983, the Rio Grande, which had been operating the sole remaining segment of the original California Zephyr
California Zephyr
The California Zephyr is a long passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the midwestern and western United States.It runs from Chicago, Illinois, in the east to Emeryville, California, in the west, passing through the states of Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California...
, decided to make a deal with Amtrak to cover the service. Thus the San Francisco Zephyr was re-routed via the Rio Grande. At that time, the train was renamed the California Zephyr. This train continues to run today.