Burlington's Zephyrs

When railfans hear the word "Zephyr," we quickly imagined shovel-nosed stainless steel articulated trainsets zipping across the Iowa prairie; or long strings of vista-domes threading their way through the Rockies behind brightly painted streamlined F-units. From the early days of the Pioneer Zephyr to the final run of the California Zephyr, Karl Zimmermann has captured them all in his latest book, Burlington's Zephyrs.

On May 26, 1934, a shiny streak called the Zephyr flashed over the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy mainline between Chicago and Denver, ushering in a new era of rail technology. Up until the 1930s, passenger trains did not differ from one line to the next- a string of dark green cars hauled by black engines. The passenger revenues of the Burlington were slipping fast, and a solution was needed. The speed of the newly emerging diesel technology coupled with the flashiness of new lightweight stainless steel cars were combined at the Budd factory to create the Zephyr.

Once the success of diesels and lightweight cars were proven, the Burlington looked to expand and modernize its aging passenger fleet. More Zephyr trainsets were ordered, and the original was renamed Pioneer Zephyr. The articulated design gave way to more conventional individual cars powered by distinctive shovel-nosed power cars and boosters. Sometimes, the stainless steel clad steam engine Aeolus would sub for one of the power cars. In 1940, the first of the stainless EMC E-5's debuted on the Silver Streak Zephyr. The now-familiar cab unit design made the engineer and fireman feel safer than when operating the far-forward position on the Zephyr sets. Eventually, the original Zephyr articulated sets would be phased out in favor of more conventional equipment.

In 1949, the California Zephyr made its debut on the rails of CB&Q, the Rio Grande, and the Western Pacific. Providing a spectacular vista-dome route from Chicago to San Francisco, the CZ provided a premium signature service through the Rockies and the American West. Onboard hostesses called "Zephyrettes" made the trip more enjoyable by assisting passengers and pointing out scenic highlights along the way. Sporting the same sleek stainless steel design as on the original Zephyrs, the only difference from the regular CB&Q fleet were the words "CALIFORNIA ZEPHYR" spelled out on the letterboards. This train would run uninterrupted for 21 years, until its last run in March 1970. Not even the glamorous CZ was immune from the economic realities of railroading.

Author Karl Zimmermann is a familiar name to many of us, having many bylines in Trains and other magazines, as well as several well-illustrated books about train travel. Similar to his recent work about New York Central's Twentieth Century Limited, this beautiful hardcover book is well-written and complimented by great photography and illustrations.

Zimmermann talks about the development of the technology that made the Zephyrs possible, the various trainsets and new equipment introduced through the 1940s and 1950s, and the tumultuous relationship between Burlington, Budd, and the Pullman Company. When Budd introduced their first sleepers to the CB&Q in the late 1930s, Pullman was not amused. The Pullman Company demanded that railroads only use cars built and staffed by the Pullman Company or else. Pullman enjoyed a monopoly on the sleeping car business in America until the courts stepped in and allowed Budd to compete with their products. Zimmermann also explains the pioneering Budd technology called "Shotwelding," which allows two pieces of stainless steel to be welded together without causing buckling or corrosion. This method allowed construction of stainless steel passenger cars to be possible, and many continue to roll to this day.

Beautiful color photos, crisp black and white images, detailed floor plans and diagrams, and colorful brochures enhance the well written and easy to follow text. Even though I am not a fan of the "Q," I discovered many interesting things in this book. I learned that there was more than one articulated Zephyr set, for instance. These individual trains served as the Twin Zephyrs, the Texas Zephyr, the Denver Zephyr, and many others. The book also explains when each Zephyr train was introduced, and tracks the equipment assigned to it over the years. I enjoy looking at photos of the Burlington's matched stainless steel consists, and this book had plenty. I think the only thing missing was some sort of table that would have organized each train by name, consist, and retirement dates. I also would have liked to have seen a little more attention given to the parts of the Silver fleet that are preserved today.

If you are a fan of the Burlington, passenger trains, or even have a casual interest in the Zephyrs, this book is for you. Once again, MBI has come through with an intelligent, attractive offering for any railroader's library.

Otto M. Vondrak, 27, is Creative Director for RAILROAD.NET.

Burlington's Zephyrs By Karl Zimmermann $34.95 list price Hardbound, 128 pages. 8.5x11 Motorbooks International 380 Jackson Street, #200 St. Paul, MN 55101 (651) 287-5000