The California Zephyr. The name alone is instantly recognized as one of the most famous passenger trains in the history of North American railroading.
Said to be a "cruise train," the California Zephyr initiated service on March 20, 1949, heading eastbound to Chicago. In the first years, the CZ, as it came to be known, was the main transportation between Chicago and San Francisco, covering the 2,532 miles in just over two days, traveling "the scenic way across America." The scheduling of the CZ purposefully put it in the magnificent landscape of the Rocky Mountains and Feather River during daylight hours, much to the delight of passengers. With its breathtaking scenery outside and excellent service inside, the CZ was "the most talked about train in the country."
The CZ was jointly operated by three railroads. The Chicago Burlington & Quincy handled the train between Chicago and Denver. The Denver & Rio Grande Western operated the middle portion of the route, between Denver and Salt Lake City, and the Western Pacific carried the train between Salt Lake City and San Francisco. Each of these railroads contributed specifically lettered cars for the make-up of the train. Because of its silver stainless-steel body, all of the cars of the CZ were given a name characteristic to the western territory it traversed with a "silver" preface.
EMD F3 locomotives from all three railroads, as well as by AlCo PA and PB locomotives on the D&RGW, supplied the power for the CZ. The CB&Q operated their F3s in an A-B-A lash-up, while the WP utilized a A-B-B configuration. Needing additional power through the mountains, the D&RGW utilized the F3s in an A-B-B-A combination and the ALCos in an A-B-A arrangement.
Although the equipment used would change over the years due to ridership volume and service needs, the CB&Q-D&RGW-WP California Zephyr operated until March 22, 1970, a remarkable 21 years of service!
For additional information about the CZ, we recommend a visit to the following websites:
