I have ridden Amtrak's California Zephyr from Denver to Emeryville or vice versa three times. It is one of the world's best rail journeys. The best ride, in many respects, was during the winter. The snow scenery is spectacular.
Having lived my entire life along the CB&Q I can say I saw all of it--all the named trains, mainline steam, speeding mail trains, FT Graybacks pulling livestock trains. However, the California Zephyr was truly the jewel as it blasted through LaGrange Road. Very fond memories only found today on photos and grainy movie film.
You have the two Western Pacific Railroads confused; the first one that existed in the 1860s did plan to build from Sacramento to San Francisco, but was absorbed by the Central Pacific (who was later absorbed by Southern Pacific) before said line was even finished. The Western Pacific that ran the California Zephyr (the one with the Feather River Route) was a separate company established in the early 1900s to break Southern Pacific's monopoly over rail traffic from the Great Salt Lake to San Francisco.
I came here to comment the same thing. The Western Pacific logo you are using is representative of a railroad created by the Rio Grande to help finish the Gould System Transcontinental RR in the 1900s
@@ryan_danger Its good to read so many train fans remembering the railroads. Incase someone is interested, Charles Smiley has a excellant DVD on the Western Pacific and the California Zephyr. Worth watching.
The true WESTERN PACIFIC RAILROAD was incorporated in 1903 to complete the Gould railroad to Oakland/San Francisco via the Feather River Route. to Salt Lake City, then continued by Denver Rio Grand and Chicago Burlington to Chicago. The WP was completed in 1909, making it the last Transcontinental railroad to California. I had 4 generations of my family work for WP. Great-grandfather was a surveyor/engineer, grandfather was locomotive engineer, father was a conductor, with four of his brothers, and two cousins retired as engineers after merger with UP. I decided to work and retire for the successor to passenger trains. Worked for 35 yrs. for airline. Good memories of the WP. Road the Zephyr from Oroville to San Francisco several times as a child for Christmas shopping. Road with my father on freight trains to Quincy and back. Williams Loop was special with the caboose passing under F7's grinding and sparking the rails. Even rode the ZEPHYRETTE to Sacramento for company picnic at old state fair grounds about 1960. It was a great railroad with many great people.
For those who would like a similar experience as riding the CZ head to Canada and ride Via Rail transcontinental train from Vancouver to Toronto with 1950''s era streamliner cars (refurbished and updated periodically) including sleeping cars, and even lower cost upper/lower berths, roomettes and bedrooms, dome cars including a dome observation car, diners and a superbly helpful staff. Two nights, three days across the Canadian Rockies, the plains and down through the Laurentian Shield into Toronto. Definitely a bucket list trip for any train fan.
The California Zephyr was one of four silver Zephyr's that stopped in Creston, IA. The westward CZ stopped in Creston @10:30 pm and the eastward CZ made its stop in Creston at dawn before 7:30 am. The Denver Zephyr and the Ak-Sar-Ben Zephyr (to Lincoln) both stopped in Creston under the cover of darkness. The Nebraska Zephyr, an articulated train to Lincoln, stopped in Creston during the day.
Creston is just west of where my parents were born and raised, including Lorimor. When I was in college, I took the Amtrak California Zephyr in 1983 from Chicago to Osceola Iowa where my dad drove from Lorimor to pick me up. I didn't know there was a stop in Creston, or did that change?
The California Zephyr was my favorite way to travel from Denver to Red Oak, Iowa where my grandparents and great grandparents lived. As a child the train was a great adventure. Before arriving in Red Oak, the train passed within a mile from their farm which we could easily see from the Zephyr. Arriving in Red Oak early in the morning, my grandparents would be waiting for us. I loved sitting in the Dome Car at night, watching the lights of towns, cars, other trains, and railroad signals. The Zephyr no longer stops in Red Oak. Current schedule means arriving and leaving from Omaha during the middle of the night and Omaha’s Union Station has been replaced by a small unwelcoming “hut”. Happily, I have a couple perfectly-preserved train tickets w/ CB&Q red ticket envelope from Colorado to Red Oak that my mom kept. I have traveled several times to/from Omaha by Amtrak but it just isn’t the same… though I still love traveling by train.
I love taking the California Zephyr, I do it any chance I get. My favorite trip was when I went solo from San Francisco to Chicago, Chicago to DC, DC to Tampa to visit my mom in the surrounding area. The experience of having my own little roomette to sleep in was great, and waking up in the morning and in that first moment remembering I’m on a train and then looking out the window at the passing scenery of mountains in Utah when I’d gone to sleep in the flat deserts of Nevada east of the Sierra was a charming feeling I hadn’t expected, like I and everyone else on the train was on a real voyage together. The winter scenes through the mountains of the Sierra and then the Rockies was breathtaking, and seeing elk and a bald eagle in Gore canyon before entering Moffat Tunnel and the Continental Divide it represents and passes under was really something. The Chicago to DC Capital Limited was beautiful as well, with the beauty of rural Pennsylvania to Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia. But the Zephyr has a feel all its own. The staff are friendly and attentive, now that some time has passed since the tumult of the pandemic. It’s been a personal pleasure to physically put myself on the train each time and be counted as one American who cherishes the continued Zephyr service and isn’t willing to see it sacrificed in the name of some kind of ‘progress’.
It's really shocking how there's no north-south railroads which connect Houston, Dallas, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Omaha, and Billings, Montana. So much empty territory which could definitely benefit greatly from north-south passenger and freight transit.
Unt AMTRAK there was passenger rail traffic from Billings,Montana to Dallas, via Denver. The CB&Q RR ran passenger trains once a day from Billings, then twice a day from Denver to Dallas. The Texas Zephyr was a stream lined passenger train which had once been the Denver Zephyr until a "New Denver Zephyr was built in the late 1950's. Ran until the AMTRAK and the BN merger which negated all passenger service North-South bound.
Your last statement is very well put! I believe the new rail renaissance might be able to reestablish special identical trains of the early era like the orange blossom special or the zephyr. It takes visionary people who knew what these earlier trains offered. Such things as barber shops nail salons movies onboard etc. Also menus with unique offerings to make the trip really memorable. The fact that you put this article up tells me that you as well as I loved the older times when train travel was exciting! Thanks for the memories!
The Silver Bronco, Solarium and Lariat are some of the cars that have been restored. The Silver Solarium and Silver Lariat were sold from private charter services to the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad in Northeast Ohio in 2018, and are currently still in operation there! The Bronco and Solarium are being used on their Christmas train right now. CVSR also owns the Silver Rapids and Silver Peak, although those are hardly used.
Awesome video! I recommend your channel in rail forums often keep rail history coming I’ll keep recommending and watching! Would love to see the key west FEC extension come up or some Texas rail history or gulf coast in general
Always loved this train - as a wee boy I had this in my model train set, including the loco with the big single headlight on the front, and the carriages with the dome on the roof, and a tail-carriage which had a rear that was all domed too. Many happy memories of setting up the layout and running this train around the room with my dad when I was a kid. Would love to have ridden the real thing.
Well, I rode in the real thing in 1961 as a nine-year-old, and I wanted a train set so badly, but never got one. (I have taken revenge and have a huge collection of model trains and am working on a large, permanent layout).
As a regular on the dear old Southwest Chief, I assure you, people on the long haulers don't spend all thrir time on their phones• there's no signal in most of the pretty stretches! ;) I haven't made it up north to try the Zephyr yet. Someday.
The transcontinental railroad was not completed at the Great Salt Lake. It was completed in 1869 at Promontory Summit , Utah, (out in the middle of nowhere) about 80-90 miles north of the Great Salt Lake where the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific met and drove the golden spike symbolizing the completion of the transcontinental railroad.
The only downside to the modern Zephyr is more so a universal US fact that most trackage is owned by the freight railroads-which especially hinders the CA Zephyr to end up taking closer to 3 days at times
I've ridden this line many times (LA to GCK, GCK to LA) and I can only recall one instance where our train was delayed because of a freighter on the line and it was only about 20 minutes or so. The length of the trip (as you said 3 days) isn't because of freight train traffic. It's because that's about what the trip works out to be when you're averaging less than 70-80mph over that distance. Between LA and Kansas the longest stop is maybe 30 minutes in a small town in CO where they change out the crew.
Also it doesn't follow the original route in California now going over Donner Pass which is beautiful in the Winter with all the snow instead of the Feather River Canyon which I prefer.
Amtrak is always blaming freight trains. The current zephyr route has moderate traffic density. How much money and support should be given to two trains which carry about 200 passengers each every day?
Stop being a poor person and just get a sleeper car room. Then it doesn't matter. Lay down, watch some videos, free diner car meals included. You relax for a bit and next thing you know you're there.
I've ridden the California Zepher several times in the late fifties with my grandparents. Grandpa was a Railway Express driver and, through retirement, was entitled to free passage on these trains. Those passenger trains were marvelous for an eight-year-old to explore the train, car by car, especially the dome cars with their magnificent view. Back in those days, smoking was prevalent, and those with cigars really stunk those cars into a nearly unbreathable atmosphere. Now, I'm seventy-four and a retired BNSF engineer, a second career retirement. No free travel ensued for AMTRAK but free passage on our local rail commuter train. I've ridden AMTRAK but no comparison to those mighty and luxurious passenger trains of the fifties. As the airlines offered quicker travel and the railroads wanted to shed expensive passenger rail our railroads deteriorated and many rails were abandoned. There was a time when nearly every town in America was reachable by rail, but no more! If our railroads were kept up for passenger service we may well have had several transcontinental high-speed rail services much like Europe or Japan.
I'll second that! Even though I'm not a Baby Boomer, but a "Gen Xer" from the early 80's, I've traveled just about all around the US by train. (But it's nothing like how rail travel was when you were a kid) As a train buff, I'd say roughly about 2/3 of the rail infrastructure has been abandoned in this country sadly following WWII. There's abandoned Railroads all over the US, especially the Eastern Seaboard. (I've explored a few of them throughout the years) I've got something like a 30 + year collection of model trains, mainly in HO Scale of mostly American trains, some European trains as well. (I've lived in Germany and remember the trains they had and they're much faster and efficient than ours are) I have a Roco HO train that closely resembles the Berlin "Duty Train", minus the 232 Class Soviet built "Ludmilla" locomotives painted in "DR"s scheme. Colorado Springs, CO has an old Rio Grande/ Rock Island depot that was used for both freight trains and passenger trains and hasn't seen a passenger train since the late '60s or so.
I rode Amtrack in the early and mid 70s quite a few times as a child and I loved it. Riding the train is more than getting from point A to point B is what my mom told me. Those were some of the best trips I ever took.
The only thing missing in the modern Amtrak version of the California Zephyr is the original Western Pacific route through the Feather River Canyon, over the Altamont Pass and through Niles Canyon on its way to Oakland. Today’s Amtrak route from Emeryville is over Donner Pass and through Reno, largely paralleling Interstate 80 on former Southern Pacific tracks. ACE commuter train riders from Stockton to San Jose can experience the Altamont Pass and Niles Canyon route but sadly, only Union Pacific freight trains still follow the Feather River route.
Beat me to it. Sadly Feather River runs are rare and expensive, which is a shame. Taking Donner Pass is in its own right historical and impressive, but one misses out on things like the Keddie Wye. Even Donner lost some of its historically originality as the route advanced for efficiency and safety.
Got to ride the Zephyr a couple of times back in the 50's to visit relatives at both ends of the route. Also rode the Rocket Island Rocket once. From Chicago took the Illinois Central down to Springfield to complete the trip. I remember the scenarry was fantastic, the food was good, and the service was excellent Very enjoyable and relaxing trips in those days.
This history of the California Zephyr is well done. I have ridden the full route under AMTRAK twice from Chicago to Emeryville in the Bay area. I rode all the AMTRAK rail in the early 2000s in five weekend to weekend trips originating from St. Louis to see The West. This California Zephyr route is very scenic in the Rockies and the Sierras.I do like the AMTRAK Superliner passenger cars used on its western routes.
Great video. Brings back some fond memories from my youth. Though not the Zephyr, I accompanied my family on a train trip from a small town in SE WI, to Chicago's Union Station, via the Chicago and Northwestern RR. Then on from Chicago to SLC, via Union Pacific's "City of Los Angeles". And back.
i remember taking the train from Chicago to Detroit with my family. I threw up outside the station. I also remember that flushing the toilet would drop the contents right out on the track. (You could see the railbed.) Thus the signs "Do not flush toilet in the station".
The Canadian Via Rail route from Toronto to Vancouver, with its historic stainless steel consist, provides an experience similar to that experienced by riders of the California Zephyr circa 1950. Comfortable accommodations, excellent food, great service, and breathtaking views from the dome cars.
Did this video bring back memories! I rode the Zephyr in June of 1960. I remember riding through the Moffat tunnel in the dome car and was amazed how dark it was. Great video!
I rode the original CZ. It is a trip I remember to this day. AMTRAK uses the name and besmirches the the reality of a great train. I also rode the original Denver Zephyr. Another memorable train, never to be repeated. Sad
Two of the dome cars are currently in Minnesota in operable condition. One with the Railroading Heritage of Midwest America group in Minneapolis for use with their steam engine Milwaukee Road 261 and the other is in Duluth, Minnesota owned by the Lake Superior Railroad Museum.
The California Zephyr was the direct inspiration for the Canadian Pacific Railway to launch their own stainless steel transcontinental: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯 between Vancouver and Montreal/Toronto in 1955. The same train cars still run today, under VIA Rail operation though on a different route than originally. It is the closest one can get to re-experiencing the Zeph.
My dad took us kids on the Zephyr from Salt Lake to Helper UT back in the late 60’s. I remember the observation cars and going through my hometown of Riverton, UT
The Nebraska Zephyr is at the Illinois Railway museum. The Pioneer Zephyr is at the museum of science and industry. You can ride the Nebraska Zephyr on certain days in Union, Illinois. The Pioneer Zephyr is a static display to walk through.
@@wilelowman this video confused me because as a kid I swore I rode on the Zephyr… thought there was only the one at the Illinois Railway Museum… had no idea there were multiple and I was thinking “who lost it!?” I went to school in Marengo who shares a school district with Union (and our elementary school was there) and it’s pretty cool to see that little town come up on the internet every now and then (and Michael Bay movies since he loves that place apparently). But we went on a few field trips there as well as going there as a family outing on certain days. Getting to go inside the engine of a train as a kid was the coolest thing ever.
Wow spectacular job Brother thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise and for taking us on your adventure through time and history hello from romulus /Detroit Michigan brother thank you again and GOD-BLESS merry Christmas and happy new year to you and your family from me and mine
Five CZ cars are owned by the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad that operates in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park between Suburban Cleveland and Akron, Ohio. Dome cars "Silver Lariat", "Silver Bronco", and round-end observation car "Silver Solarium", sleeper "Silver Rapids", and baggage car "Silver Peak" operate at times on regular and special trains of the railroad.
I have driven across the US multiple times taking the southern route, the northern route, and the Mid-American route but yet to this day I can only imagine what the scenic beauty would be like taking it on a train.
The California Zephyr was an amazing train. The Rio Grande Zephyr was awesome in it's own right. You should do a video on the Chesapeake and Ohio train, The Chessie. It was an all coach train like the Zephyr. It had experimental locomotives and a stainless steel train by Budd like the Zephyr. The equipment was delivered in 1948 and was displayed at cities along the route between Cincinnati Ohio and Washington DC. Then the train was cancelled.
The problem with train travel in the 21st century is that the terminals are in the middle of nowhere with no services. Hotels, rental cars and stores are centralized around airports. In Albany, NY, the train station is located in Rensallerville on the other side of the Hudson river from Albany. You need to have a car already parked, a friend or relative or cab to get to Albany.
The nice part of Chicago and LA's station is downtown. The Southwest Chief still runs between them. I take Chicago to Milwaukee often, it also ends downtown.
I have to agree with Eric. The railroads have been EXTREMELY defensive about protecting their ownership of right-of-ways and rail routes in most large American cities over the last 150 years. A lot of currently operating rail infrastructure is still there, but today you have to search to find a lot of it in urban areas.
I have ridden the Amtrak CZ a number of times via the now normal route over Donner, from SLC to SAC and back. Years ago when I heard it would be re-routed via the original route over Beckwourth Pass and the Feather River due to track work at Donner, I jumped at the chance. Great ride.
Road a train from Riverside Ca. in the early 50's when I was 4/5 to Minneapolis, Minn. then on to NYC to fly to Germany. My dad was USAF and part of SAC after WWII. I do remember the train ride. I remember the scenery.
I took the "premium" California Zephyr, as you called it, from Chicago to San Francisco in the summer of 1969. It was a shock to hear that the route changed in 1970. From San Francisco I took a flight to Hawaii, then one to Portland, Oregon to visit the college I was going to attend that fall, and finally back to Chicago. I had a sleeper room, and I took my guitar with me. I remember sitting up in one of the domes, playing and singing. I remember thinking that the Feather River Canyon was the most beautiful place I had ever seen (WHY didn't I have a camera on a trip like that??!!). Forever after I have remembered that train ride being the best part of the trip.
Via Rail Canada still operates the original Canadian Pacific Railways's "The Canadian"....the last remaining stainless steel dome car passenger train from Montreal, Toronto to Vancouver that exists in North America today
The Illinois Railway Museum has baggage car "Silver Beaver" and dome car “Silver Pony” in its collection. "Silver Beaver" is housed in display yard 5 in the central part of campus, while “Silver Pony” is currently not visible to the public.
Back about Easter 1967 , my parents took me on a trip on the California zephyr from the Sacramento Spanish style depot ( now a spaghetti factory) and figured a good stopping off spot was Salt Lake City, after about 3 days there we took a bus to Ogden Utah and took the City of San Francisco home to Roseville Ca. It was a beautiful trip as we came through Reno at daybreak and down through the Sierras which still had some snow, so beautiful, and that was my highlight of the trip that I still remember
A history of long-distance passenger train routes that included a stop at Denver would be interesting. In about 1910, there was a "coast to coast" train that went between Galveston, Texas and Seattle, Washington, via Denver. This train enabled European immigrants to travel across the Atlantic direct to Galveston (instead of via Ellis Island in NYC), then board a train to get to their final destination further west. In the 1930's, there was another train going between El Paso, Texas and Billings, Montana, also via Denver.
We travelled the Zephyr from Chicago to Los Angeles in 1984 before joining another train up the Califormia coast to Oakland & from there travelled through the Rockies to Winnimukka to visit family. We later joined another train from Salt Lake City to Chicago & changed trains for the last leg to Washington DC. The only fault was our having to wait in Salt Lake City for 6 hours before the Chicago train arrived. Unlike UK stations there was absolutely nothing to do whilst we waited, not even a coffee bar. But it was a wonderful way to see the USA
I love the Zephyr! I rode it at 16yrs old in 2001 from end to end (and continuing on the Capitol Limited to DC). It was the best travel experience i've had so far! I met so many people there and back. Coming back from Chicago, before we even left, I met a group of people that ended up turning into a mini episode that I called MTV's Real World: Amtrak Edition! 😂 We did everything together for those 3 days! Two of them even "hooked up" right there in the coach seats! 😂 It's definitely a core memory because I love trains and travel, in general!
1:21 You should do something on Horatio Nelson Jackson. He was the first one to cross the country from San Francisco to New York in an automobile in 1903 (a Winton) with his mechanic Crocker and his dog, Bud. It was done on a bet. And it was an adventure of epic proportions, lol....
@@tebelshaw9486 Yep. Saw the doc, read the book. But it's one of those stories that's still relatively unknown, and it's a glorious tale of two men, a dog and a car on the ultimate roadtrip. I got nothing but respect for Jackson and Crocker. People should know the story... 😁
Trully one of the best Streamliners of yesteryear. It could be a little slower than others, but not as slower as today's Amtrak edition. At least in CB&Q metals it was alowed 95 Mph (on the same line, Amtrak is only permites to reach 79 Mph).
3:25 -- WRONGO! The Transcontinental Railroad was built by Central Pacific RR from western terminus and Union Pacific from eastern terminus. The Western Pacific was started decades later as an alternate route.
The (1st) Western Pacific Railroad was started by the Central Pacific to complete the section between Sacramento and San Francisco going through what is considered the "Altamont Pass" line. The (2nd) Western Pacific simply took the name as it was no longer in use and they followed the same route. The video producer might have confused the two.
I went with my family at about 13 years old on the CZ in 1960. My dad, a journalist, was a great railroad fan. Sadly, I have scarcely been on a train since. I spent as much time as I could in the Vista Dome. Going E-W, the fun began at Denver where the train windows were washed to give us a clear view. The service was first-class and the attendants and food were excellent. We headed north from SF to Vancouver, where we caught the Canadian Pacific back through the Rockies to Baniff.
I'm old enough to say..."Been there...did that" back in the mid to late '60's on the The City of Denver AND The Denver Zephyr. GOD...where have all the good times gone ??? Never to be repeated right?
I rode Zephyr in 2022 November; it was Earthquake R-1 between Oakland and Denver and sometimes crawled at 15 mph thru Rockies lest the rocks on both side might shake off!! It was R-3 between Denver and Chicago then I rode the Capital Express which arrived/departed Chicago two hours late and was rocking at R-5; no wonder a month later disaster at East Palestine.
I rode the original CZ all the way from Chicago to Oakland in 68 when I was 11. It was the only train I ever rode west of Chicago before Amtrak. Looking back if I could have taken any other train from Chicago to the west coast, I would have still taken the CZ. The highlight of the trip was the view from the dome when the train got to the top of the front range and made the left turn into the Rockies, it felt like the train was flying. It couldn't have been going more than 30 mph. 14 years later, I got the same sensation on the Rio Grande Zephyr. You won't get that on an Amtrak Sightseer Lounge.
It's virtually inexcusable that we don't have a high-speed rail service in the American eastern "pentaplex". Boston, NY, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and D.C. should all be linked by high-speed rail that is reliable, comfortable, and convenient.
I rode the California Zephyr in the summer of 1966 from West to East. It was a very nice train and went through some pretty nice scenery up to Denver, east of Denver, not much. It was an hour late reaching Chicago, so we missed our connection. It was extra long and extra full due to an airline strike.
As a small boy we would be driving across America and see these long silver lines traveling across the desert. We always wanted to ride one. This is America before it lost it's collective minds.
I'm not really sure where some of your info came from, but I can tell you that GN's Empire Builder was one of the most successful passenger trains in America... Right up there with the CZ, Coast/Shasta Daylights and Santa Fe's Super Chief.
I've ridden on the Nebraska Zephyr, which is housed at the Illinois Railway Museum. I always ride in the back car, which is the lounge. The museum only brings it out a certain number of times a year, but will make an acceptation if certain groups come in. The volunteers that work on the Zephyr are very knowledgeable about the locomotive and its history. There was even a young woman dressed as a Zephyr girl. Think flight attendant, but for a train. That was very interesting to learn about. It's always a pleasure to get out to the museum, which is about 20-25 minutes from my house, and ride the Zephyr when they have it out and running. But, it spends its time in Barn 10 aka the Diesel Barn.
I first took the CZ in 1964 on a round trip between Chicago and San Francisco. I also did it about a dozen more times ...even Amtrak's version. It was one fine Silver Lady...
What a great historical review of this celebrated train. You were right on with accuracy except in one instance. I rode the California Zephyr this past September and spent most of the 33 hours from Denver to Emeryville in the observation sightseeing car. As you noted, you thought passengers in the modern era would be more apt to use their cell phones for entertainment purposes rather than enjoying the scenery I am glad to report the only use of cell phones I noted in the observation sightseeing car were passengers clicking away with their cell phone cameras!!!
I rode the California Zephyr from Oakland to Chicago on my way to college in Virginia in 1966. A truly wonderful train! Spectacular views in the Feather River canyon and in Colorado. WP was trying to kill the Zephyr even then, as the crew told me (I was a rail buff and got to know much of the crew) - by inflating expenses. What they did (the Conductor explained), was to charge the entire cost of the line to the Zephyr (and other passenger trains) even though most of the traffic was freight traffic. This was possible because passenger trains were scheduled and most freight traffic did not run on the sort of specific timetable as the passenger trains. The way I heard it then was that the Zephyr was always profitable if it was charged only its fair allocation of the costs of maintaining the line. Fascinating stuff for an 18 year old to learn… I had a Pullman roomette (I notice this video mentions ‘sleeping cars’ but doesn’t explain about Pullman cars - first class only) and spent much of my time in the Observation car at the rear of the train. It had a dome as well, but for a rail buff, riding in the seats at the very rear having a cocktail was heaven! I recall watching trout being loaded onto the dining car by a couple of fishermen in Rifle, Colorado in the morning - caught that very morning - to be served at dinner that evening. A very friendly Zephyrette snagged me a dinner reservation for that evening time as the train came down into Denver; naturally I dined on first rate fresh trout (which I had pre-ordered) with a half-bottle of a delightful Piesporter Kabinette Riesling. The daytime travel through the Rockies to Denver was probably the scenic highlight of the run, though the Feather River Canyon was hardly less spectacular. The rest of the trip from Denver into Chicago (the CBQ portion) was less memorable, but still a fine time. My other favorite train was the Southern Pacific Coast Daylight between SF and LA, which offered wonderful views along the Coast. The Empire Builder was also a great train, but not the equal of the Zephyr!
I have ridden Amtrak's California Zephyr from Denver to Emeryville or vice versa three times. It is one of the world's best rail journeys. The best ride, in many respects, was during the winter. The snow scenery is spectacular.
Having lived my entire life along the CB&Q I can say I saw all of it--all the named trains, mainline steam, speeding mail trains, FT Graybacks pulling livestock trains. However, the California Zephyr was truly the jewel as it blasted through LaGrange Road. Very fond memories only found today on photos and grainy movie film.
Wait LaGrange? As in the Chicago Suburb 😮
YES in LaGrange, Illinois@@Minelaughter
The stories and memories you have are treasures in themselves and should be shared before they become lost to time
Or do you say Mannheim?
Hope you've ridden some of those locomotives.
That last comment is very true. People are bent over their phones, scrolling, scrolling, hoping that something crops up. So very sad.
You have the two Western Pacific Railroads confused; the first one that existed in the 1860s did plan to build from Sacramento to San Francisco, but was absorbed by the Central Pacific (who was later absorbed by Southern Pacific) before said line was even finished. The Western Pacific that ran the California Zephyr (the one with the Feather River Route) was a separate company established in the early 1900s to break Southern Pacific's monopoly over rail traffic from the Great Salt Lake to San Francisco.
I came here to comment the same thing. The Western Pacific logo you are using is representative of a railroad created by the Rio Grande to help finish the Gould System Transcontinental RR in the 1900s
@@ryan_danger Its good to read so many train fans remembering the railroads. Incase someone is interested, Charles Smiley has a excellant DVD on the Western Pacific and the California Zephyr. Worth watching.
The true WESTERN PACIFIC RAILROAD was incorporated in 1903 to complete the Gould railroad to Oakland/San Francisco via the Feather River Route. to Salt Lake City, then continued by Denver Rio Grand and Chicago Burlington to Chicago. The WP was completed in 1909, making it the last Transcontinental railroad to California. I had 4 generations of my family work for WP. Great-grandfather was a surveyor/engineer, grandfather was locomotive engineer, father was a conductor, with four of his brothers, and two cousins retired as engineers after merger with UP. I decided to work and retire for the successor to passenger trains. Worked for 35 yrs. for airline. Good memories of the WP. Road the Zephyr from Oroville to San Francisco several times as a child for Christmas shopping. Road with my father on freight trains to Quincy and back. Williams Loop was special with the caboose passing under F7's grinding and sparking the rails. Even rode the ZEPHYRETTE to Sacramento for company picnic at old state fair grounds about 1960. It was a great railroad with many great people.
For those who would like a similar experience as riding the CZ head to Canada and ride Via Rail transcontinental train from Vancouver to Toronto with 1950''s era streamliner cars (refurbished and updated periodically) including sleeping cars, and even lower cost upper/lower berths, roomettes and bedrooms, dome cars including a dome observation car, diners and a superbly helpful staff. Two nights, three days across the Canadian Rockies, the plains and down through the Laurentian Shield into Toronto. Definitely a bucket list trip for any train fan.
I did it. From NYC to California. Everyone should experience it.
Perfect timing! I'm riding the Zephyr tomorrow!
I love travel by train, the best is looking out at night.
I was an engineer on the Zephyr between Chicago and Ottumwa IA for about 6 months last year. It was always cool to picture the history of the line.
Be
The California Zephyr was one of four silver Zephyr's that stopped in Creston, IA. The westward CZ stopped in Creston @10:30 pm and the eastward CZ made its stop in Creston at dawn before 7:30 am. The Denver Zephyr and the Ak-Sar-Ben Zephyr (to Lincoln) both stopped in Creston under the cover of darkness. The Nebraska Zephyr, an articulated train to Lincoln, stopped in Creston during the day.
Creston is just west of where my parents were born and raised, including Lorimor. When I was in college, I took the Amtrak California Zephyr in 1983 from Chicago to Osceola Iowa where my dad drove from Lorimor to pick me up. I didn't know there was a stop in Creston, or did that change?
The California Zephyr was my favorite way to travel from Denver to Red Oak, Iowa where my grandparents and great grandparents lived. As a child the train was a great adventure. Before arriving in Red Oak, the train passed within a mile from their farm which we could easily see from the Zephyr. Arriving in Red Oak early in the morning, my grandparents would be waiting for us. I loved sitting in the Dome Car at night, watching the lights of towns, cars, other trains, and railroad signals. The Zephyr no longer stops in Red Oak. Current schedule means arriving and leaving from Omaha during the middle of the night and Omaha’s Union Station has been replaced by a small unwelcoming “hut”. Happily, I have a couple perfectly-preserved train tickets w/ CB&Q red ticket envelope from Colorado to Red Oak that my mom kept. I have traveled several times to/from Omaha by Amtrak but it just isn’t the same… though I still love traveling by train.
I love taking the California Zephyr, I do it any chance I get. My favorite trip was when I went solo from San Francisco to Chicago, Chicago to DC, DC to Tampa to visit my mom in the surrounding area. The experience of having my own little roomette to sleep in was great, and waking up in the morning and in that first moment remembering I’m on a train and then looking out the window at the passing scenery of mountains in Utah when I’d gone to sleep in the flat deserts of Nevada east of the Sierra was a charming feeling I hadn’t expected, like I and everyone else on the train was on a real voyage together. The winter scenes through the mountains of the Sierra and then the Rockies was breathtaking, and seeing elk and a bald eagle in Gore canyon before entering Moffat Tunnel and the Continental Divide it represents and passes under was really something. The Chicago to DC Capital Limited was beautiful as well, with the beauty of rural Pennsylvania to Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia. But the Zephyr has a feel all its own. The staff are friendly and attentive, now that some time has passed since the tumult of the pandemic. It’s been a personal pleasure to physically put myself on the train each time and be counted as one American who cherishes the continued Zephyr service and isn’t willing to see it sacrificed in the name of some kind of ‘progress’.
Well done. I rode Amtrak's version in 1990 and it was a great trip.
I rodeo the Zephyr from Chicago to Colorado when I was very young with Mom & my brother . Very very cool .
It's really shocking how there's no north-south railroads which connect Houston, Dallas, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Omaha, and Billings, Montana. So much empty territory which could definitely benefit greatly from north-south passenger and freight transit.
Unt AMTRAK there was passenger rail traffic from Billings,Montana to Dallas, via Denver. The CB&Q RR ran passenger trains once a day from Billings, then twice a day from Denver to Dallas. The Texas Zephyr was a stream lined passenger train which had once been the Denver Zephyr until a "New Denver Zephyr was built in the late 1950's. Ran until the AMTRAK and the BN merger which negated all passenger service North-South bound.
I was thinking that after going from Omaha to Glenwood Springs, CO and the California Zephyer. Have a train from Monerrey, NL,MX to Winnipeg, MB CA
The CB&Q's sububsidary Colorado & Southern/ Ft. Worth & Denver did a north-south thing but wasn't used much because of the Panama Canal.
@@paulhindenberg6364Denver Zephyr was east-west across Nebraska. Texas Zephyr was Denver-Ft. Worth linking up with The Sam Houston Zephyr to Houston.
This young man does a nice job.
Your last statement is very well put! I believe the new rail renaissance might be able to reestablish special identical trains of the early era like the orange blossom special or the zephyr. It takes visionary people who knew what these earlier trains offered. Such things as barber shops nail salons movies onboard etc. Also menus with unique offerings to make the trip really memorable. The fact that you put this article up tells me that you as well as I loved the older times when train travel was exciting! Thanks for the memories!
True, although our biggest priority should be enabling faster trains, we shouldn’t have a soul-less rail network, we need amenities like these…
Menu item from the Zephyr: Rainbow trout in Colorado.
The Silver Bronco, Solarium and Lariat are some of the cars that have been restored. The Silver Solarium and Silver Lariat were sold from private charter services to the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad in Northeast Ohio in 2018, and are currently still in operation there! The Bronco and Solarium are being used on their Christmas train right now. CVSR also owns the Silver Rapids and Silver Peak, although those are hardly used.
@@Traingirl1105 Silver Rapids was a Pennsylvania Railroad car bought specially for through service between New York and Oakland.
My step son rode this train in the 90s he loved every minute of the round trip both ways.
Awesome video! I recommend your channel in rail forums often keep rail history coming I’ll keep recommending and watching! Would love to see the key west FEC extension come up or some Texas rail history or gulf coast in general
Always loved this train - as a wee boy I had this in my model train set, including the loco with the big single headlight on the front, and the carriages with the dome on the roof, and a tail-carriage which had a rear that was all domed too. Many happy memories of setting up the layout and running this train around the room with my dad when I was a kid. Would love to have ridden the real thing.
Well, I rode in the real thing in 1961 as a nine-year-old, and I wanted a train set so badly, but never got one. (I have taken revenge and have a huge collection of model trains and am working on a large, permanent layout).
As a regular on the dear old Southwest Chief, I assure you, people on the long haulers don't spend all thrir time on their phones• there's no signal in most of the pretty stretches! ;)
I haven't made it up north to try the Zephyr yet. Someday.
The transcontinental railroad was not completed at the Great Salt Lake. It was completed in 1869 at Promontory Summit , Utah, (out in the middle of nowhere) about 80-90 miles north of the Great Salt Lake where the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific met and drove the golden spike symbolizing the completion of the transcontinental railroad.
It was physically connected with the Kansas Pacific in Strasburg Colorado. They had the first perminant bridge over the Missouri River.
Nice one Ryan! Great history of a great train! Your research and photos are top notch as usual!
The only downside to the modern Zephyr is more so a universal US fact that most trackage is owned by the freight railroads-which especially hinders the CA Zephyr to end up taking closer to 3 days at times
I've ridden this line many times (LA to GCK, GCK to LA) and I can only recall one instance where our train was delayed because of a freighter on the line and it was only about 20 minutes or so. The length of the trip (as you said 3 days) isn't because of freight train traffic. It's because that's about what the trip works out to be when you're averaging less than 70-80mph over that distance. Between LA and Kansas the longest stop is maybe 30 minutes in a small town in CO where they change out the crew.
Also it doesn't follow the original route in California now going over Donner Pass which is beautiful in the Winter with all the snow instead of the Feather River Canyon which I prefer.
I've been on the California Zephyr and the City of San Francisco. Both sucked. Even my sister agrees.
Amtrak is always blaming freight trains. The current zephyr route has moderate traffic density. How much money and support should be given to two trains which carry about 200 passengers each every day?
Stop being a poor person and just get a sleeper car room. Then it doesn't matter. Lay down, watch some videos, free diner car meals included. You relax for a bit and next thing you know you're there.
Thank You for this story, I have ridden the California Zepher from Emeryville to Chicago, a most remembered trip.
I've ridden the California Zepher several times in the late fifties with my grandparents. Grandpa was a Railway Express driver and, through retirement, was entitled to free passage on these trains. Those passenger trains were marvelous for an eight-year-old to explore the train, car by car, especially the dome cars with their magnificent view. Back in those days, smoking was prevalent, and those with cigars really stunk those cars into a nearly unbreathable atmosphere. Now, I'm seventy-four and a retired BNSF engineer, a second career retirement. No free travel ensued for AMTRAK but free passage on our local rail commuter train. I've ridden AMTRAK but no comparison to those mighty and luxurious passenger trains of the fifties.
As the airlines offered quicker travel and the railroads wanted to shed expensive passenger rail our railroads deteriorated and many rails were abandoned. There was a time when nearly every town in America was reachable by rail, but no more! If our railroads were kept up for passenger service we may well have had several transcontinental high-speed rail services much like Europe or Japan.
I'll second that! Even though I'm not a Baby Boomer, but a "Gen Xer" from the early 80's, I've traveled just about all around the US by train. (But it's nothing like how rail travel was when you were a kid) As a train buff, I'd say roughly about 2/3 of the rail infrastructure has been abandoned in this country sadly following WWII. There's abandoned Railroads all over the US, especially the Eastern Seaboard. (I've explored a few of them throughout the years) I've got something like a 30 + year collection of model trains, mainly in HO Scale of mostly American trains, some European trains as well. (I've lived in Germany and remember the trains they had and they're much faster and efficient than ours are) I have a Roco HO train that closely resembles the Berlin "Duty Train", minus the 232 Class Soviet built "Ludmilla" locomotives painted in "DR"s scheme. Colorado Springs, CO has an old Rio Grande/ Rock Island depot that was used for both freight trains and passenger trains and hasn't seen a passenger train since the late '60s or so.
I rode Amtrack in the early and mid 70s quite a few times as a child and I loved it. Riding the train is more than getting from point A to point B is what my mom told me. Those were some of the best trips I ever took.
The only thing missing in the modern Amtrak version of the California Zephyr is the original Western Pacific route through the Feather River Canyon, over the Altamont Pass and through Niles Canyon on its way to Oakland. Today’s Amtrak route from Emeryville is over Donner Pass and through Reno, largely paralleling Interstate 80 on former Southern Pacific tracks. ACE commuter train riders from Stockton to San Jose can experience the Altamont Pass and Niles Canyon route but sadly, only Union Pacific freight trains still follow the Feather River route.
Beat me to it. Sadly Feather River runs are rare and expensive, which is a shame. Taking Donner Pass is in its own right historical and impressive, but one misses out on things like the Keddie Wye. Even Donner lost some of its historically originality as the route advanced for efficiency and safety.
I took the Zephyr in 1960 and the Feather River stretch was my favorite of the entire route. Sad it’s gone.
absolutely the best time ever ., 2019 took it east oakland to Chicago .,. beautiful .,
Got to ride the Zephyr a couple of times back in the 50's to visit relatives at both ends of the route. Also rode the Rocket Island Rocket once. From Chicago took the Illinois Central down to Springfield to complete the trip. I remember the scenarry was fantastic, the food was good, and the service was excellent Very enjoyable and relaxing trips in those days.
This history of the California Zephyr is well done. I have ridden the full route under AMTRAK twice from Chicago to Emeryville in the Bay area. I rode all the AMTRAK rail in the early 2000s in five weekend to weekend trips originating from St. Louis to see The West. This California Zephyr route is very scenic in the Rockies and the Sierras.I do like the AMTRAK Superliner passenger cars used on its western routes.
Great video. Brings back some fond memories from my youth. Though not the Zephyr, I accompanied my family on a train trip from a small town in SE WI, to Chicago's Union Station, via the Chicago and Northwestern RR. Then on from Chicago to SLC, via Union Pacific's "City of Los Angeles". And back.
Anything vintage Rail is tops in my book. Great job Ryan.....
The Zephyr now sits at the Chicogo Museum of Science and Industry.
Also the Zephr was named for the Greek God of wind.
Actually, that is the pioneer Zephyr. The most complete California Zephyr set is at the Western Pacific railroad museum in Portola, CA
@@JohnNack Thank you.
Zephuros was the god of the west wind, particularly associated with light and breezy winds.
Also one at the "St. Louis Museum of Transportation".
i remember taking the train from Chicago to Detroit with my family. I threw up outside the station. I also remember that flushing the toilet would drop the contents right out on the track. (You could see the railbed.) Thus the signs "Do not flush toilet in the station".
The Canadian Via Rail route from Toronto to Vancouver, with its historic stainless steel consist, provides an experience similar to that experienced by riders of the California Zephyr circa 1950. Comfortable accommodations, excellent food, great service, and breathtaking views from the dome cars.
I thought about taking this trip but it's very expensive.
@@MairinSea Yes, expensive now. But wait a few years and it will be outrageously expensive. Do it now even if partially across full route.
Hi I’m from Canada and ride on vias Canadian all the time ,take my advice and ride it while you can ! It will be gone by 2030or sooner
The Western Pacifca RR was not a part of the transcontinental RR. Only the Central Pacific and Union Pacific.
Not THAT Western Pacific you're correct. There was an earlier Western Pacific that the Central Pacific absorbed.
Did this video bring back memories! I rode the Zephyr in June of 1960. I remember riding through the Moffat tunnel in the dome car and was amazed how dark it was. Great video!
I rode the original CZ. It is a trip I remember to this day. AMTRAK uses the name and besmirches the the reality of a great train. I also rode the original Denver Zephyr. Another memorable train, never to be repeated. Sad
Amtrak does the best it can with what they have.
Very informative. I believe things could be arranged that would make restoring such grand service feasible.
Awesome video! Olympian Hiawatha, Empire Builder and North Coast Limited next then, right? 😉👍🏻👌🏼👏🏻
Two of the dome cars are currently in Minnesota in operable condition. One with the Railroading Heritage of Midwest America group in Minneapolis for use with their steam engine Milwaukee Road 261 and the other is in Duluth, Minnesota owned by the Lake Superior Railroad Museum.
The California Zephyr was the direct inspiration for the Canadian Pacific Railway to launch their own stainless steel transcontinental: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯 between Vancouver and Montreal/Toronto in 1955. The same train cars still run today, under VIA Rail operation though on a different route than originally. It is the closest one can get to re-experiencing the Zeph.
My dad took us kids on the Zephyr from Salt Lake to Helper UT back in the late 60’s. I remember the observation cars and going through my hometown of Riverton, UT
The Nebraska Zephyr is at the Illinois Railway museum. The Pioneer Zephyr is at the museum of science and industry. You can ride the Nebraska Zephyr on certain days in Union, Illinois. The Pioneer Zephyr is a static display to walk through.
Thanks for the info on the Zephyr you can ride. I only saw the other one.
I haven’t been to the IRM in many years. Has the museum fully restored the Nebraska Zephyr?
The "Nebraska Zephyr- 9911-A is usually used during "Diesel Days" at the I.R.M.. There 2024 Calender of Events is on their web site.
@@wilelowman this video confused me because as a kid I swore I rode on the Zephyr… thought there was only the one at the Illinois Railway Museum… had no idea there were multiple and I was thinking “who lost it!?”
I went to school in Marengo who shares a school district with Union (and our elementary school was there) and it’s pretty cool to see that little town come up on the internet every now and then (and Michael Bay movies since he loves that place apparently).
But we went on a few field trips there as well as going there as a family outing on certain days. Getting to go inside the engine of a train as a kid was the coolest thing ever.
The Wisconsin Great Northern is restoring the original Mark Twain Zephyr for operation.
the silver lady still resides and rides on my model railroad , glad some of the consist has been restored
Wow spectacular job Brother thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise and for taking us on your adventure through time and history hello from romulus /Detroit Michigan brother thank you again and GOD-BLESS merry Christmas and happy new year to you and your family from me and mine
I love seeing the Pioneer Zephyr at the Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago!
Five CZ cars are owned by the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad that operates in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park between Suburban Cleveland and Akron, Ohio. Dome cars "Silver Lariat", "Silver Bronco", and round-end observation car "Silver Solarium", sleeper "Silver Rapids", and baggage car "Silver Peak" operate at times on regular and special trains of the railroad.
I have driven across the US multiple times taking the southern route, the northern route, and the Mid-American route but yet to this day I can only imagine what the scenic beauty would be like taking it on a train.
Awesome video. But FWIW, Amtrak’s Zephyr is still one of the best things on the planet.
Most enjoyable. Nicley done! Thank you.
Rode amtrak from Denver to Sacramento. Incredible
The California Zephyr was an amazing train. The Rio Grande Zephyr was awesome in it's own right. You should do a video on the Chesapeake and Ohio train, The Chessie. It was an all coach train like the Zephyr. It had experimental locomotives and a stainless steel train by Budd like the Zephyr. The equipment was delivered in 1948 and was displayed at cities along the route between Cincinnati Ohio and Washington DC. Then the train was cancelled.
The problem with train travel in the 21st century is that the terminals are in the middle of nowhere with no services.
Hotels, rental cars and stores are centralized around airports.
In Albany, NY, the train station is located in Rensallerville on the other side of the Hudson river from Albany. You need to have a car already parked, a friend or relative or cab to get to Albany.
The nice part of Chicago and LA's station is downtown.
The Southwest Chief still runs between them.
I take Chicago to Milwaukee often, it also ends downtown.
I have to agree with Eric. The railroads have been EXTREMELY defensive about protecting their ownership of right-of-ways and rail routes in most large American cities over the last 150 years. A lot of currently operating rail infrastructure is still there, but today you have to search to find a lot of it in urban areas.
Yeah, but the classic stations in LA, Chicago, NYC, New Orleans, etc. all are downtown near hotels, shopping, etc.
Airports are in the middle of nowhere. Trains stations are downtown. Not everyone lives in NY.
Union Station is in downtown Denver
I have ridden the Amtrak CZ a number of times via the now normal route over Donner, from SLC to SAC and back. Years ago when I heard it would be re-routed via the original route over Beckwourth Pass and the Feather River due to track work at Donner, I jumped at the chance. Great ride.
Road a train from Riverside Ca. in the early 50's when I was 4/5 to Minneapolis, Minn. then on to NYC to fly to Germany. My dad was USAF and part of SAC after WWII. I do remember the train ride. I remember the scenery.
I took the "premium" California Zephyr, as you called it, from Chicago to San Francisco in the summer of 1969. It was a shock to hear that the route changed in 1970. From San Francisco I took a flight to Hawaii, then one to Portland, Oregon to visit the college I was going to attend that fall, and finally back to Chicago. I had a sleeper room, and I took my guitar with me. I remember sitting up in one of the domes, playing and singing. I remember thinking that the Feather River Canyon was the most beautiful place I had ever seen (WHY didn't I have a camera on a trip like that??!!). Forever after I have remembered that train ride being the best part of the trip.
Via Rail Canada still operates the original Canadian Pacific Railways's "The Canadian"....the last remaining stainless steel dome car passenger train from Montreal, Toronto to Vancouver that exists in North America today
I loved taking the Zephyr from Salt Lake to San Francisco, wonderful views!
Have travelled the California Zephyr twice. Highly recommend as it has the most stunning views
The Illinois Railway Museum has baggage car "Silver Beaver" and dome car “Silver Pony” in its collection. "Silver Beaver" is housed in display yard 5 in the central part of campus, while “Silver Pony” is currently not visible to the public.
Back about Easter 1967 , my parents took me on a trip on the California zephyr from the Sacramento Spanish style depot ( now a spaghetti factory) and figured a good stopping off spot was Salt Lake City, after about 3 days there we took a bus to Ogden Utah and took the City of San Francisco home to Roseville Ca. It was a beautiful trip as we came through Reno at daybreak and down through the Sierras which still had some snow, so beautiful, and that was my highlight of the trip that I still remember
A history of long-distance passenger train routes that included a stop at Denver would be interesting. In about 1910, there was a "coast to coast" train that went between Galveston, Texas and Seattle, Washington, via Denver. This train enabled European immigrants to travel across the Atlantic direct to Galveston (instead of via Ellis Island in NYC), then board a train to get to their final destination further west. In the 1930's, there was another train going between El Paso, Texas and Billings, Montana, also via Denver.
True about the phones. What wonderful things we have lost in society and will not get back due to apathy.
The eastbound zephyr was only about 8 hours behind through my town this morning.
It did have more than 5 cars, at least.
We travelled the Zephyr from Chicago to Los Angeles in 1984 before joining another train up the Califormia coast to Oakland & from there travelled through the Rockies to Winnimukka to visit family. We later joined another train from Salt Lake City to Chicago & changed trains for the last leg to Washington DC. The only fault was our having to wait in Salt Lake City for 6 hours before the Chicago train arrived. Unlike UK stations there was absolutely nothing to do whilst we waited, not even a coffee bar. But it was a wonderful way to see the USA
I went to the Zepher in the late 60s. It was a blast. Went from Denver to Oakland
So was the old Super Chief. Went LA to Chicago on the old Santa Fe Super Chief in the 60s. Great trip.
I live in Canada ,,, Via Rail Still uses the Budd Cars today ,,, Just love the budds , , terrific video ,,, thx for sharing
I love the Zephyr! I rode it at 16yrs old in 2001 from end to end (and continuing on the Capitol Limited to DC). It was the best travel experience i've had so far! I met so many people there and back. Coming back from Chicago, before we even left, I met a group of people that ended up turning into a mini episode that I called MTV's Real World: Amtrak Edition! 😂 We did everything together for those 3 days! Two of them even "hooked up" right there in the coach seats! 😂 It's definitely a core memory because I love trains and travel, in general!
Well done Ryan! 😊
1:21 You should do something on Horatio Nelson Jackson. He was the first one to cross the country from San Francisco to New York in an automobile in 1903 (a Winton) with his mechanic Crocker and his dog, Bud.
It was done on a bet. And it was an adventure of epic proportions, lol....
Did the dog die on that trip?
@@garthmcgibbon4285 No! He went on to live out a long life with Horatio.
You find pictures of him if you search Bud the Dog...
@@Backroad_JunkieYay!!
😊🐶
PBS broadcast a program entitled "Horatio's Drive."
@@tebelshaw9486 Yep. Saw the doc, read the book.
But it's one of those stories that's still relatively unknown, and it's a glorious tale of two men, a dog and a car on the ultimate roadtrip.
I got nothing but respect for Jackson and Crocker. People should know the story... 😁
Trully one of the best Streamliners of yesteryear. It could be a little slower than others, but not as slower as today's Amtrak edition. At least in CB&Q metals it was alowed 95 Mph (on the same line, Amtrak is only permites to reach 79 Mph).
this is a great story for trains, good reporting its one of my Favorites !
In 1955, at the age of four, my family and I took the train from Oakland Mole to Chicsgo. It is some of my earliest memories. An amazing trip.
3:25 -- WRONGO! The Transcontinental Railroad was built by Central Pacific RR from western terminus and Union Pacific from eastern terminus. The Western Pacific was started decades later as an alternate route.
The (1st) Western Pacific Railroad was started by the Central Pacific to complete the section between Sacramento and San Francisco going through what is considered the "Altamont Pass" line. The (2nd) Western Pacific simply took the name as it was no longer in use and they followed the same route. The video producer might have confused the two.
Nice video! Amtrak is so spartan compared to the way passenger trains used to be.
I went with my family at about 13 years old on the CZ in 1960. My dad, a journalist, was a great railroad fan. Sadly, I have scarcely been on a train since. I spent as much time as I could in the Vista Dome. Going E-W, the fun began at Denver where the train windows were washed to give us a clear view. The service was first-class and the attendants and food were excellent.
We headed north from SF to Vancouver, where we caught the Canadian Pacific back through the Rockies to Baniff.
I'm old enough to say..."Been there...did that" back in the mid to late '60's on the The City of Denver AND The Denver Zephyr. GOD...where have all the good times gone ??? Never to be repeated right?
I did Amtrack round trip from Chicago to Denver in the late 70s w/ my older sister. It was a great trip.
The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad has roughly 5 zephyr cars they run in Akron and the Cuyahoga Valley National park
I rode Zephyr in 2022 November; it was Earthquake R-1 between Oakland and Denver and sometimes crawled at 15 mph thru Rockies lest the rocks on both side might shake off!! It was R-3 between Denver and Chicago then I rode the Capital Express which arrived/departed Chicago two hours late and was rocking at R-5; no wonder a month later disaster at East Palestine.
I rode the original CZ all the way from Chicago to Oakland in 68 when I was 11. It was the only train I ever rode west of Chicago before Amtrak. Looking back if I could have taken any other train from Chicago to the west coast, I would have still taken the CZ. The highlight of the trip was the view from the dome when the train got to the top of the front range and made the left turn into the Rockies, it felt like the train was flying. It couldn't have been going more than 30 mph. 14 years later, I got the same sensation on the Rio Grande Zephyr. You won't get that on an Amtrak Sightseer Lounge.
It's virtually inexcusable that we don't have a high-speed rail service in the American eastern "pentaplex". Boston, NY, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and D.C. should all be linked by high-speed rail that is reliable, comfortable, and convenient.
I rode the Zephyr in 1973 with my grandparents, that was Amtrak but the service was memorable.
I rode the California Zephyr in the summer of 1966 from West to East. It was a very nice train and went through some pretty nice scenery up to Denver, east of Denver, not much. It was an hour late reaching Chicago, so we missed our connection. It was extra long and extra full due to an airline strike.
As a small boy we would be driving across America and see these long silver lines traveling across the desert. We always wanted to ride one. This is America before it lost it's collective minds.
I'm not really sure where some of your info came from, but I can tell you that GN's Empire Builder was one of the most successful passenger trains in America... Right up there with the CZ, Coast/Shasta Daylights and Santa Fe's Super Chief.
I love this California Zephyr!
I've ridden on the Nebraska Zephyr, which is housed at the Illinois Railway Museum. I always ride in the back car, which is the lounge. The museum only brings it out a certain number of times a year, but will make an acceptation if certain groups come in. The volunteers that work on the Zephyr are very knowledgeable about the locomotive and its history. There was even a young woman dressed as a Zephyr girl. Think flight attendant, but for a train. That was very interesting to learn about. It's always a pleasure to get out to the museum, which is about 20-25 minutes from my house, and ride the Zephyr when they have it out and running. But, it spends its time in Barn 10 aka the Diesel Barn.
I first took the CZ in 1964 on a round trip between Chicago and San Francisco. I also did it about a dozen more times ...even Amtrak's version. It was one fine Silver Lady...
I love the new theme(?) song! It really gives me the "let's uncover the lost past" vibes.
Great piece of History, thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it
What a great historical review of this celebrated train. You were right on with accuracy except in one instance. I rode the California Zephyr this past September and spent most of the 33 hours from Denver to Emeryville in the observation sightseeing car. As you noted, you thought passengers in the modern era would be more apt to use their cell phones for entertainment purposes rather than enjoying the scenery I am glad to report the only use of cell phones I noted in the observation sightseeing car were passengers clicking away with their cell phone cameras!!!
Did three trips in the 1960's to Glenwood Springs (for Skiing in Aspen) from Illinois.
WONDERFUL
@3:50 That's a Pony Express Route map...
@4:04 The Central Pacific didn't start at The great Salt Lake
3:50 That's primarily a _Pony Express_ map. The bold line is the *Pony Express* route
00:40 - Mentioning the California Zephyr, meanwhile showing an early experimental diesel for the competing Super Chief.
I rode the California Zephyr from Oakland to Chicago on my way to college in Virginia in 1966. A truly wonderful train! Spectacular views in the Feather River canyon and in Colorado. WP was trying to kill the Zephyr even then, as the crew told me (I was a rail buff and got to know much of the crew) - by inflating expenses. What they did (the Conductor explained), was to charge the entire cost of the line to the Zephyr (and other passenger trains) even though most of the traffic was freight traffic. This was possible because passenger trains were scheduled and most freight traffic did not run on the sort of specific timetable as the passenger trains. The way I heard it then was that the Zephyr was always profitable if it was charged only its fair allocation of the costs of maintaining the line. Fascinating stuff for an 18 year old to learn… I had a Pullman roomette (I notice this video mentions ‘sleeping cars’ but doesn’t explain about Pullman cars - first class only) and spent much of my time in the Observation car at the rear of the train. It had a dome as well, but for a rail buff, riding in the seats at the very rear having a cocktail was heaven! I recall watching trout being loaded onto the dining car by a couple of fishermen in Rifle, Colorado in the morning - caught that very morning - to be served at dinner that evening. A very friendly Zephyrette snagged me a dinner reservation for that evening time as the train came down into Denver; naturally I dined on first rate fresh trout (which I had pre-ordered) with a half-bottle of a delightful Piesporter Kabinette Riesling. The daytime travel through the Rockies to Denver was probably the scenic highlight of the run, though the Feather River Canyon was hardly less spectacular. The rest of the trip from Denver into Chicago (the CBQ portion) was less memorable, but still a fine time.
My other favorite train was the Southern Pacific Coast Daylight between SF and LA, which offered wonderful views along the Coast. The Empire Builder was also a great train, but not the equal of the Zephyr!
A beautiful train and outstanding video! How about the Super chief? The mighty Santa Fe!