Welcome to my video on the history of the Pioneer Zephyr and the other Zephyr trainsets. This video is a general overview of the Zephyrs and route specific videos will come out in the future.
Once took a family trip on a Twin Cities Zephyr to Savanna (IL), hung around the town much of the day, then caught a CB&Q-hauled North Coast Limited back to St. Paul. In 1963. A great time.
I've alway been interested in passenger trains, especially before Amtrak. In the early 1960s my future wife and I would ride the various trains between St Paul and Minneapolis. The one way ticket was only 35 cents. Sometimes we would take the Greyhound which was 50 cents. As I recall the city bus was 25 cents. There were so many railroads and color schemes before the red, white, blue and silver Amtrak trains. Of all the pre-Amtrak passenger trains we road, the Chicago Great Western cars were the oldest. The interiors looked and smelled like they were from the 1930s or 1940s and there was even wood paneling. As I recall the upholstery was maroon.
Illinois Zephyr has been ran by Amtrak for a while on the Kansas City Zephyr route but terminates in Quincy IL. In its inaugural years used CNW bi-levels .
The Racetrack between Chicago and Aurora is still one of the best train watching areas on the West Side, 'burbs and the sprawl. Thanks again for your research and presentation.
i used to live on the brookfield,il leg of the racetrack with my mom from 2011- early 2014 when i had to look after her till she died then the building was demoilshed great views of trains from there
This was great, however; Zefferrets- Wow… heels, exposed skin climbing a steel ladder 8 feet off the ground? Rail prior to OSHA and government reach is kinda refreshing.
Actually that pics probably kind of recent. Its taken at the il railway museum. They still have zephyrettes on their runs that tell the train history while you ride, at least as of 2019 when i was last there
