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Chicago Burlington and Quincy, "Way of the Zephyrs"
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, better remembered as The Burlington Route, is best remembered for its Zephyr lightweight streamlined trainsets which were revolutionary and very successful when they debuted in 1934. Perhaps less recognized is the company itself, which because of sound business practices throughout its history was never in financial distress. The Burlington was also quite close with the communities it served making it beloved like few other railroads. Its legend continues to live on today in its passenger trains and Chicago main line which sees hundreds of successor, BNSF Railway, freight trains daily.
It was during this time that the railroad was sold to legendary tycoon James J. Hill. The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy already connected with Hill’s Great Northern and Northern Pacific at several locations allowing for increased traffic to flow along all three lines, not mention a boost in profits. It was also under Hill’s reign that the Burlington increased its reach into states such as Wyoming, Kentucky, Colorado, and Texas. Perhaps, though, the railroad’s most influential president was Ralph Budd. Under his direction the railroad would become an efficient, lean operation that earned substantial revenues while also remembering its roots. Budd, unlike most railroad presidents and management, did not hold onto outdated and ignorant practices (which, even today continues, albeit to a much lesser extent). He realized as early as the 1930s that railroads would need to continually come up with innovative ways to retain traffic, including passengers.  It was during this time that, in conjunction with the then Electro-Motive Corporation the ZephyrZephyr #9900 and after touring across the country made its famous nonstop trip between Denver and Chicago in mere hours, an unheard of accomplishment for its day. Not surprisingly this alone coupled with the trains high speeds made the Zephyr an instant hit with the public and the Burlington would go on to order several of these trainsets. Of course, the Burlington loved the streamliners as well due to their extremely inexpensive costs to both build and maintain. While the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy operated a number of Zephyrs including the Twin Cities Zephyr, Mark Twain Zephyr, Denver Zephyr, and Ozark State Zephyr perhaps the railroad’s most famous was the California Zephyr which was jointly run with the Rio Grande and Western Pacific. The train traveled through some of the most spectacular scenery in the country and it was not surprising that it continued to do well even when train travel by the 1960s and 1970s was waning with the public. The train would eventually be operated only by the Rio Grande (which was then renamed as the Rio Grande Zephyr) and after it relinquished the train to Amtrak in the 1980s it was not only retained but also returned to its original name.
While Budd retired from the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy in 1949 his legacy was far reaching. Always looking for ways to cut costs and improve service he oversaw the beginnings of switching the railroad to diesel power and the Burlington had nearly 2,000 miles of track under Centralized Traffic Control (CTC) by the mid-1960s! The railroad, however, was destined to be merged with its allying roads, GN (which controlled the CB&Q), SP&S<, and NP; it was simply a matter of when, as many speculated. While trying for years this did not come to fruition until 1970 when the ICC finally granted permission to do so forming the then Burlington Northern. The BN, however, would last only 25 years before merging with the Santa Fe to become the Burlington Northern Santa Fe, today known as simply the BNSF Railway. Notable Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Passenger Trains Afternoon Zephyr: (Chicago - Twin Cities) Ak-Sar-Ben Zephyr: (Chicago - Lincoln) American Royal Zephyr: (Chicago - Kansas City) Blackhawk: (Chicago - Twin Cities) Exposition Flyer: Operated in Junction with the Western Pacific and Rio Grande between Chicago and Oakland until the debut of the California Zephyr in 1949. Kansas City Zephyr: (Chicago - Kansas City) Mainstreeter: Operated between Chicago and Seattle via allying roads Northern Pacific and Spokane, Portland & Seattle. Morning Zephyr: (Chicago - Twin Cities) Nebraska Zephyr: (Chicago - Lincoln) Pioneer Zephyr: (West Quincy - Hannibal, Missouri) Sam Houston Zephyr: (Dallas - Houston) Texas Zephyr: (Denver - Dallas) Western Star: Operated between Chicago and Seattle via allying roads Great Northern and Spokane, Portland & Seattle. Zephyr Rocket: Operated between Minneapolis and St. Louis in conjunction with the Rock Island.
To learn more about the Burlington's large fleet of Zephyr passenger trains consider the book Way of the Zephyrs by author Geoffrey H Doughty which gives a fine history of the trains' final years from World War II through the end with the creation of Burlington Northern.
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