The Denver Zephyr, The Burlington's Famous Chicago - Denver Zephyr

Of all the many passenger trains that served Denver from the Midwest, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad’s Denver Zephyr was very likely the most popular. As with the CB&Q’s entire Zephyr fleet, the DZ (as it was commonly known) was clad in striking stainless steel and virtually every car was domed (following the train’s upgrading in the 1950s) allowing for maximum sightseeing across the Midwest and Plains. While the DZ survived the transition to Amtrak in May of 1971 it lasted for only a few years before being discontinued.

The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, 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.

Perhaps 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 Budd, unlike most railroad presidents and management, did not hold onto outdated and ignorant practices (which, even today continues, albeit to a much lesser extent).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 Zephyr was born, which would revolutionize train travel. These articulated trainsets were streamlined, lightweight designs that would be powered by the new diesel engine, which allowed for efficiencies far beyond what steam could provide. The first of these trainsets, cast in all stainless steel, was the Zephyr #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 Railroad 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 Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad and Western Pacific Railroad. 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.

The Denver Zephyr came about because of the tremendous successes surrounding the Burlington’s original Zephyrs. However, unlike the originals which were fully articulated the Denver was a ten-car, semi-articulated train that replaced the original #9900 and #9903 on November 8, 1936. The train was an instant hit, in no small part due to its extremely fast speeds, great scenery, and on board amenities (such as lounges, coaches, diners, sleepers, and a parlor-observation).

The DZ remained under this 10-car setup until October of 1956 when the train truly came of age. That year the Burlington completely reequipped the DZ (28 cars in total to operate two versions of the train)) with domes galore built by the Budd Company featuring two “flattop” coaches, Vista-Dome counter-lounge (called the “Chuck Wagon”), Vista-Dome coach, dining car, five sleepers, two Slumbercoahes, and a Vista-Dome observation.

The Denver Zephyr remained such a popular train that it was virtually unchanged until 1968, when most other railroads were substantially reducing their flagship train’s services or eliminating them altogether. While some cars were cutback on the DZ during the off-season and at differing times the train still remained mostly intact through the end when Amtrak took over intercity passenger rail operations on May 1, 1971. The Denver Zephyr was initially kept by Amtrak although it was eventually combined with City of San Francisco (itself renamed the San Francisco Zephyr before being named again as the California Zephyr and given the original routing of that famous train, which remains to this day) and eliminated.

For more reading on streamliners like the Denver Zephyr you might want to consider the book Streamliners: A History of the Railroad Icon from renowned author Mike Schafer who covers in detail most of the well-known and remembered “classic” passenger trains to operate in the country. If you have any interest in such you should very much enjoy Mr. Schafer’s book.

Also, to learn more about the Burlington's large fleet of Zephyr passenger trains consider the book Way of the Zephyrs: The Postwar Years 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. If you're interested in perhaps purchasing these books please visit The Railroad Diamond by clicking the tab in the menu to your left marked "TRD Store".