| Pioneer Zephyr Burlington Zephyr The Silver Streak (unofficial) | |
|---|---|
 A postcard advertising the newly introduced Burlington Zephyr, later officially renamed Pioneer Zephyr | |
 The coach seating area of Pioneer Zephyr as it appears on display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago | |
| Stock type | diesel-electric passenger one-directional trainset |
| In service | 1934–1960 |
| Manufacturer | Budd Company |
| Constructed | 1934 |
| Entered service | November 11, 1934 |
| Number built | 1 trainset (3 cars) |
| Formation | 1: cab/engine/storage 2: baggage/RPO/buffet/coach 3: coach/observation[1] |
| Fleet numbers | 9900 |
| Capacity | 72 passenger seats, 25 long tons (25 t; 28 short tons) of baggage[2] |
| Operators | Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | stainless steel |
| Train length | 197 ft 2 in (60.10 m)[1] |
| Car length | 74 ft 0.125 in (23 m) (power car) 57 ft 8 in (17.58 m) (intermediate car) 63 ft 6 in (19.35 m) (rear car)[3] |
| Width | 9 ft 1.0625 in (277 cm) (body) 9 ft 10 in (300 cm) (handrails)[3] |
| Height | 12 ft 1.1875 in (369 cm)[1] |
| Wheel diameter | 36 in (910 mm) (drive wheels), 30 in (760 mm) (ride wheels)[4] |
| Weight | 208,061 lb (94,375 kg)[1] |
| Prime mover(s) | EMD 201A |
| Engine type | diesel |
| Cylinder count | 8 |
| Cylinder size | 8 in (200 mm) bore, 10 in (250 mm) stroke[4] |
| Traction motors | 2 |
| Power output | 660 hp (490 kW)[4] |
| AAR wheel arrangement | B-(2+2)-2 |
| Wheels driven | 2 |
| Bogies | 1 motor bogie,
2 non-motor Jacobs bogies, 1 non-motor bogie |
| Seating | open coach (2+2), observation lounge |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
The Pioneer Zephyr is a diesel-powered trainset built by the Budd Company in 1934 for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad (CB&Q), commonly known as the Burlington Route. The trainset was the second internal combustion-powered streamliner built for mainline service in the United States (after the Union Pacific Railroad's M-10000), the first such train powered by a diesel engine, and the first to enter revenue service.
The trainset consists of one power/storage car, one baggage/RPO/buffet/coach car, and one coach/observation car. The cars are made of stainless steel, permanently articulated together with Jacobs bogies. The construction incorporated recent advances such as shotwelding (a specialized type of spot welding) to join the stainless steel, and unibody construction and articulation to reduce weight. It was the first of nine similarly built trainsets made for Burlington and its technologies were pivotal in the subsequent dieselization of passenger rail service.
Its operating economy, speed, and public appeal demonstrated the potential for diesel-electric-powered trains to revitalize and restore profitability to passenger rail service that had suffered a catastrophic loss of business with the Great Depression. Originally named the Burlington Zephyr during its demonstration period, it became the Pioneer Zephyr as Burlington expanded its fleet of Zephyr trainsets.
On May 26, 1934, it set a speed record for travel between Denver and Chicago when it made a 1,015.4-mile (1,633 km) non-stop "Dawn-to-Dusk" dash in 13 hours 5 minutes at an average speed of almost 78 mph (124 km/h).[5] For one section of the run it reached a speed of 112.5 mph (181 km/h). The historic dash inspired a 1934 film ("The Silver Streak") and the train's nickname, "The Silver Streak".[6][7][8][9]
The train entered regular revenue service on November 11, 1934, between Kansas City, Missouri; Omaha, Nebraska; and Lincoln, Nebraska. It operated this and other routes until its retirement in 1960, when it was donated to Chicago's Museum of Science & Industry, where it remains on public display. The train is generally regarded as the first successful streamliner on American railroads.[9][10]
- ^ a b c d Byron 2005, p. 23.
- ^ Byron 2005, pp. 23, 29.
- ^ a b Wegman 2008, p. 46, 47.
- ^ a b c Byron 2005, p. 26.
- ^ Schafer, Mike; Welsh, Joe (1997). Classic American Streamliners. Osceola, Wisconsin: MBI Publishing. p. 14. ISBN 0-7603-0377-0. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021..
- ^ "Pioneer Zephyr - A Legendary History". excerpts from the New York Times. Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. May 27, 1934. Archived from the original on February 8, 2005. Retrieved February 24, 2005.
- ^ Gordon-Gilmore, Randy (2002). "Pioneer Zephyr". ProtoTrains. Archived from the original on March 7, 2005. Retrieved February 24, 2005.
- ^ Johnston, Welsh & Schafer 2001, p. 15.
- ^ a b Zimmermann 2004, p. 16.
- ^ Zimmermann 2004, p. 26.