Description
Burlington’s Zephyrs, a new 100-page special issue from Classic Trains, covers the family of trains that introduced the modern era of rail travel. It includes all-new content, plus articles from the Trains archives by noted authors including David P. Morgan, Wallace W. Abbey, and Willard V. Anderson.
Stories include:
- California Zephyr - The longest and greatest of all Zephyrs.
- The Train that Sparked an Era - Story of the Pioneer Zephyr.
- Hollywood’s Zephyr Ride - Making of the 1934 movie Silver Streak.
- The Zephyr Family - Profile of all nine 1930s-era Zephyr trains.
- Restoring the Mark Twain Zephyr - Wisconsin Great Northern brings a treasure back to life.
- And More!
Pages: 100
Burlington's Zephyrs is now available in a convenient digital format so you can enjoy your favorite hobby on your
PC, Mac, laptop, iPad, iPhone and select Android devices version 2.2 or higher. Powered by Zinio™, digital editions are
compatible with PC, Macintosh®, Android™ via Google Play™ app, iOS™ via App StoreSM, and Win8 devices.
Reviews
Swift, stylish and oh, so sophisticated, the diesel-electric-powered stainless steel Pioneer Zephyr streamliner arrived on the North American railroad scene on April 18, 1934. A breath of fresh air in the midst of the Great Depression, it was the first sign that “things would get better.”
Burlington’s Zephyrs, a 100-page Classic Trains special edition booklet, features 11 major articles and dozens of color and black and white photos, as well as a two-page comprehensive, all-time map that displays the various routes that Burlington’s Zephyrs were assigned. It also includes an all-inclusive chart with Zephyr train numbers, train names, end points and route miles.
The book begins with the story of the original Pioneer Zephyr, “The God of the West Wind,” which was manufactured by the Budd Company of Philadelphia, and which symbolized everything new and modern in rail transportation in America. This Zephyr was a diminutive 104-ton, three-car train powered by an eight-cylinder Winton diesel engine. Naturally a major eight-page article in the booklet covers the Budd Company, which became synonymous with both quality and durability in manufacturing railroad equipment.
Also featured is Electro-Motive which provided power for the Zephyr, the story of the first 52-seat Zephyr cross-country tour, RKO’s movie production of the Zephyr, as well as other features on the Twin Zephyrs, the Mark Twain Zephyr, the Denver Zephyr and other Zephyr trains. The booklet covers the famous California Zephyr, features a striking Zephyr photo gallery, and an engaging story about the Illinois Railway Museum’s surviving Silver Pilot Zephyr diesel and its five stainless steel articulated cars, known as the Nebraska Zephyr. In addition, a feature article illustrates and explains the recent preservation of the Mark Twain Zephyr in northern Wisconsin by rail enthusiast Greg Vreeland.
Captivating reading, and an all-in-one reference piece on the famous Zephyrs that so fascinated the American public.
—By Don Heimburger, Heimburger House Publishing Co. November 8, 2021