Nebraska Zephyr
Postcard depiction of the Nebraska Zephyr in the 1950s.
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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Ak-Sar-Ben Zephyr |
| First service | November 16, 1947 |
| Last service | April 30, 1971 |
| Former operator(s) | |
The Nebraska Zephyr was a streamlined passenger train operated by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q, commonly known by the shorter name of "Burlington") between Chicago, Illinois, Omaha, Nebraska and Lincoln, Nebraska. It operated from 1947 to 1971. Until 1968 the two original Twin Cities Zephyr articulated trainsets, the "Train of the Gods" and "Train of the Goddesses", operated the service and became synonymous with it. The Nebraska Zephyr was one of many trains discontinued when Amtrak began operations in 1971. The "Train of the Goddess" set is preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois.
The Burlington introduced the Nebraska Zephyr on the Chicago–Omaha–Lincoln route on November 16, 1947, replacing the Ak-Sar-Ben Zephyr. The Zephyr joined four other trains on the route: the Exposition Flyer, Denver Zephyr, Ak-Sar-Ben, and Fast Mail. On-board services included a parlor car, dining car, and cocktail lounge. The trains operated on a daylight schedule between Chicago and Lincoln. Westbound #11 departed Chicago at 12:45 PM and arrived in Lincoln at 10:30 PM. Eastbound #12 departed Lincoln at 11:00 AM and arrived in Chicago at 8:45 PM. The 551-mile (887 km) trip took 9 hours 45 minutes, an average speed of 56 miles per hour (90 km/h).
Although the Burlington removed the distinctive "Zephyr" trainsets in February 1968, the train continued to operate as the Nebraska Zephyr, albeit with reduced service. A June 1968 timetable advertised a "dinette coach" as the only amenity, and the running time had lengthened to 11 hours 30 minutes. The Nebraska Zephyr lost its name prior to its discontinuance on April 30, 1971.
The twin Nebraska Zephyr trainsets were built in 1936 by the Budd Company as the second pair of Twin Zephyrs, built for service between Chicago and Minneapolis-St. Paul, both of which had cars named for classical deities. One trainset was known as the "Train of the Goddesses" and its cars were named Venus, Vesta, Minerva, Psyche, Ceres, Diana, and Juno. The other trainset was known as the "Train of the Gods" and its cars were named Apollo, Mars, Neptune, Cupid, Vulcan, Mercury, and Jupiter. Each consist included the following cars: cocktail lounge, two 60-seat coaches, a coach-dinette, dining car, a parlor car, and a parlor-observation car. Early typical motive power for these trains was provided by a pair of shovel-nose diesels named Pegasus (CB&Q #9904) and Zephyrus (CB&Q 9905).
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