Book Description

"The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy - the Burlington Route - was known for its Zephyrs, the fleet of fluted stainless-steel passenger trains taht connected Chicago to points west. However, there was more to the CB&Q than flashy passenger trains. The railroad connected the nation's heartland, relying hevaily on agricultural traffic, including grain, livestock, and perishable goods. Ownded jointly by the Northern Pacific and Great Northern, the Burlington prospered through the forties and fifties. The heart of the Burlington was its Chicago-to-Denver main line, which hosted several of the Q's famous passenger trains, including the California Zephyr, Denver Zephyr, and Nebraska Zephyr. The line also hosted freight trains, including Chicago-to-Denver time freights, livestock specials, and large blocks of reefers (refrigerator cars). The start of the Golden Years for the Q was 1934, when the original Zephyr first created a stir around the country. The Burlington had maintained a modern fleet of steam locomotives in 1930, powerful O-5 and O-5A 4-8-4 Northerns and class S-4 Hudsons that were the primary fast freight and name passenger power into the 1940s. In Burlington Route Across the Hearland, Jeff Wilson highlights much of this action, along with the first arrival of freight diesels and the evolution of Zephyr operations and equipment." -From back cover