CZ LW D&RGW 48 Seat Chair #1120 Silver Aspen

CZ LW D&RGW 48 Seat Chair #1120 Silver Aspen

Denver and Rio Grande Western - California Zephyr
Car 1120 - Silver Maple
48 Seat Chair Car

'America's Most Talked About Train' began it's life as a collaboration between three railroads: Western Pacific, Denver & Rio Grande Western, and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy. These partners had already created the famous 'Exposition Flyer' in 1939, and in 1945 they all agreed on an overall construction and operation strategy for a new, streamlined trainset they called the 'California Zephyr'.

CB&Q had already experienced enormous success with their shovelnose Zephyr trainsets, and again engaged the Budd Company to construct the new train. The most prominent feature of the California Zephyr would be the 'vista-dome' cars, and each train would contain 5 of these; more than any other train at the time. Six trainsets were produced: four owned by CB&Q, two by Rio Grande, and one by WP. The typical consist was eleven cars; though this varied throughout the years depending on ridership.

On March 20, 1949 the California Zephyr was officially inaugurated. The route of the California Zephyr, from Chicago to Oakland, covered 2,525 miles and took an average of 2 1/2 days to complete. CB&Q took the train as far as Denver, where it was then handed over to D&RGW. D&RGW then took the consist to Salt Lake City, where the WP then handled the remaining trip into California.

By 1962 the California Zephyr was already showing signs of financial trouble. Since 1965 numerous requests for abandonment had been sent to the ICC, but all were denied. Finally, on February 13, 1970 the ICC stated that the train could abandon operations. Though the ICC ordered Rio Grande and CB&Q to continue some semblance of CZ service on a tri-weekly basis, the final departures of the original California Zephyr took place on March 20, 1970: 21 years to the day that the trains had been inaugurated.

Nearly all of the California Zephyr's original 77 cars remain in existence today.

The proper order, from front to rear, of the 1968 consist is as follows:
905 Silver Coyote (Baggage Car)
4742 Silver Maple (Converted Chair Coach)
4717 Silver Lodge (Dome Chair Coach)
4719 Silver Ranch (Dome Chair Coach)
4720 Silver Rifle (Dome Chair Coach)
251 Silver Lounge (Dome Buffet Lounge)
193 Silver Cafe (Diner)
452 Silver Thrush (6 Double Bedroom / 5 Compartment Sleeper)
424 Silver Shore (10 Roomette / 6 Double Bedroom Sleeper)
427 Silver Falls (10 Roomette / 6 Double Bedroom Sleeper)
375 Silver Horizon (Dome Observation Lounge)

Author: Scott Struik

CZ LW D&RGW 48 Seat Chair #1120 Silver Aspen
• $screenshot$.jpg 6.02KB
cb&q california zephyr - 4742_art
cb&q california zephyr - 4742_art_512.texture.txt 121 bytes
cb&q california zephyr - 4742_art_512.tga 1.00MB
cb&q california zephyr - 4742_art_icon.texture.txt 123 bytes
cb&q california zephyr - 4742_art_icon.tga 32.04KB
cb&q california zephyr - 4742_body
attach_mesh.im 680 bytes
baffle.texture.txt 29 bytes
baffle.tga 24.04KB
black.texture.txt 28 bytes
black.tga 3.02KB
black1.tga 210 bytes
black2.texture.txt 29 bytes
black2.tga 3.04KB
brownmetal.texture.txt 33 bytes
brownmetal.tga 12.04KB
cb&q california zephyr - 4742_body.im 182.29KB
elevation.texture.txt 32 bytes
elevation.tga 768.04KB
env_glass.bmp 12.05KB
env_glass.texture.txt 32 bytes
env_metal.bmp 12.05KB
env_metal.texture.txt 32 bytes
gray-dark.texture.txt 32 bytes
gray-dark.tga 3.02KB
gray-dark1.tga 210 bytes
grey.texture.txt 27 bytes
grey.tga 12.02KB
grey1.tga 210 bytes
peoplerow-peoplerow.texture.txt 52 bytes
peoplerow.bmp 48.05KB
peoplerow.tga 48.04KB
peoplerow2-peoplerow2.texture.txt 54 bytes
peoplerow2.bmp 12.05KB
peoplerow2.tga 12.04KB
window-dark.texture.txt 34 bytes
window-dark.tga 6.04KB
windowlight-windowlight.texture.txt 57 bytes
windowlight.bmp 3.05KB
windowlight.tga 3.04KB
windowlightwhite.texture.txt 39 bytes
windowlightwhite.tga 3.02KB
windowlightwhite1.tga 210 bytes
cb&q california zephyr - 4742_shadow
black.texture.txt 28 bytes
black.tga 786 bytes
black1.tga 210 bytes
cb&q california zephyr - 4742_shadow.im 5.51KB
• config.txt 4.97KB
hoses
a end hose.im 22.78KB
b end hose.im 22.78KB
truck_t-truck_t.texture.txt 49 bytes
truck_t.tga 1.00MB
• readme cb&q california zephyr.txt 1.58KB