California Zephyr

California Zephyr

The streamliner California Zephyr was launched in 1949 by the Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad, the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, and the Western Pacific Railroad. Operating from Chicago to Denver, Salt Lake City, and San Francisco, the Zephyr featured Vista-Dome observation cars that afforded passengers expansive views of the mountain landscapes that the train passed through, including the  6.2-mile long Moffat Tunnel through the Continental Divide, the Rocky Mountains, and the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It was marketed as “the most talked-about train in America.”

Like other passenger trains in the 1960s, the California Zephyr saw declines in passenger numbers, and the route began to lose money for the railroad. The route was discontinued in 1970.

Today, the California Zephyr runs between Chicago and San Francisco, still carrying passengers through the scenic mountains of the western United States.

Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad | California Zephyr Brochure, c. 1950s

Illustration of California Zephyr and Rio Grande dome cars with route maps
 
William R. Hough Timetable Collection

Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad | October 1950 Timetable

1950 Rio Grande timetable with illustration of the California Zephyr and text reading: Royal Gorge Route and Moffat Tunnel Route Illustrations of the California Zephyr interiors and exteriors with promotional text including the header: "Travel's easy on the C-Z"
William R. Hough Timetable Collection

Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad |California Zephyr Brochure, c.1950s

Illustration of two people looking out of California Zephyr vista dome at a mountain landscape. Beneath is another illustration of the Zephyr exterior. Text includes headers: "5 Vista-Domes. Scenery you can see!"
 
William R. Hough Timetable Collection

Burlington, Rio Grande, & Western Pacific Railroad | California Zephyr Brochure, c. 1960s

Image showing passengers in the California Zephyr Vista-Dome looking out at a mountain landscape.

 
William R. Hough Timetable Collection

Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad | May 15, 1966 Timetable

Rio Grande timetables issued May 15, 1966 showing the California Zephyr passing by a river in a mountain landscape
William R. Hough Timetable Collection

Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad | California Zephyr Menu, 1969

California Zephyr 1969 menu showing a train crossing a railroad bridge over a lake
 
Ira Silverman Railroad Menu Collection

Western Pacific Railroad | January 1, 1969 Timetable.

Timetable cover with photograph of mountain landscape with evergreen trees in the foreground and railroad bridge in the background.

 

Western Pacific timetable showing the route map and schedule of the California Eagle
William R. Hough Timetable Collection

"Final Run of the Zephyr" Booklet, 1970

black & white photograph of the California Zephyr passing through the mountains. Text reads: Final Run Western Pacific Railroad's California Zephyr
 
William R. Hough Timetable Collection