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Photos & Videos Photos Great Passenger Trains Burlington Route passenger trains remembered

Burlington Route passenger trains remembered

By Rob McGonigal | December 8, 2024

| Last updated on December 20, 2024


View images of passenger service on the Way of the Zephyrs

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Burlington Route passenger trains are part of Classic Trains‘ editors’ celebration of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy all through December 2024.

 

A black and white photo of a locomotive passing over a bridge
Burlington’s Pioneer Zephyr
The first Zephyr train, later called Pioneer Zephyr, at Aurora, Ill., on nonstop Denver–Chicago run, May 26, 1934.
CB&Q
A black and white photo of a locomotive passing over a bridge
A black and white close up picture of the top of a train
Burlington’s Silver Dome
The first dome car, Silver Dome, rebuilt from a conventional coach at Burlington’s Aurora shops in July 1945.
CB&Q
A black and white close up picture of the top of a train
A silver train passing underneath a stop light
Burlington’s Twin Zephyr
Minneapolis–Chicago Morning Twin Zephyr at Brookfield, Ill., May 1965.
Ed DeRouin
A silver train passing underneath a stop light
A close up black and white photo of a parked train in the dark with its lights on
Burlington’s Fast Mail
Chicago–Omaha Fast Mail ready to depart Chicago Union Station, 1959.
Wallace W. Abbey
A close up black and white photo of a parked train in the dark with its lights on
A black and white photo of a train sitting at a station
Burlington’s Denver Zephyr
Denver–Chicago Denver Zephyr at Galesburg, Ill., mid-1940s.
Henry J. McCord
A black and white photo of a train sitting at a station
A black and white photo of five trains sitting in a rail yard
Burlington suburban trains – steam
Suburban trains powered by 4-6-0s in the yard at Downers Grove, Ill., circa 1920.
L. E. Griffith coll.
A black and white photo of five trains sitting in a rail yard
A black and white photo of a train turning a corner
Burlington suburban train – diesel
E5 and new gallery cars on Aurora–Chicago suburban train east of Naperville, Ill., circa 1950.
Bob Borcherding
A black and white photo of a train turning a corner
A photo taken from the top of a train as it travels through a snowy area
Burlington’s Afternoon Twin Zephyr
Chicago–Minneapolis Afternoon Twin Zephyr north of Savanna, Ill., 1965.
Jim McClellan
A photo taken from the top of a train as it travels through a snowy area
A black and white photo of a train sitting outside a station
Burlington’s Morning Twin Zephyr
Minneapolis–Chicago Morning Twin Zephyr approaching Chicago Union Station, 1943.
Classic Trains coll.
A black and white photo of a train sitting outside a station
A silver training on the tracks
Burlington’s California Zephyr
Oakland–Chicago California Zephyr at Brookfield, Ill., May 1965.
Ed DeRouin
A silver training on the tracks
A black and white overhead shot of a train turning a corner
Burlington’s Twin Zephyr
Minneapolis–Chicago Morning Twin Zephyr at St. Paul, 1940s.
H. W. Pontin
A black and white overhead shot of a train turning a corner
A black and white close up photo of a train traveling through a station
Burlington’s Texas Zephyr
Denver–Dallas/Ft. Worth Texas Zephyr departing Denver, May 1947.
L. O. Merrill
A black and white close up photo of a train traveling through a station
A black and white photo of a train traveling through a rural area
Burlington’s Denver Zephyr
Chicago–Denver Denver Zephyr, with streamlined 4-6-4 4000 substituting for diesels, near Keenesburg, Colo., February 1938.
Joseph Schick
A black and white photo of a train traveling through a rural area
A black and white photo of a group of people watching two passenger trains go by
Burlington’s Twin Zephyrs
Minneapolis–Chicago Twin Zephyr trains on pre-inaugural publicity run, side-by-side, from Aurora to Chicago, passing Downers Grove, Ill., April 14, 1935.
Willard V. Anderson
A black and white photo of a group of people watching two passenger trains go by
A close up black and white photo of a train sitting on the tracks
Burlington’s American Royal
Kansas City–Chicago American Royal at La Grange, Ill., November 1945.
Robert Milner
A close up black and white photo of a train sitting on the tracks
A silver train passing underneath a stop light
Burlington suburban train
E8 9974 with westbound train 209 at Brookfield, Ill., May 1965.
Ed DeRouin
A silver train passing underneath a stop light
A black and white photo of a conductor climbing up a ladder into the train
Burlington’s Twin Zephyr
Chicago–Minneapolis Morning Twin Zephyr at Savanna, Ill., June 1948.
Robert Milner
A black and white photo of a conductor climbing up a ladder into the train
A train passing through a busy city
Burlington’s Denver Zephyr
Baldwin switcher pulling consist of Denver Zephyr from Chicago Union Station to CB&Q coach yard, August 1964.
John Dziobko
A train passing through a busy city
Looking back at a train as it passes through a mountain and body of water
Colorado & Southern train 29
Denver–Billings, Mont., train 29 in Wind River Canyon south of Thermopolis, Wyo., mid-1960s.
Stan Rhine
Looking back at a train as it passes through a mountain and body of water
A black and white train with people on it turning a corner
Burlington’s Pioneer Zephyr
Kansas City–Lincoln, Nebr., Pioneer Zephyr at St. Joseph, Mo., late 1930s.
CB&Q
A black and white train with people on it turning a corner

 

 

Please enjoy this photo gallery of Burlington Route passenger trains selected from Firecrown Media’s David P. Morgan Library.

Since October 2019, Classic Trains’ editors have celebrated a different Fallen Flag, that is, a Class I railroad that has been felled by bankruptcy, merger, or outright take over — and whose name, logos, symbols, and colors are relegated to history.

All online Fallen Flags articles are available at Trains.com.

This photo gallery was originally published in 2019.

 

4 thoughts on “Burlington Route passenger trains remembered”

  3. I don’t know that I like having the new owner add their name, Firecrown, to the David P Morgan Library.
    Will Firecrown resist the temptation of a “new broom sweeps clean?”
    I think the better philosophy should be “if it works, don’t fix it.”

    Reply

  4. Reckon a lot of people who enjoy trains would love this little bit of history! It’s a shame that we don’t see a lot more classics and manually operated engines around anymore though. It’s all given way to speedier and more environmentally friendly options, but it’s really not the same is it?

    Reply
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