My Bride and I this week will be traveling on the California Zephyr, an Amtrak train that goes from Chicago to cities in California. My Bride has long had a fascination with passenger rail, and since 2023 we have been embarking on Fall train trips. Posts have been prepared for my absence, but if you wonder why Don isn’t discussing the invasion of the Elvis impersonators from the 12th dimension, or the discovery of that rarest of all things, an honest Congress Critter, that will be the reason why. Catch up with all of you next Sunday.
My parents rode the Zephyr coming from Washington DC after their wedding in 1955. Only bad point was the stop in Barstow, because of the heat.
Happy trails.
My dad never cared for running passenger trains. He preferred freight. He did it a couple of times early on in his job. The first time somehow he didn’t get the message to slow down at mail stops so they could effectively toss the mail bags into bins along the routs. I suppose to this day there are still people finding mail in the fields along that rail line. But I wish they would have more rail service than they do. Here in Ohio, we have almost nothing.
This sounds really cool! Have fun!
Yes. Have fun
Have a wonderful time!
Have fun! be safe! Vadete cm Deo!
You should enjoy it! My brother is a huge railfan and once worked as an Amtrak conductor, mostly on short or medium-haul runs such as Chicago to Detroit or Cleveland. He and his bride took a train ride across Canada on their honeymoon, which happened to be right after 9/11, and everyone they met was especially nice to them because they were Americans and newlyweds. He also used to have a coffee table book on the original pre Amtrak California Zephyr, which ran from 1949 to 1970.
Fun fact: a baby named Peter Reed Zars was born aboard the Zephyr on March 1, 1955, on the eastbound train going through Utah, and delivered by one of the “Zephyrette” attendants. His parents were on their way to Colorado, where Mrs. Zars had planned to have her baby delivered by her family OBGYN. He had at least 1 birthday party on the train and would have just turned 70 if he’s still living.
“ All along the southbound odyssey
The train pulls out of Kankakee
Rolls along past houses, farms, and fields..”
Safe trip.
Hope you enjoy it.
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I think some level of economically viable passenger rail might have survived in this country if it had not been for bad federal policy.
Safe travels! And have a great trip. 🚂
Sounds like a fantastic trip— enjoy!
Have a great trip. I was born in Denver, and my father (a Jewish farmer) grew up in Fort Morgan. The scenery is pretty dull until you get past Denver, and then it’s breathtaking.
Sounds like a blast! Enjoy the ride! 😀
Enjoy the views!
Zephyr is the Greek god of the wind.