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The Pioneer Zephyr made its mark in railroading history on May 26, 1934 when it made a non-stop run from Denver to Chicago in only 13 hours and 5 minutes. Amtrak now makes the trip (with stops) between Denver and Chicago in about 34 hours, well over twice the amount of time that the CB&Q ran the train 67 years ago. Averaging a speed of 77.5 MPH it was dubbed as the longest non-stop run at the fastest average speed. The train hit a top speed of 112.50 MPH on the historic run. The stainless steel light-weight train was run by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q.) The first diesel-electric streamlined train which now rests in the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry arrived in Chicago to be part of the 1934 World’s Fair. After the run, the train became so famous that there was a movie made about it called The Silver Streak.

Along with having a movie made after it, its streamlined design became so famous that toasters, refrigerators, and even a car that was not practical enough to go into formal production used the design. With the popularity of the of CB&Q’s streamlined Zephyr other railroads decided to try to produce streamlined trains. The New York Central made a streamlined steam engine that was used to pull the famous Twentieth Century Limited. The Twentieth Century Limited made the run between New York in Chicago in only 16 hours.

The Pioneer Zephyr was a huge step in the right direction for the CB&Q to get back on track after it had suffered in the 30s’ from people being able to enjoy the convenience of their cars and a lack of cargo to ship during the Great Depression. The Pioneer Zephyr used hot air to burn diesel fuel, which is a much more efficient way to run trains than using steam. A steam engine only converts 6% of the heat it makes into useful power while diesel-electric engines can covert 40%. A diesel train is actually electric but produces its own electricity through a diesel power plant onboard. The streamlined train would have to generate 750 volts to run. The Zephyr’s design also made it more efficient than a steam engine because it was curved allowing there to be less friction and in effect reducing the need for excess power to fight the friction. The shape of the train allowed it to move through the air like an airplane. The amount of money per mile it took to run the Pioneer Zephyr was only $0.34 compared to $0.64 for a steam engine. The Pioneer Zephyr proved to be a recipe for success for the CB&Q because of its legacy, sleek design and great technology.

The information for this article came from an informative web-site run by the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. I saw and went on a tour of the Pioneer Zephyr and if you are in Chicago I highly recommend that you see it. The trip time figure for Amtrak came from Amtrak's Web Site and in no way was intended to discourage you from traveling on Amtrak.

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Last modified: June 10, 2001