The Burlington ‘Zephyr’ as seen in Aurora, Ill., on May 26, 1934. Its nonstop run may have included slow spots.
CB&Q
Q In 1934, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy ran the Zephyr from Denver to Chicago nonstop. How did they do this without changing crews? Did they have crews on-board for each subdivision and change while running? – Jim Henneberger, Austin, Ark.
A The Zephyr’s Denver to Chicago, dawn-to-dusk run on May 26, 1934, was indeed nonstop, or so it has been said ever since it happened. Being a diesel train, it did not have to stop for water or coal and presumably had enough diesel fuel on board at the start of the 1,000-mile run. Robert Rediske, a 14-year-old son of a CB&Q employee on board the train, said in Carl R. Byron’s book, “The Pioneer Zephyr” that three men took turns at the controls during this run. Senior management handpicked these men who would have been among the 85 people on board the Zephyr when it departed Denver. – Rob McGonigal
