Nostalgia & History > San Francisco Zephyr in various locales

In Amtrak's early days, the Chicago-Bay Area train was the San Francisco Zephyr, which operated Chi-Denver on BN, Denver-Ogden on UP via Sherman Hill, and Ogden-Oakland on SP.  D&RGW still ran the Rio Grande Zephyr on their own Denver-Salt Lake City, not part of the Amtrak system at the time.  

1)  Westbound SFZ in Richmond CA in April 1977.  Shot is taken from the Santa Fe bridge over the SP in Richmond.  At this remove, I have no recollection of how I got to this spot, as I did not have a car in those days.  I must have ridden BART to Richmond and then walked up the SP ROW to the crossing. 
2)  Eastbound SFZ in Berkeley CA in March 1977 at the Berkeley station. 
3)  Westbound SFZ in Burlington Iowa in August 1975.  Note the Budd dome in consist, which ostensibly would not fit on the SP over Donner.  Did they remove the domes in Ogden?

---

---

---

dwatry Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 3)  Westbound SFZ in Burlington Iowa in August
> 1975.  Note the Budd dome in consist, which
> ostensibly would not fit on the SP over Donner. 
> Did they remove the domes in Ogden?

It was common during this era for Amtrak to run some Budd domes - usually coaches - from Chicago to Denver on the SFZ. 

Awesome shots Dwatry. That one at the ATSF overpass is very interesting. What a great backdrop. 

pic 3 -- that BN car appears to be the one x-Northern Pacific RPO-dorm that Amtrak bought, converting the RPO space to baggage space.

phthithu:

I think everything in that photo in Richmond is gone now, except for the mainline tracks and the spur going off to the left, which goes to the Chevron refinery.   The past is really a different country...

Old SP RR Oakalnd, CA based passenger train and engine crews worked to and from  Sparks, NV. iIn photod 1 and 2.

Old BN RR Burlington, IA based passenger train crews worked to and from Lincoln, NE.  Galesburg, IL based engine crews worked to and from Ottumuwa, IA. Bottom photo.

dwatry Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> phthithu:
>
> I think everything in that photo in Richmond is
> gone now, except for the mainline tracks and the
> spur going off to the left, which goes to the
> Chevron refinery.   The past is really a
> different country...

Yeah I took a look at Google Maps. The tracks are still there but the all the industry on the right is torn down. Richmond Pacific uses the wye for car storage now.

dwatry Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> 3)  Westbound SFZ in Burlington Iowa in August
> 1975.  Note the Budd dome in consist, which
> ostensibly would not fit on the SP over Donner. 

There are numerous photos extant of the Cal Zephyr detouring over Donner in the 60s.

Best regards,

Rob L.

The brick building above the lead unit in photo 1 was disassembled brick by brick maybe 10 years ago. It was a long slow process, but they eventually hauled them all off for reuse elsewhere.

Excellent shots of the Zephyr.
Gary

Rob L - that’s true! So why did SP not let Amtrak operate regular domes over Donner then?

Posted from iPhone

Somebody said when the CZ detoured over Donner,
passengers weren't allowed in the domes. Think
there was some other complication -- maybe it
wasn't allowed to meet/pass other trains at certain spots?

Probably everyone on SP knew standard Budd domes
could run over Donner, somehow. But Donner is
probably why SP's own domes were lower than Budds?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/27/20 09:35 by timz.

dwatry Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Rob L - that’s true! So why did SP not let
> Amtrak operate regular domes over Donner then?
>
> Posted from iPhone

Couldn't pass SP's "rock and roll" teston curves

timz Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Somebody said when the CZ detoured over Donner,
> passengers weren't allowed in the domes. Think
> there was some other complication -- maybe it
> wasn't allowed to meet/pass other trains at
> certain spots?
>
> Probably everyone on SP knew standard Budd domes
> could run over Donner, somehow. But probably SP's
> own domes were lower than Budds because of Donner?

Correct, they were lower

That BN painted Baggage-Dorm was more likely the BN 710, a former Great Northern car. BN 710 was a regular on the SFZ for several years during that time period.

Tim Dickinson
La Verne, CA

Very nice Duncan, especially #1

Thank you for the August 1975 shot of the Zephyr. If it was taken on the 17th, my wife and I boarded it in Omaha for our honeymoon trip to SF. We had a bedroom in ex Santa Fe 11 DBR Indian Canoe. Getting on in Omaha at about midnight I did not see what the rest of the train had for equipment. When we woke up in Denver, ex SP 3602 3/4 dome was added.

I do have a shot of the head end that shows 2 Amtrak baggage cars behind the SDP40's, so your shot may not be the same train.

Thanks for the memory

Love those SDP40F shots!

Randy Lundgren
Elgin, TX

DWatry,

These are AWESOME!  Please post more! =)

Cheers,
Harry

Harry - trying to use pandemic time to scan slides!

Duncan

Posted from iPhone