Nostalgia & History > Four Es Elephant Style and a Huge Passenger Train

The elephants are ducking under the West Eola Tower's Home Signals.  Burlington Northern inherited from the Q running multiple elephant-style Es.  But running four at speed through an interlocker is pure CB&Q.  They still look like CB&Q E9s and E8s.  The BN E9 9989 leader had been CB&Q E9 9989A.  They were not called E9As because there had been no B-units since the E5s.  All the Es rotated through commuter train assignments and thus no B-units.

You are looking at the Twin Cities bound combined Afternoon Zephyr, North Coast Limited, and Empire Builder with nine dome cars.  Now you why the Dinkeys were named Dinkeys.

The train was entering Aurora, IL on August 31, 1970.  In less than a year the advent of Amtrak would end all this glory.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 03/18/25 13:54 by MartyBernard.

---

---

NICE, Marty!  Thanks for sharing.

texchief1

Penultimate car looks to be one of the dome sleepers in which the NP converted two of the four single bedrooms beneath the dome into cafe space for the attendant who served the dome lounge tables above.

I rode in one of the remaining two single bedrooms in September of 1969 from Chicago to Seattle.

Hakk

Certainly looks like a train that should be discontinued on May 1, 1971
 

Englewood Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Certainly looks like a train that should be
> discontinued on May 1, 1971

This was kind of the Burlington Northern's version of the UP's "City of Everywhere".  A last-gasp attempt to stem the losses as much as possible and run these 3 trains combined.  

yooperfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Very interesting photo. 
>
> This raises a question. In the pre BN days, when
> the NCL, EB, and Afternoon  Zephyr were combined
> were the passengers allowed to wander the entire
> train, or did they have to stay in their section?
> Did the combined train carry three different
> dining cars   and were passengers allowed to use
> any of their chosing? Could they sit in any dome
> car?

Looks like the Zephyr section consists of only two dome coaches.  There are diners for both the EB and NCL.  And eight domes...must be a record!

Dave

did just one switcher seperate it?

q cars- you think one was dome parlor, or  were  premium fare passengers put in either the ncl/eb ,  i think that was my answer i got last time.  But there were a few pics of one being a parlor i think.

Interesting consist from a photographic standpoint…

Posted from iPhone

Wonderful train, and wonderful pictures.

Posted from Android

RE: Possible Zephyr  section with parlor car. Square-end SILVER TOWER AND TERRACE became substitute 'coaches' after parlor cars were blanked on TCZ early 1969. My 'zoom' cannot ID if the 2nd dome was former TOWER OR TERRACE. Basically those cars were substituded when there was a need to fill a spot with good operating  condition.

RE: Yes, passengers were allowed to roam the combined train, especially to visit the diner andGreat Dome Empire Builder lounge.
Nice photos of a train that represented the writing on the wall of declining passenger demand...also the Menk era goal of eliminating quality passenger service.

Mike
Former BR Passenger Agent  in College Summers 1965-1969

yooperfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Very interesting photo. 
>
> This raises a question. In the pre BN days, when
> the NCL, EB, and Afternoon  Zephyr were combined
> were the passengers allowed to wander the entire
> train, or did they have to stay in their section?
> Did the combined train carry three different
> dining cars   and were passengers allowed to use
> any of their chosing? Could they sit in any dome
> car?

I was riding the Zephyr from Chicago to La Crosse in 1970 and I decided to test out your question.  I started walking back from the lead coaches, and ended up having a Coke in the "Lounge In The Sky" as the train blazed across the C&I west of Aurora.  BSB 

I rember you telling us that , you should have had a meal in each dining car to compare potatoes!

Looks like there is brake shoe smoke emanating from the third or fourth E unit.

Hakk

i would chalk it up to throtling up a sec before the pic

Dan,

Why would that cause that smoke?

Marty

Amazing slides . Wish I could have been on board .  Thanks again , Marty. 

MartyBernard Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Dan,
>
> Why would that cause that smoke?
>
> Marty

Perhaps brake shoe smoke.
From a time when passenger engineers were allowed to operate in the traditional manner.