Way of the Zephyrs: The Postwar Years

In this companion volume to his Burlington Route - The Early Zephyrs, author Geoffrey H. Doughty traces the postwar Zephyr fleet from the birth of the modern dome car in 1945 through to the Burlington Northern merger of 1970. Along the way, readers are introduced to such streamlined passenger train icons as the 1949 California Zephyr and the 1956 Denver Zephyr, as well as lesser lights from the CB&Q's timetables. With the American traveling public increasingly opting for airliners and automobiles through the 1950s and the 1960s, Burlington Route management aggressively pursued railroad passengers even as much of their competitors sought service curtailments in the face of declining patronage and rising labor costs. All of these factors are woven into this fascinating story of The Way of the Zephyrs.