The CZ Gallery

Welcome to the Gallery. Relive the days of the CZ through the images here...and if you have any photos that you'd like to share, please email us.

Jouney Across America: The Bill Waller Collection
A photo essay documenting Bill's trip across the continent on the CZ and back.

Along the Western Pacific

WP's 805A again, this time with a stray D&RGW car in the consist, heads west through Stockton, CA. (Updated location info thanks to Mike Hamer. Photographer unknown, collection of Gary Morris).

WP 805A in Oroville, California, June 30, 1969. (Photo courtesy of Jerry Appleman.)

WP FP7A 805D leads a shortened (by one dome) train. (Photographer and location unknown, collection of Gary Morris.)

On the Clio Viaduct, west of Portola, CA. This WPRR publicity photo appeared in many venues, including decades after the shutter snapped, in news articles chronicling the train's last run!

Snaking through the Canyon. The Silver Penthouse brings up the rear in this classic WP publicity shot.

Track marker at Niles. Due to the lack of a platform at Niles, car numbers where painted on the rail sides to assist passengers in locating their cars. A common practice at small stations to expedite loading. (Niles, CA. Photographed by Richard Leslie, June 1990).

Westbound train #17. The following three photos show the arrival of the westbound #17 at Niles, Ca. (Niles, Ca. Photographed by Richard Leslie, July 26, 1964).

Another of #17. (Niles, Ca. Photographed by Richard Leslie, July 26, 1964).

#17 Departing Niles. (Niles, Ca. Photographed by Richard Leslie, July 26, 1964).

Eastbound #18 at Camp Layman Crossing, between Williams Loop and Portola, Ca. 1956. (Photographed by Sheldon Crandall, courtesy of his son, Warren Crandall). *Note- Large format, framed copies of this print is available from Warren for $40 ea. He can be reached at wcrandell@aol.com.

Eastbound #18, again at Camp Layman Crossing, but 1966..10 years later!(Photographed by Sheldon Crandall, courtesy of his son, Warren Crandall).
*Note- Large format, framed copies of this print is also available from Warren for $40 ea.

Final shot as #18 streaks by Camp Layman Crossing, 1966. (Photographed by Sheldon Crandall, courtesy of his son, Warren Crandall). *Note- Large format, framed copies of this print is also available from Warren for $40 ea.

Sacramento bound! Warren and his sister stand in the vestibule of their car, the Silver Gorge, as mom looks on. Oakland, Ca. 3rd Street station, 1967. (Photograph courtesy of Warren Crandall).

Uh oh, here comes the conductor! Warren and his nursery school classmates pose in front of their car, the Silver Gorge, prior to departing on a field trip to Sacramento. Oakland, Ca. 3rd Street station, 1967. (Photograph courtesy of Warren Crandall).

Along the Denver and Rio Grande Western

Rare color image of D&RGW's Alco PA's in the short lived gold and silver paint scheme near Green River, Utah, 1952. (Photo by the late Herb Ringer, courtesy of Jim Stiles and The Canyon Country Zephyr; www.canyoncountryzephyr.com).

An A-B-A set of Alco PAs lead the CZ past a steam-powered local in Denver, Colorado. The train is the westbound #17, is entering the North Yard after having crossed the South Platte River. (Location info thanks to Dr. Stephen J. Levine. Photographer unknown, collection of Gary Morris.)

Four EMDs and an ALCO on a cold day. John Grosvenor has written saying, "the picture is taken about 1/4 of a mile west of Highway 119. If you look carefully you can see there is a slope going down from the extreme right side of the picture to the left, just behind the lead engine. That slope is about 1/4 mile from the start of the dirt road to leads to the famous Moffat Tunnel. Or, if you are an OLD railroad buff, it is the start of the dirt road that takes you to David Moffat's "The Moffat Road" also known as The Denver and Salt Lake Railroad. I think this picture is taken just west of the tiny town of Rollinsville, Colorado. The train would be headed east into Rollinsville on it's way into Denver." However, Jim Griffin has written to say that "the location is at the south (east) end of Plainview siding. I've taken photos from nearly the same spot; the mountains in the background give it away. It's looking almost dead south." (Photographer unknown, collection of Gary Morris).

An unknown Dome-Observation brings up the rear of the California Zephyr as it passes near Green River, Utah, on it's way to Salt Lake City, 1952. (Photo by the late Herb Ringer, courtesy of Jim Stiles and The Canyon Country Zephyr; www.canyoncountryzephyr.com).

East Portal of Moffat Tunnel, November 7, 1981, from inside a dome car on the Rio Grande Zephyr. (Photo courtesy of James Griffin, from his D&RGW Photo Gallery.)

A Meeting in Glenwood Canyon. Two CZ's meeting in Glenwood Canyon in August of 1969. No. #17 is the one from which the photo was taken, on the left is #18. (Photo and information by Dr. Stephen J. Levine, used with permission. Read about Dr. Levine's trip in the Silver Memories section.)

A Meeting in Grand Junction."This was taken in Jan. of 1970 and #18, the one I am on, is running 3 hours late. That is why the meet is west of Grand Junction. Number 17 is to the right. Note the beveling of the two roof ridges over the vestibule. This was characteristic of both the CZ equipment and the 1948 Twin Zephyrs equipment but not other Budd equipment of the era, at least according to personal observations, nor of later Burlington equipment, such as that of the 1956 DZ. On the latter equipment, the ridge narrowed to a rounded blade-like edge; this was characteristic of the NYC 16 roomette sleepers and the custom-built 16-10 sleeper-coaches into which they were remodeled. (Photo and information by Dr. Stephen J. Levine, used with permission. Read about Dr. Levine's trip in the Silver Memories section.)

Dome Monument formerly along the D&RGW's right-of-way in Glenwood Canyon, now on display at the Colorado Railroad Museum. The plaque on the left reads, "Idea for the Vista-Dome railroad car was conceived on the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad across the Colorado River from this point on July 4, 1944. Riding through Glenwood Canyon in the fireman's seat high in the nose of a Rio Grande diesel locomotive built by his company, C. R. Osborn, Vice President of General Motors and General Manager of Electro-Motive Division, was struck with the need for some means of giving passengers an unobstructed view of the inspiring scenery overhead and on all sides. The idea of building glass enclosed domes into the cars occurred to him. Unlike so many originators of unusual new ideas, Mr. Osborn in a brief five years saw his dream grow into full practical utilization. Vista-Dome California Zephyr trains went into service March 21, 1949 between San Francisco and Chicago and now daily pass the spot where the idea was born. September 14, 1950." The plaque on the right notes the folks responsible for the monument. (Photos courtesy of Dave Cross)

Along the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy

CB&Q E9 9966 and a sister fly through the rural countryside. Loren Johnson writes that this appears to have been taken on the east side of Mendota Illinois. (Photographer unknown, collection of Gary Morris.)

CB&Q E9 9967 swings the CZ around a gentle curve on the 3 track main east of downtown Aurora. The CZ has made its last station stop for the eastbound trip, detraining passengers at Aurora, and will quickly swallow the remaining 37 miles to the bumper posts at Chicago Union Station. The photo was taken off the High Street Bridge. Off to the right of the CZ is the yard where today, all inbound commuter trains to Chicago assemble then proceed into Aurora for the first boarding before the trip into the city. Also, in the background, is the Burlington's Aurora Shop Complex. One of the two roundhouses on the shops site has been restored and is in use as a restaurant/brewpub (owned in part by Walter Payton). Another building on the site, which was either the back shop or a carshop, has been converted for use as a Metra and Amtrak station. It was here that the first Dome Car was built from Burlington pre-war Budd flat top coach Silver Alchemy #4714, in 1945. A second "Pattern Dome" Silver Castle was built in 1949. The two "Pattern Dome" Coaches mainly saw service on the Vista Dome Twin City Zephyr, and later on Amtrak. Castle is reportedly owned by Rail Dome Corp., and Alchemy is reportedly in the NKP museum. (Location information kindly provided by Loren Johnson, Dana Palmer, S. Junas and Rory Murchison. Photographer unknown, collection of Gary Morris)

A Winter Stop in Sutton Nebraska. This photo was taken from the sidewalk in front of the Sutton State Bank in Sutton, NE in the late '50's. After a horrific snow storm, the CZ made an unscheduled stop in this small town about 60 miles west of Lincoln, NE. It appears that a conductor opened one of the doors in the vestibule to maybe talk to some of the citizens. (Photo and info courtesy of Jim McLaughlin.)

Equipment

Motive Power

WP 801 -- Brand-new set of F3s arrive in OAK at the point of the Exposition Flyer. (WP 1947 Annual Report)

WP 803 -- At Salt Lake City, UT, February 9, 1964. (Photographer unknown, A. Radecki collection)

WP 804A -- At Stockton, CA, June 3, 1961. (Photographer unknown, A. Radecki Collection)

WP805A -- At Sacramento, CA, March 1971. (Photographer unknown, A. Radecki Collection.)

Dome Chair Car

The Silver Bronco (D&RGW 1105) from a 1967 CZ brochure. (A. Radecki collection)

The Silver Saddle (CB&Q 4721) Shown cut out from the train. Denver CO, Dec. 8, 1972. (R.R. Harmen photo, Stephen Foster collection)

The Silver Schooner (WP815), amidst the consist of the Exposition Flyer in 1948. As deliveries of the CZ equipment trickled in during the year before inauguration, the cars were used on the Flyer both as a test of the equipment and as a preview to passengers of what was to come. (WPRR photo, E. Vicknair collection)

16-Section Sleeper/Chair Car

These were originally built as sleepers, but were rebuilt in 1963-64 into 48-seat chair cars.

The Silver Cedar (CB&Q 402, later 4744) in Amtrak service. Sacramento CA, mid-1970s (A. Radecki photo)

5/6 Sleeper

These 5-compartment, 6-double bedroom sleepers were purchased in 1952 to meet the high ridership demand.

The Silver Quail in Amtrak service. Sacramento CA, mid-1970s (A. Radecki photo)

10/6 Sleeper

The Silver Butte (CB&Q 425) in Amtrak service. Sacramento CA, mid-1970s (A. Radecki photo)

Dome Observation

The Silver Penthouse (CB&Q 376) (Location and photographer unknown, collection of Gary Morris)

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