General Pershing Zephyr: Difference between revisions

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[[File:General Pershing Zephyr-Silver Charger - 20081123.jpg|thumb|9908 ''Silver Charger'' on display in 2008]]

The '''''General Pershing Zephyr''''' was the ninth of the [[Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad]]'s [[Burlington Zephyr|''Zephyr'']] [[streamliner]]s, and the last built as an integrated streamliner rather than a train hauled by an [[EMD E-unit]] [[diesel locomotive]]. It was constructed in 1939 with bodywork and passenger cars by [[Budd Company]] and [[diesel engine]], [[Diesel-electric transmission|electric transmission]], power [[bogie|truck]], and other locomotive equipment by [[General Motors Corporation|General Motors]] [[Electro-Motive Diesel|Electro-Motive Corporation]].<ref name=Pershing>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uFJhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JHUNAAAAIBAJ&pg=1387,6124170&dq=pioneer+zephyr&hl=en|title=New Zephyrs Into Use|date=8 June 1939|publisher=St. Joseph News-Press|accessdateaccess-date=27 March 2012}}</ref> Because its intended [[Kansas City, Missouri]] to [[St. Louis, Missouri]] route passed near the birthplace and boyhood home of famous [[World War I]] [[General]] [[John J. Pershing]], the train was named after him. The power car was named ''Silver Charger'', after Pershing's horse ''Charger'', while the passenger cars were named after [[U.S. Army]] badges of rank—''Silver Leaf'', ''Silver Eagle'', and ''Silver Star''.

The train replaced the "[[Ozark State Zephyr]]", which had been inaugurated three years earlier. In September, 1938, a second trainset was added, the 9903, which had previously served as the "[[Mark Twain Zephyr]]" running between Burlington, Iowa and St. Louis via [[Samuel Clemens]]' birthplace of [[Hannibal, Missouri]]. The "Ozark State" service inaugurated operating out of [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]] in the morning and [[St. Louis]] in the afternoon, with the second trainset alternating. The new equipment took over the original schedule, while the alternate timing was renamed the [[Mark Twain Zephyr]] (despite not operating through Hannibal).

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Traveling between Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri required the ''General Pershing Zephyr'' to operate on tracks owned by the [[Alton Railroad]], officially making them an operating partner. To symbolize this joint administration, the ''General Pershing Zephyr'' often sported an "Alton Burlington" nose herald instead of the standard "Burlington Route" seen on most Burlington locomotives.

The diner-lounge-observation car ''Silver Star'' was sold to [[AMAX Iron Ore Corporation]] in 1974 and given to [[Mt Newman Mining]] (now part of [[BHP Billiton]]) in [[Western Australia]] and renamed ''Sundowner''. It was used for many years as passenger accommodation on the fortnightly supply train to the mines. As of 2006, it was still used for [[Very Important Person|VIP]] and inspection trains. Since 2010, it has been the nucleus of the [[Silver Star Cafe (Port Hedland)|Silver Star Cafe]] in [[Port Hedland, Western Australia|Port Hedland]], Western Australia.<ref name="wa 2010-10-26">{{cite news|last=Quekett|first=Malcolm|title=Historic carriage on track for third life|url=http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/news/8197193/historic-carriage-on-track-for-third-life/|accessdateaccess-date=May 5, 2012|newspaper=The West Australian|date=October 26, 2010}}</ref>

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