Ak-Sar-Ben Zephyr
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The Ak-Sar-Ben Zephyr was a named passenger train operated by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad as "Burlington Route" train No. 5 eastbound and train No. 30 westbound.
The Ak-Sar-Ben Zephyr was the overnight (sleeping car service) version of its daytime sister (coach only) train, the Nebraska Zephyr, which operated over the same route. The "Ak-Sar-Ben" portion of name was created by spelling Nebraska (Neb-ras-ka) backwards; a fraternal organization (the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben) and an arena and horse racing facility in Omaha have also used the name.
The first Ak-Sar-Ben Zephyr was a lightweight day train which operated Lincoln-Chicago between 1940 and 1947. The train was eastbound only, and returned as the Advance Flyer. The modern Ak-Sar-Ben Zephyr streamliner began in 1953, using a mixture of 1940s equipment and new cars which it pooled with the California Zephyr.[1] The Ak-Sar-Ben Zephyr was discontinued prior to the formation of Amtrak in 1971.
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[edit] Route
Westbound (as of April 26, 1964)
- Chicago, Illinois – departed at 10:00 p.m.
- La Grange, Illinois
- Aurora, Illinois
- Mendota, Illinois
- Kewanee, Illinois
- Galesburg, Illinois
- Monmouth, Illinois (Flag Stop)
- Burlington, Iowa
- Mount Pleasant, Iowa
- Fairfield, Iowa
- Ottumwa, Iowa
- Albia, Iowa
- Chariton, Iowa
- Osceola, Iowa
- Creston, Iowa
- Corning, Iowa (Flag Stop)
- Villisca, Iowa (Flag Stop)
- Red Oak, Iowa
- Council Bluffs, Iowa
- Omaha, Nebraska
- Lincoln, Nebraska – arrived at 9:15 a.m.
The eastbound train departed Lincoln at 9:00 p.m., arriving at Chicago Union Station the following morning at 7:50 a.m.
[edit] Equipment
- Pullman Sleeping Cars, Chicago to Omaha-Lincoln featuring double bedrooms and roomettes
- Dining-Lounge Car (Open to all passengers - sleeper or coach), providing evening refreshments and breakfast from Chicago to Omaha.
- Chair Cars (reclining seats), Chicago to Omaha-Lincoln
- A Vista-Dome Observation Lounge sleeping car with 3 Double Bedrooms and a Drawing room was operated from 1952-1960 in conjunction with the California Zephyr.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Zimmerman (2004), 140.
[edit] References
- The Official Guide of the Railways, June 1964, Published by the National Railway Publication Co., New York, NY.
- Zimmerman, Karl R. (2004). Burlington's Zephyrs. MBI. http://books.google.com/books?id=4O7bl6xzoQkC.
