The 1956 Denver Zephyr during the summers or winter holidays would have so much
business that one train could not carry it all. So the train would be split in
two and additional cars added to each of the two sections.
Particularly in the winter, they would run two sections because the train was
steam heated and there was a maximum number of cars you could reliably heat
without the steam line freezing.
During the winter holidays in 1966, I rode the Denver Zephyr to and from
Chicago. As I rode, as I always did on the Zephyr, slumbercoach, I was in the
rear section of the train. That section consisted of everything from the
Observation car through the Chuckwagon. It also included a mail car and several
baggage cars. If I recall, the section was 12 cars long and was pulled by 3 E
units. It was weird looking through the front door of the chuckwagon and seeing
the solid door of the mail car.
Coming back, both sections shared a platform in Chicago, and, believe it or not,
the diners were positioned right across from each other. That on the
Chuckwagon-rearward section was the Silver Chef, and that on the coach section
was the Silver Feast. Talk about appropriateness with the feast in front of the
chef. Interestingly the Chuckwagon-rearward section operated as first number 1
and the coaches as second #1. In Colorado, I noticed green marker lights on the
Silver Veranda while riding in the Silver Cup Chuckwagon Dome. (Green marker
lights indicate a section following.).
sjl
Rick Keil wrote:
> Looking thru some Model Railroader and recalling a few things I've read, can
> someone explain why trains, particularly passenger trains, would have a
> "section following" on a later train. I can almost understand a freight
> train, possibly produce blocked for an eastern terminal. But a passenger
> train? Wouldn't the railroad want all the passengers to arrive in Denver on
> the Denver Zephyr. Also, what would the class lights or flags be for split
> trains? Thanks for enlightening an ignorant train watcher.
>
> Rick Keil
> Omaha, NE
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