In the 1974-75 BN Annual there was a nice section on the Illinois Zephyr. Most
of the photos show the train with three CNW bi-levels and one or two of the CNW
F's. Later in July and finally August of 1974 Amtrak E-unit #288 (ex Penn
Central) was assigned to the train, but one of the CNW F's was shown to be kept
in the consist "just in case".
The article says that beginning on June 11, 1973 Amtrak began to assign CNW
bi-levels to the train and that CNW F7's 4072C, 4075C, and 4088A were also
leased to power the train. It goes on to say that Amtrak eventually purchased
the bi-levels and in one of the shots in the article taken on April 28, 1974
one of the three bi-levels in the train is in Amtrak paint. That consist has
CNW F7's 4075C and 4088A up front.
In another shot on by H. Grossman Amtrak E8 349 is towing CNW 4088A, one
bi-level in Amtrak paint, followed by two more in CNW paint. In another it's
Amtrak E9 422 followed by a CNW F7, one bi-level in Amtrak paint, followed by
two more in yellow and green.
Unfortunately the article doesn't say when the use of this equipment ended, but
I do recall riding a train from Galesburg to Kewanee around 1979 with an Amtrak
SDP40F and about three ex- ATSF bi-level El Capitan cars.
I'll always remember my surprise at seeing a very familiar train in a very
unfamiliar setting one day on a visit to my wife's hometown in Galesburg as I
laid eyes on one of those CNW trains stopped at the depot! As one who grew up
alongside the CNW in South Milwaukee this was like some sort of time warp.
Ken Thompson
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