So what we have is apparently this:
May,1957 to spring, 1960 -- dining service is provided on the Zephyr Rocket both directions between Burlington & St. Louis. The car is taken to Chicago on #15 and may be brought from Chicago on #2.
Spring, 1960 -- #15 and #2 are cut back to Chicago to Galesburg and by September the Official Guide shows dining service being provided northbound St. Louis to Burlington but southbound only from West Quincy to St. Louis. Any other routing for the car unknown.
May, 1962 -- dining service is reduced to St. Louis to West Quincy both ways and the car may be riding between Chicago and West Quincy on the American Royal Zephyr.
Spring, 1963 -- the service is eliminated completely.
If anyone can confirm any of this or fill in any blanks (especially between 1960 and 1962), please do.
Duncan
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, February 10, 2012 3:25 PM
Subject: Re: [CBQ] Re: Zephyr Rocket/American Royal Zephyr
Duncan,
I do not have the timetable, but I have an Official Guide from September 1960. It shows Train 2 originated in Galesburg and Train 15 terminated in Galesburg. The interesting thing was the Official Guide showed that the Zephyr-Rocket carried a diner northbound St Louis-Burlington and southbound West Quincy-St Louis.
Bill
On 2/10/2012 7:37 AM, Duncan Cameron wrote:
Bill, could I ask you to check one more detail for me? I lack a timetable for 1959-1960.
You stated that, by May, 1961, train #15 from Chicago was only going to Galesburg.
I have in my notes that #41 & #42 on the K-line were discontinued by May, 1960 but can't confirm that with a timetable. If the info I have is correct, then #2 & #15 continued to run Chicago to Burlington for a year without continuing down the K-line, unless its possible that #15 was cut back in 1960 rather than 1961. However, I may be wrong in the date I have for the discontinuance of #41 & #42. That's what I need to firm up.
Regardless of when #41 & #42 stopped running though, it seems that the ZR diner came out from Chicago on #15 from May, 1957 until the reduction in service of #15. That leaves either one year or two before the diner service on the ZR was reduced to St. Louis to West Quincy. Did the diner still come out from Chicago during that time? If so, what was its routing? If not, where was it serviced? More mysteries to be solved.
Duncan
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, February 09, 2012 9:04 PM
Subject: Re: [CBQ] Re: Zephyr Rocket/American Royal Zephyr
Duncan,
Not with the same number. The Chicago-Hannibal service started in the summer of 1947 with the idea of being a long distance commuter service. The idea is that people outside to Chicago could make a long day of it by traveling in the morning, having a couple hours in Chicago, and then returning in the evening. This is discussed in Richard Overton's History of the Burlington Lines book. The train was listed as 15-42 west/southbound and 41-2 north/eastbound.
By 1951, Zephyr 9902 was handling this service. On the Hannibal sub, the northbound was Train 41 and the southbound Train 42. On the Chicago-Burlington portion, it was Train 2 eastbound and Train 15 westbound. The Chicago-Burlington Train 15 also made the connection with the northbound Zephyr-Rocket (also Train 15) at Burlington. Parlor car service was provided both directions. Zephyr 9902 offered dinette service both ways. After Zephyr 9902 was replaced, dining service was
offered on the evening westbound Train 15.
I've always thought that Burlington was an interesting place in the post World War II era because they had two different #1's and two different #15's stop at the station going different directions.
Bill Hirt
On 2/9/2012 4:25 PM, Duncan Cameron wrote:
Bill, does that mean that #15 travelled Chicago-Burlington-Hannibal?
Duncan
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, February 09, 2012 4:39 PM
Subject: Re: [CBQ] Re: Zephyr Rocket/American Royal Zephyr
Duncan,
On the May-October 1961 time period, looking again, by that time Train 15 had been cut back to Chicago-Galesburg instead of Chicago-Hannibal. So no more diner coming into Burlington on Train 15 and then going south on Train 8. I have some Official Guides from the period. If I get a chance, I'll look to see if they have some additional information.
Bill
On 2/8/2012 6:24 PM, Duncan Cameron wrote:
Bill, that's exactly the kind of original source info I was hoping someone could come up with.
Thanks. So it appears that the kind of exchange that Steve Suhs described could well have taken place, but likely did not involve a Vista-dome car, at least on a regular basis.
Duncan