Re: [CBQ] Burlington Bulletin No. 55

["jpslhedgpeth via Groups.Io" <jpslhedgpeth=aol.com@groups.io>]

A beautiful piece of work by all concerned...I have nothing but praise and thanks for all who contributed to its preparation..There must have been literally thousands of hours of work and preparation to create such a wonderful tribute to a Railroad, it's management and employees.

While not being an "afficianado" of all of the finer details of passenger train design, there were a couple of things I just can't resist commenting on.  Whether or not it is intentional, but there were a few amusing "zingers" in some of the photo captions for the interior accoutraments of the cars...1...In describing the interior motifs' of the lounge areas it was noted along the lines that  "inexplicably no mention was made of the decor of the men's lounge. And it was made clear that the comely model in the lower berth was the wife of the man.

In the "sidebar" on page 154 mention was made of the "whangdoodle"..I wonder how many BRHS members know what that device is and what it does.

On page 120 mention is made of a detour via Amazonia IOWA...Actually it's Missouri..Just a few miles north of St. Joe where the Creston Branch joins the P Junc- St. Joe mainline.  

As I always do on any of these essay type articles I look carefully at the description of the operational details...I especially enjoyed the "motivational letters" put out by VP's AGM"s and Division Superintendents  regarding the problems incurred in keeping an extra long passenger train OT when It was necessary to make 2 stops to discharge passengers at stations with platforms of insufficient length.  Those letters reinforce a conclusion I reached many years go that operating officers on ALL RAILROADS went to the same "SCHOOL" of letter writing to MOTIVATE their subordinates.  I would think that former CB&Q officers ie Earl Currie, and Bill Greenwood would be familiar with this concept.  I have been on the receiving end of this kind of correspondence on another railroad..It's always the same..no matter what the railroad name.  "it's IN THE GENES of an operating officer.

I am also hereby claiming a distinct honor for myself as the only present member of the BRHS who performed PAID SERVICE  relating to the operation of the 56 Zephyr.  In 1957, due to "overflow" traffic the DZ was operating in 2 sections.  On Sunday morning August 18, 1957 I was called off the brakeman's extra board to perform the duties of Flagman on "2nd No. 1" Lincoln To Hastings...On duty 1:30 am.  Conductor Hicks.  Train departed 2:20am....Arrived Hastings 3:50am  tied up 3:55am..Thats 100 miles in 1 hour 30 minutes...I dead headed back on No. 6 Hastings 5:00am  Lincoln 6:45 am.  My pay:  On duty  $15.53...Dead head pay $7:71.

This crew for 2nd No. 1 would have been a "make up crew"..since the regular conductor and brakeman assignments for passenger service was Hastings-Omaha

As flagman it was my duty to acknowledge the "running test" of the air brakes when leaving Lincoln...Conductor Hicks gave me very strict and explicit instructions as to how that was to be done...He explained that as we "left town" when the engineer got her up to about 20 mph he would set the air...;and then release it.  When this was completed I was to acknowledge the test by "ONE PULL" on THE CORD.  We left town and rapidly accelerated around the curve heading for the passenger bypass.  I was standing at the open dutch door on the last car.  The air set up and we slowed appropriately and then released and I could hear those 567's rev up quite a few cars ahead...I gave the instructed one pull and the sound of those two longs on the Chime Whistle acknowledging the successful "set and release" was a beautiful sound in my ears...Boy oh boy I thought..I "didn't screw that up"...

Little did I know as a 21 year old kid on a train that was to become famous in Burlington Historical Annals.  

That's my story and I'm stickin to it...My old timebook is available for inspection as authentication of this "tale of the rails.

Pete

-----Original Message-----
From: Louis Zadnichek via Groups.Io <LZadnichek=aol.com@groups.io>
To: CBQ <CBQ@groups.io>
Sent: Sat, Jul 7, 2018 11:28 am
Subject: Re: [CBQ] Burlington Bulletin No. 55

July 7, 2018

All - Received my copy of BB No. 55 earlier this week.  In a word, AWESOME!  When the call went out some time ago for materials to be used in the issue, I had an 8x10 glossy of my Dad posed in front of the Denver Zephyr that was stretched out behind on a wye in Nebraska. I had planned to submit that photograph, but forgot.  Dad was assistant division superintendent at Omaha in 1956. I'll have to find that photograph and post it here. I was aware of the menu paintings, but never knew who the artist was until Randal told us "the rest of the story." I hope a number of Kathryn Fligg's Denver Zephyr wild flower paintings displayed inside the train have survived in someone's collection. My congratulations to John Schultz and the entire BB staff for putting out such a remarkable publication on the "new" Denver Zephry of the 1950-1960's. Best Regards - Louis

Louis Zadnichek II

Fairhope, AL   

In a message dated 7/7/2018 12:47:47 AM Central Standard Time, rot@ti.org writes:

The Burlington Bulletin on the 1956 Denver Zephyr is a beautiful book and tremendous work of scholarship. I commend John Schultz and the Burlington Route Historical Society, and I can see that I’m going to spend a few hours reading through it.

One addition tidbit of information. Page 50 has pictures of several menus used on the Denver Zephyr that feature wildflower paintings on their covers. The text says the paintings were done by “an anonymous artist.”

Actually, the paintings were done by Kathryn Fligg, an artist who graduated from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 1951 and was commissioned by Budd (probably through the Paul Crét architectural firm) to do paintings and murals in several of its trains. She did murals for the Kansas City Zephyr and I believe she did some murals in other Burlington trains such as the Twin Cities Zephyr and California Zephyr when those trains came in for reshopping.

But the Denver Zephyr was her finest work, at least for Budd. The five wildflower menu covers shown on page 50 only hint at her achievement. According to an email she sent me, she in fact produced 115 wildflower paintings for the train. The original paintings were hung in the bedrooms and compartments of the Denver Zephyr sleeping cars.

In the email, Fligg told me she didn’t think the roomettes got paintings. But I don’t know where to put 115 paintings if the roomettes didn’t get any. Bulletin 50 indicates there were 30 roomettes, 24 bedrooms, and 5 compartments per train, so for two trains that makes 58 bedrooms and compartments or 116 bedrooms, compartments, and roomettes. So it sounds like the roomettes probably got them as well (and perhaps her memory of doing 115 paintings was off by one).

The paintings on the front (and back) covers of the dinner menus (as well as on the Colorado room beverage menu) were replicas of a few of those 115 paintings.

Fligg (now Kathryn Fligg Lee) has at least two different web sites, but the work displayed doesn’t look anything like the work she did for Budd.

I’ve wondered if any of the surviving Denver Zephyr sleeping cars still have some of her original paintings. If anyone knows, please let me know. It would be nice to document those paintings.

Best,

Randal O’Toole

http://streamlinermemories.info

_._,_._,_

---

Groups.io Links:

You receive all messages sent to this group.

View/Reply Online (#55580) | Reply To Group | Mute This Topic | New Topic

Your Subscription | Contact Group Owner | Unsubscribe [archives@nauer.org]

_._,_._,_