After more than 3,000 hours of research and numerous trips that took the co-authors to Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa... the first two (of three) volumes of "Mark Twain Zephyr: History, Restoration, and Rebirth" are about to be published by the Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad -- and are going on sale TODAY.
When Greg and Mardell Vreeland were looking at purchasing the Mark Twain Zephyr back in 2019... they noticed there was very little information out there about this beloved CB&Q train. Most books and magazines contained just a few pages just on the Mark Twain Zephyr -- while the "star of the show" always seems to be the Pioneer Zephyr.
Feeling that the Mark Twain Zephyr at least served a book of its own, the Vreelands contacted railroad authors and historians Kandace and Tabern.... commissioning them for a nearly year-long project to dive deep into the history of the train. And you get the end benefit --- a three-book series that will more than 750 pages.
As we mentioned, the first two volumes go on sale TODAY.
VOLUME #1 is 265 pages long and focuses on Albert Dean's design of the Zephyrs, a brief look at each of the Mark Twain Zephyr's sister trains, exclusive photos of the building of the Mark Twain Zephyr at the Budd Plant in Philadelphia, the "test run" of the Mark Twain Zephyr in New York and Pennsylvania, some of the pre-inaugural runs in the Midwest, the record set in Nebraska, and a play-by-play of the October 25, 1935 dedication in Hannibal, Missouri.
VOLUME #2 is 287 pages long and focuses on the 23 years that the Mark Twain Zephyr operated under the CB&Q. You will be surprised at how many different lines the train set was used on besides the "home route" of Burlington, Iowa to St. Louis, Missouri via Hannibal. We will also trace the 60 year history that the Mark Twain Zephyr was under private ownership. We got the chance to interview the children of many of the original owners who provided exclusive content to this book. The last chapter focuses on the Wisconsin Great Northern's restoration plans.
(VOLUME #3, which will be released in Winter or Spring 2022, is planned to focus on the move of the Mark Twain Zephyr from the St. Louis area to Northwest Wisconsin... many exclusive photos and content of the restoration process that you have not been able to see... and of course, the ribbon cutting and first few weeks of public runs at the Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad).
You will have three different choices when it comes to purchasing your copies of "Mark Twain Zephyr: History, Restoration, and Rebirth". They are available from our publisher in a fine Collector's Edition Hard Cover edition, a lighter soft cover edition, and an e-Book for those... who are digital-minded and want to get reading instantly!
No matter what your choice is, you'll want to head over to www.MTZstore.com right now to make your purchase of Volume #1 and Volume #2. That's because we are offering a special PRE-ORDER DEEP DISCOUNT for one week only to those of you who have been following us here on our e-Newsletter. Prices will never be this low again, and they are going up in 7 days.
Note that books will be published March 1st and then will be shipped out Priority Mail. So please allow 4-5 weeks for delivery.
If you have any questions about book orders, e-mail books@railrangers.org.