The Burlington Pioneer Zephyr
from the Greek word, Zephyr, "God of the West Wind".
The First Diesel Powered Streamlined Train in America built of Stainless Steel by E. G. Budd Manufacturing Company and equipped with a 660 Horsepower, 8 Cylinder, 2 Cycle Winton Diesel Engine. The Burlington Pioneer Zephyr made its first public appearance on the opening day of the 2nd year of the 1933 Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago. On May 26, 1934, the Pioneer Zephyr made its record breaking trip from Denver to Chicago, a distance of 1000 miles in approximately 13 hours at an average speed of 77 mph. Today, this masterpiece of engineering is on display at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.
Note: The Pioneer Zephyr was recently restored by Northern Rail Car Corporation
The Burlington Pioneer Zephyr was first run on April 9, 1934 to Perkiomen Junction and Returned to Philadelphia where on April 18, 1934 it was christened Burlington Zephyr.
This Web page is dedicated to my father, Charles L. Peirce (Oct. 18, 1910 - April 13, 1997), who constructed the right front door of the engine section of this train.
The Burlington Pioneer Zephyr had several sister trains that shared the run from St. Louis to Kansas City. The picture below shows Zephyr 9902 at a shop in Chicago and was sent to me by the grandfather of the late Gus Bosch, a Budd forman (tool and die maker -- front row, seated, second from the right).
Love Jazz? Jon Belcher & Savoy Swing celeberate the Burlington Pioneer Zephyr in the Till Tom Special, their new CD to be released in July, 1999.
Additional BPZ photographs stored on this server. Use your web browser's BACK button to get back to this menu.
BPZ Photo: A Long View from the Left Front 356K
BPZ Photo: Left Side Front Car (US Mail Sign) 171K
BPZ Photo: A Long View from the Left Rear 424K
BPZ Photo: Left Side Center Car (REA Sign) 189K
BPZ Photo: Right Side Rear Car (Window Sign) 135K
BPZ Photo: Right Side Rear Car (large view) 162K
BPZ Photo: Right Side Middle Car (REA Sign) 221K
BPZ Photo: Right Side Front Door (#9900 F) 72K
BPZ Photo: Right Side Front Door (large view) 221K
BPZ Photo: Right Front Car (small view) 68K
BPZ Photo: History Plaque (difficult to read) 135K
E-mail any comments to...CEPeirce@aol.com
