San Francisco Zephyr

Amtrak passenger train in the U.S.

San Francisco Zephyr

An EMD FP7 and two EMD SDP40Fs pull the eastward San Francisco Zephyr through the Sierra in 1975

Overview
Service type| Inter-city rail
Status| Discontinued
Locale| Western United States
Predecessor| City of San Francisco/Denver Zephyr
First service| June 11, 1972 (1972-06-11)
Last service| July 15, 1983 (1983-07-15)
Successor| California Zephyr
Former operator(s)| Amtrak
Route
Termini| Chicago, Illinois
Oakland, California
Stops| 36
Distance travelled| 2,390 miles (3,850 km)
Train number(s)| 5, 6
Technical
Track gauge| 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
| Route map

Legend

|  |  |

0 mi

| Chicago

|
|
|
|

|  |

| 38 mi

61 km

Aurora
|  |

| 83 mi

134 km

Mendota
|  |

| 104 mi

167 km

Princeton
|  |

| 131 mi

211 km

Kewanee
|  |

| 162 mi

261 km

Galesburg
|  |

| 179 mi

288 km

Monmouth
|  |

|  |

| Illinois

Iowa

|  |

| 205 mi

330 km

Burlington
|  |

| 233 mi

375 km

Mount Pleasant
|  |

| 280 mi

451 km

Ottumwa
|  |

| 360 mi

579 km

Osceola
|  |

| 393 mi

632 km

Creston
|  |

|  |

| Iowa

Nebraska

|  |

| 496 mi

798 km

Omaha
|  |

| 551 mi

887 km

Lincoln
|  |

| 648 mi

1043 km

Hastings
|  |

| 702 mi

1130 km

Holdrege
|  |

| 780 mi

1255 km

McCook
|  |

|  |

| Nebraska

Colorado

|  |

| 922 mi

1484 km

Akron
|  |

| 956 mi

1539 km

Fort Morgan
|  |

| 1034 mi

1664 km

Denver Union Station
|  |

| 1085 mi

1746 km

Greeley
|  |

|  |

| Colorado

Wyoming

|  |

|  | Cheyenne

(closed 1979)

|  |

| 1137 mi

1830 km

Borie
|  |

| 1184 mi

1905 km

Laramie
|  |

| 1301 mi

2094 km

Rawlins
|  |

| 1420 mi

2285 km

Rock Springs
|  |

| 1435 mi

2309 km

Green River
|  |

| 1535 mi

2470 km

Evanston
|  |

|  |

| Wyoming

Utah

|  |

|  |

| Desert Wind

to Los Angeles
|  Pioneer

to Salt Lake City

|  |

| 1610 mi

2591 km

Ogden
|  |

|  |

| Pioneer

to Seattle

|  |

|  |

| Utah

Nevada

|  |

| 1831 mi

2947 km

Elko
|  |

| 1859 mi

2992 km

Carlin
|  |

| 1976 mi

3180 km

Winnemucca
|  |

| 2147 mi

3455 km

Sparks
|  |

| 2151 mi

3462 km

Reno
|  |

|  |

| Nevada

California

|  |

| 2185 mi

3516 km

Truckee
|  |

| 2251 mi

3623 km

Colfax
|  |

| 2304 mi

3708 km

Sacramento
|  |

| 2317 mi

3729 km

Davis
|  |

| 2344 mi

3772 km

Suisun-Fairfield
|  |

| 2361 mi

3800 km

Martinez
|  |

| 2381 mi

3832 km

Richmond
|  |

| 2390 mi

3846 km

Oakland
|  |  |  |  |  |

This diagram:

* view
* talk
* edit

The San Francisco Zephyr was an Amtrak passenger train that ran between Chicago and Oakland from June 1972 to July 1983, when it was renamed to the California Zephyr.

## History

[edit]

From the start of Amtrak in spring 1971 until summer 1972, Amtrak service between Chicago and Oakland was provided by two trains: the Denver Zephyr, which operated daily between Chicago and Denver, and the City of San Francisco, which operated thrice-weekly between Denver and Oakland. After several false starts, Amtrak consolidated the two trains into one, the San Francisco Zephyr, paying homage to the California Zephyr and The City of San Francisco.

Because of the refusal of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad to join Amtrak in 1971 and its decision to maintain its Rio Grande Zephyr between Denver and Ogden, Utah, the San Francisco Zephyr used the Union Pacific's Overland Route between Denver and Ogden. The San Francisco Zephyr and the Rio Grande Zephyr were scheduled as to facilitate a connection between them in Ogden (but not Denver).[1]

The San Francisco Zephyr traveled over rails owned and operated by three railroads: the Burlington Northern between Chicago and Denver, the Union Pacific between Denver and Ogden, and the Southern Pacific between Ogden and Oakland.

In July 1980, the San Francisco Zephyr was outfitted with Amtrak's new bi-level Superliner passenger cars – one of the last western trains to receive them – and began exchanging through cars at Ogden with the Seattle–Chicago Pioneer and the Los Angeles–Chicago Desert Wind. Between Ogden and Chicago, the Zephyr, Desert Wind, and Pioneer operated as a combined train.

In 1983, the D&RGW chose to join Amtrak, citing increasing losses in passenger operations. Amtrak re-routed the San Francisco Zephyr over the D&RGW's line between Denver and Salt Lake City, which was its original preference in 1971. The change was scheduled for April 25, but a mudslide at Thistle, Utah, closed the D&RGW's main line and delayed the change until July 16. With the change of route, Amtrak renamed the train California Zephyr.[2][3]

## In media

[edit]

In an episode of the British program Great Railway Journeys, broadcast in 1980, the presenter Ludovic Kennedy travels from New York to Los Angeles by rail, riding on the San Francisco Zephyr between Chicago and Oakland.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Nationwide schedules of intercity passenger service". Amtrak. June 11, 1972. Retrieved September 12, 2010.
2. ^ "Scenic route to be taken by Amtrak". Eugene Register-Guard. March 17, 1983. Retrieved September 12, 2010.[dead link]
3. ^ "Last passenger trains rolling across Wyoming". Spokesman-Review. July 13, 1983. Archived from the original on June 4, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2010.

## External links

[edit]

Media related to San Francisco Zephyr at Wikimedia Commons

* v
* t
* e

Former Amtrak routes

Long
distance|

| West|

* Chief
* City of San Francisco
* Denver Zephyr
* Desert Wind
* El Capitan
* Inter-American
* Lone Star
* North Coast Hiawatha
* Pioneer
* San Francisco Zephyr
* Super Chief
* Texas Chief

|

East|

* Broadway Limited
* Capitol Limited
* Champion
* Floridian
* Hilltopper
* James Whitcomb Riley
* Mountaineer
* National Limited
* Lake Shore
* Panama Limited
* River Cities
* Silver Palm (1996–2002)
* Silver Star
* South Wind
* Spirit of St. Louis
* Three Rivers
* Vacationer (seasonal)

Corridor|

| West|

* Coast Daylight
* Expo '74
* Las Vegas Limited
* Orange County Commuter
* Pacific International
* San Diegan
* Spirit of California
* Willamette Valley

|

Midwest|

* Abraham Lincoln
* Ann Rutledge
* Arrowhead
* Black Hawk
* Blue Ridge
* Calumet
* Campus
* Hoosier State
* Indiana Connection
* International
* Kansas City Mule
* Kentucky Cardinal
* Lake Cities
* Lake Country Limited
* Limited
* Loop
* Michigan Executive
* North Star
* Prairie Marksman
* Shawnee
* St. Louis Mule
* State House
* Turboliner
* Twilight Limited
* Twin Cities Hiawatha

East|

* George Washington
* Gulf Breeze
* Gulf Coast Limited
* Montrealer
* Shenandoah
* Silver Palm (1982–1985)
* West Virginian

| Northeast Corridor|

* Atlantic City Express
* Bankers
* Beacon Hill
* Cape Codder (seasonal)
* Chesapeake
* Clamdigger
* Clocker
* Colonial
* Connecticut Yankee
* Fast Mail
* Merchants Limited
* Metroliner
* Night Owl
* Twilight Shoreliner

|

Empire Corridor|

* Empire State Express
* Niagara Rainbow

Keystone Corridor|

* Atlantic City Express
* Fort Pitt

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template