Archive – Day 21
Friday, April 30, 1993
Looking Back...
On this day I eat some hallucinogenic mushrooms and make love to a train. Okay, so I don’t, but you can so tell I want to get it on with hundreds of tons of metal.
Here are a bunch of things I do not write about the real history of the California Zephyr:
- The California Zephyr through Nevada and California follows much of the original route that the transcontinental railroad took over the Sierra Nevada.
- The California Zephyr was originally a Western Pacific line that started service in 1949. These stainless steel trains, known as the “Silver Lady”, had five dome cars in each train so everyone could see the sights. The trains were scheduled just right so that they ran through the Sierra and the Rockies during the day, and through the deserts and plains at night. This made the trip longer by nearly half a day, but much more scenic.
- The original California Zephyr ran for over twenty years before it was deemed too unprofitable and pulled from service. Partial service continued, but the transcontinental run was ended and the golden age was no more.
- In the early 80’s, Amtrak picked up the California Zephyr name and route and once again started providing regular service from San Francisco to Chicago. Along with it came the introduction of the new double-decker “Superliner” train cars. Amtrak now follows basically the same route and schedule as the Zephyr did over fifty years ago.
- The history of the original California Zephyr can be found here and here. More info on Amtrak’s incarnation is at this site.
An Indiana morning in fog. Visibility, a quarter mile at most. Although I was never any good at judging distances, so it’s probably less.
Today we are scheduled to take Chicago by storm. And then we pick up my Superliners and the California Zephyr. And the day after tomorrow we pull into Reno and are home by noon.
This train, the Capitol Limited, is a nice one. The scenery is nice along with just the feel of the train itself. Not like the Lakeshore Limited, where the only time I enjoyed myself was while having lunch along the banks of the Hudson.
I believe I have found some of my passion! It is contained within the California Zephyr. Crossing the Rockies by Superliner that second day of the trip was one of the best. And so shall, I hope, tomorrow. I am actually excited about rejoining the Zephyr. Perhaps will it be the same crew, with the Chief of on-board services and the French dining car steward who could pass for Boris Karloff any day of the week? I hope so. End the trip as well as it started. I need my Zephyr.
The fog has retreated now. It has moved back to a strategic location of perhaps a half mile and there it stays, lurking, teasing, enticing us. We are always surrounded, yet it lets us press on, into other dangers perhaps far more terrible. So we continue because we are at the mercy of the fog and have no choice.
And it has advanced! Closing in now to a hundred yards, threatening to squeeze the very life out of us. Continual movement is our only hope now.
I am now in the domed observation can and I am content. The view is reminiscent of the Superliners and the air conditioning is on. The fog has again retreated, and I am content.
We are sitting in Chicago during a stopover. An hour from now the California Zephyr will pull out of Chicago’s Union Station, with me on board. I’m actually experiencing glorious anticipation again! Ah, the wonder.
The triumphant return of the Superliners! (mild fanfare) We have secured a seat on the California Zephyr (second coach, not first) and I am just basking in the joy. It’s my Zephyr all right, but the cars and people are different. But no matter. I’m on the California Zephyr! I intend to celebrate with lunch in the dining car, traveling through the Rockies. Here’s to a good trip!
I didn’t care much for Chicago. All the observations I made from the train (see Day 3) proved true during our stopover there. I rate it as poor and best skipped. A pity it has to be associated with the California Zephyr. Shameful.
This Zephyr has a different crew than the last one. Our dining car steward is different, and a woman is running the cafe. But, I suppose I didn’t expect everything to be the same.
This train does have slight differences. On a recent exploratory trip I went back as far as the car behind the smoker (the leather car on the other Zephyr). Visually and in design the cars are the same. But their population and atmosphere are different. There are many more elderly people on this train, and it sure isn’t the other one. But I think that we are going to get along just fine.
Nobody can shut up about David Koresh. He’s on every newspaper, the cover of Newsweek and Time, tabloids, television; the guy’s more famous dead than alive. I say now that it’s over, forget about it and find something else to latch onto.
Well, the time has come for sleep. Say goodnight!
