Wikipedia:Today's featured article/March 23, 2005

The Pioneer Zephyr as it appeared in 1934

The Pioneer Zephyr is a diesel-powered railroad trainset built by the Budd Company in 1934 for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. The train, which featured extensive use of stainless steel, was originally named Zephyr and meant as a promotional tool to advertise passenger rail service in the United States. The train's construction included innovations such as shotwelding to join the stainless steel and articulation to reduce the train's weight. The trainset entered regular revenue service November 11 1934 between Kansas City, Missouri, Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska. It was operated on this route until its retirement in 1960 when it was donated to Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry where it remains on public display. The train is generally regarded as the first successful streamliner on American railroads. (more...)

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