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On a Sunday afternoon the westbound California Service/Nebraska Zephyr and Quincy, IL train roll through Claredon Hills with a trainload of assaorted cars including a variety of former Zephyr dome cars. Most of the train went on to Quincy with college kids going to Western Illinois University. |
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The eastbound NCL/EB roars through Sugar
Grove, just minutes from Aurora on a cold April, 1971 day. Loaded with dome
cars, the train had a few weeks left before Amtrak and a new route took place. |
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The Empire Builder section heading west in
Westmont. The Great Dome was all ready re-painted in Burlington Northern
colors in this December, 1970 shot. |
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three E units pass Westmont on track 3 on the famed "3 track"
speedway. This is the combined Empire Builder/North Coast Limited. |
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The first part of the combined
North Coast Limited had a former Great Northern dome coach behind its regular NP
dome coach. The third car was a Budd Slumbercoach assigned to the
Limited. Western Springs, 12/70. |
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Not all BN trains had domes. This is the WB Sunday Afternoon Twin Cities Zephyr at LaGrange, Illinois after making a quick stop. Even more ironic was the inclusion of ex-CNW 400 cars now painted silver. |
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The rear of the California Service train
shown in the top left of this page. The last four cars were the CS portion. |
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Three E units were standard on the combined
Empire Builder/North Coast Limited seen pulling into the Aurora station in early
1971. |
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It's Amtrak's "Denver Zephyr" with
four dome coaches at Plano on a hot July, 1971 Sunday afternoon. On this day
the San Francisco train ran as the first section. |
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California Service/Omaha/Quincy train. This time there are fewer dome cars but a
hodge-podge of cars the BN threw together. Leading is an EMD E-7 renumbered
to 9911 by the BN. |
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An
ex-Frisco coach as well as a one of the home built Burlington dome coaches
make up the Quincy train on the days the California Service train didn't
run. BN9965 was one of a number of paint schemes BN tried on their
passenger units. |
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The high
speed single track former Burlington Line hosted some of the world's fastest
trains at that time. The eastbound NCL/EB flies around the curve
at Hinkley with less than two weeks left before Amtrak. No comment
regarding the water tower, please. |
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West of
Lisle the eastbound combined Empire Builder/North Coast Limited goes around
a curve. Amtrak is now weeks away in this April, 1971 picture. |
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On the east side of Aurora three "E" units pull
the combined Empire Builder/North Coast Limited into that town for the station.
Today both the train and station no longer exist on BN tracks.
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The combined North Coast Limited/Empire Builder speeds
westward on the former CBQ single track high speed line most likely at Shabona,
Illinois. Seen here is the North Coast Limited section which was always the second
part of the train. It's April, 1971.
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