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| My photo of the Feather River in 1968. All four of the Vista Dome cars can be seen at the end of the train. |
Some time this
year we hope to ride Amtrak from Sacramento to Chicago, on the train that’s
called the California Zephyr. My partner the train nut has always wanted to
ride on the Zephyr, which bears the name of one of the most famous trains in US
history. (If you ever saw Gene Wilder in Silver Streak, you saw the Zephyr.) The
original train was discontinued in 1970, when Amtrak took over the Union
Pacific railway.
I can boast that
I actually rode the original Zephyr on one of its final runs, in 1968. At that
time I was dating another train nut, and when he heard that I would be
traveling to California on an expense account, he insisted that I ride the
Zephyr before it was “ruined” by the coming Amtrak acquisition. (Thank you,
Bert!) I knew little about trains, except that they were a pleasant way to
travel, but it sounded like a good idea, and I was able to persuade my employer
to let me travel by train instead of airplane. (I was limited to a one-way
ticket, though.)
In its glory days
the Zephyr featured truly luxurious accommodations for passengers. Elaborate
meals at reasonable prices were served
by attentive stewards in the dining car; there were flowers on each of the linen-tablecloth-covered
tables. Murals covered the few windowless walls, and of course the windows
framed spectacular views. For those who could pay a little more, there were
roomettes, bedrooms, and compartments. Even the coach seats were reasonably
comfortable.
One of the features
passengers remembered was the Zephyrettes. These attractive, friendly young
women made sure passengers were enjoying the ride and getting anything they
needed on board. One of them, Nellie O’Grady, co-wrote a fascinating story in
the 1955 Saturday Evening Post describing
her seven years as a Zepherette—years in which she met hundreds of people
including Dwight Eisenhower, fended off the wolves who misunderstood her role,
and worked very hard. (Most Zepherettes only lasted a couple of years.) Apparently
she loved nearly every moment.
The Zephyrettes
were gone by 1968, and I have to admit that I don’t remember whether the murals
were still gracing the walls of the train I rode. But, the trip was wonderful. I
spent a good deal of time in the dome car, especially during the Far West
portion of it. At night I had a comfortable roomette with a small private
bathroom. The meals were delicious and served elegantly. Though I had taken
along some paperback books to read, for once I read nothing. It was much more
appealing to sip a glass of wine while talking with other passengers, or simply
to gaze out the huge windows as we passed through the Rockies and the Sierra
Nevada Mountains, then down the Feather River Canyon into California. The two
days and nights passed all too quickly.
Will our ride on
today’s Amtrak Zephyr be that good? Probably not. Few things are as enjoyable
at my age as they were when I was young. The pictures on the Amtrak site do
look very appealing, though, and traveling with my partner (who makes the most
of every travel opportunity) should help.
I know this:
Riding the Zephyr will be an order of magnitude better than riding any airplane
today. Back in the sixties, airplane travel was glamorous. People checked their
large bags instead of jostling each other while fitting the bags into crowded overhead
bins. Meals (not usually gourmet, but not bad, either) were served on most
flights. Seats were wider than they are today, and passengers were a bit
narrower. Riding on airplanes at that time was such a pleasant, supermodern experience
that in 1968 the Zephyr may have even seemed a little quaint, in spite of the
wonderful scenery.
Now, even if the
Zephyr is less than it was years ago, it will certainly be better than an
airplane. I am looking
forward to it eagerly.
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