View source for American Royal Zephyr

{{Short description|Former passenger rail service}}
{{italic title}}
{{inline sources|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox rail service
| box_width   = 
| name        = ''American Royal Zephyr''
| logo        = 
| logo_width  = 
| image       = Kansas City Zephyr American Royal Zephyr.JPG
| image_width =
| caption     = ''American Royal Zephyr''
| type        = [[Inter-city rail]]
| status      = Discontinued
| locale      = 
| predecessor = 
| first       = February 1, 1953
| last        = 1971
| successor   = 
| operator    = 
| formeroperator= [[Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad]]
| ridership   = 
| start       = [[Union Station (Chicago)|Chicago (Union Station)]]
| stops       = 
| end         = [[Union Station (Kansas City, Missouri)|Kansas City, Missouri (Union Station)]]
| distance    = {{convert|466|mi}}
| journeytime = 
| frequency   = Daily
| trainnumber = 19/20
| class       = 
| access      = 
| seating     = 
| sleeping    = 
| autorack    = 
| catering    = 
| observation = 
| entertainment= 
| baggage     = 
| otherfacilities= 
| stock       = 
| gauge       = 
| el          = 
| speed       = 
| owners      = 
| routenumber =
| map         = {{American Royal Zephyr|inline=y}}
| map_state   = 
}}

[[File:Kansas City and American Royal Zephyrs.JPG|thumb|150px|Brochure for the new trains.]]
The '''''American Royal Zephyr''''' was a [[streamliner|streamlined]] [[passenger train]] service operated by the [[Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad]] between [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]] and [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]].  This CB&Q ''Zephyr'' was named for the [[American Royal]], one of the [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]]'s largest and oldest livestock exhibition, professional rodeo, and horse show.

The ''American Royal Zephyr'' made its inaugural run on February 1, 1953, as an all-new overnight streamliner between Chicago and Kansas City. The new train was prompted by the completion the previous October of the $16-million "Kansas City Shortcut", 49 miles of new track that made the route shorter, flatter, and straighter. The new alignment shaved 2 hours off of the previous shortest route, and made CB&Q optimistic that it could compete successfully against its entrenched rival, the AT&SF, on this busy route.

''American Royal Zephyr''  #56 departed Kansas City at 10:00 pm, arriving in Chicago at 7:30 am. Westbound counterpart #55 operated on a mirrored schedule, departing the Windy City at 10:00 pm and arriving in Kansas City at 7:30 am. Both trains covered the 466 mile route at an average pace of 49&nbsp;mph.  The original consist included two Vista-Domes (which provided meal service), two Chicago-KC sleepers, one Chicago - St. Joe sleeper, and coaches. The CB&Q simultaneously launched a daylight Chicago-Kansas City service on the same route under the banner of the ''[[Kansas City Zephyr]].'' Like its daylight counterpart, the ''American Royal Zephyr'' never lived up to ridership expectations, and it was not long before equipment from the ''ARZ'' was being shuffled off to other trains. Intense competition came from the Santa Fe, which ran six daily streamliners in each direction through Kansas City on a shorter schedule than CB&Q, and an existing, dedicated overnight service called the ''[[Kansas City Chief]]''.

The ''American Royal Zephyr'' was discontinued in 1971.

==Station stops==
Original ''American Royal Zephyr'', station stops:
;[[Illinois]]
*[[Chicago (Amtrak station)|Chicago Union Station]]
*[[La Grange Road (Amtrak station)|La Grange Road station]]
*[[Aurora (CB&Q station)|Aurora old CB&Q station]] (abandoned, largely demolished)
*[[Plano (Amtrak station)|Plano station]]
*[[Mendota (Amtrak station)|Mendota station]]
*[[Princeton (Amtrak station)|Princeton station]]
*[[Kewanee (Amtrak station)|Kewanee station]]
*[[Galesburg station (Amtrak)#History|Galesburg CB&Q Seminary Street station]] (demolished)
*[[Macomb (Amtrak station)|Macomb station]]
*[[Quincy (Amtrak station)|Quincy station]]
;[[Missouri]]
*[[West Quincy, Missouri|West Quincy]] CB&Q station (entire town abandoned after the [[Great Flood of 1993]]).
*[[Macon, Missouri|Macon]] (CB&Q station)
*[[Chillicothe, Missouri|Chillicothe]] (CB&Q station)
*[[Kansas City (Union station)|Kansas City station]]

==References==
* {{Official Guide of the Railways|June|1964}}
* {{Randall-Zephyr}}
* {{Zimmermann-Burlington}}
* [http://www.burlingtonroute.com/ Burlington Route Historical Society]
* [http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Route/Vertical_Route_Page&c=am2Route&cid=1081256321807&ssid=133 Amtrak's Illinois Service]
* [http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Route/Horizontal_Route_Page&c=am2Route&cid=1081442673827&ssid=132 Amtrak's ''Southwest Chief'']

{{CBQ named trains}}

[[Category:Passenger trains of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad]]
[[Category:North American streamliner trains]]
[[Category:Night trains of the United States]]
[[Category:Railway services introduced in 1953]]
[[Category:Railway services discontinued in 1971]]
[[Category:Named passenger trains of the United States]]