View source for General Pershing Zephyr

{{italics title}}
{{Short description|American trainset}}
{{refimprove|date=November 2012}}
[[File:General Pershing Zephyr-Silver Charger - 20081123.jpg|thumb|9908 ''Silver Charger'' on display in 2008]]
{{General Pershing Zephyr}}
The '''''General Pershing Zephyr''''' was the ninth of the [[Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad]]'s [[Burlington Zephyr|''Zephyr'']] [[streamliner]]s, and the last built as an integrated streamliner rather than a train hauled by an [[EMD E-unit]] [[diesel locomotive]]. It was constructed in 1939 with bodywork and passenger cars by [[Budd Company]] and [[diesel engine]], [[Diesel-electric transmission|electric transmission]], power [[bogie|truck]], and other locomotive equipment by [[General Motors]] [[Electro-Motive Diesel|Electro-Motive Corporation]].<ref name=Pershing>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uFJhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JHUNAAAAIBAJ&pg=1387,6124170&dq=pioneer+zephyr&hl=en|title=New Zephyrs Into Use|date=8 June 1939|publisher=St. Joseph News-Press|access-date=27 March 2012}}</ref> Because its intended [[Kansas City]] to [[St Louis]] route passed near the birthplace and boyhood home of famous [[World War I]] [[General]] [[John J. Pershing]], the train was named after him. The power car was named ''Silver Charger'', after Pershing's horse ''Charger'', while the passenger cars were named after [[United States Army]] badges of rank—''Silver Leaf'', ''Silver Eagle'', and ''Silver Star''.

The train replaced the ''[[Ozark State Zephyr]]'', which had been inaugurated three years earlier. In September, 1938, a second set was added, the 9903, which had previously served as the ''[[Mark Twain Zephyr]]'' running between [[Burlington, Iowa]] and St Louis via [[Samuel Clemens]]' birthplace of [[Hannibal, Missouri]].  The ''Ozark State'' service inaugurated operating out of Kansas City in the morning and St Louis in the afternoon, with the second trainset alternating. The new equipment took over the original schedule, while the alternate timing was renamed the ''[[Mark Twain Zephyr]]'' (despite not operating through Hannibal).

Unlike previous ''Zephyrs'', the ''General Pershing Zephyr'' was completely non-articulated; each car was self-contained and joined to the next by [[Railway coupling|coupler]]s, rather than shared trucks. The inflexibility of the articulated layout had been recognised; it was hard to lengthen, shorten, or replace parts of the train. The route did not require a high-capacity train nor a powerful locomotive, so the ''General Pershing Zephyr'' returned to the pattern of the first ''[[Pioneer Zephyr]]'', being a power/baggage car and three trailers. Budd also fitted [[disc brake]]s, the first such practical installation to railroad passenger cars.<ref>D.P. Morgan, "All About the RDC," ''[[Trains (magazine)|Trains & Travel]]'' March 1953</ref>
[[File:General Pershing Zephyr trial run ticket 1939.JPG|thumb|150px|left|Ticket from the train's trial run between [[St Louis]] and [[Alton, Illinois]] on April 23, 1939. It entered regular service between [[Kansas City]] and St Louis on April 30, 1939.]]
The power car, 9908 ''Silver Charger'', was unique. It utilised a single new [[EMD 567|EMC 567]] [[V12 engine|V-12]] engine developing 1,000&nbsp;hp, rather than the pair used in the contemporary [[EMC E3]]. It had one [[Martin Blomberg]]-designed E-unit A1A passenger truck at the front, with powered outer axles and a center idler axle, and an unpowered trailing truck, giving it the unusual [[wheel arrangement]] of A1A-2. This made it mechanically half of an E3. The back half of the power car was a baggage area. This made it similar to special power-baggage units built by [[Electro-Motive Diesel|EMD]] for the Colorado Springs section of the [[Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad]] ''[[Rocky Mountain Rocket]]'', though the latter had a carbody and E-3/[[EMD E6|E-6]] styling by [[Electro-Motive Diesel|EMD]]. The "Silver Charger" was the last power unit built by Budd with the unique "Zephyr"/"Flying Yankee" shovelnose styling.
<ref>{{cite book|last=Pinkpank|first=Jerry A|title=The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide|year=1973|publisher=Kalmbach Books|lccn=66-22894|pages=106}}</ref> It also carried sleeping cars. The train was number 32 when eastbound and number 33 when traveling west.<ref name=Pershing/>

The train ran its assigned route until the United States entered [[World War II]], during which time the trainset ran on many different routes. As 9908 ''Silver Charger'' could be detached from its trainset, it continued in service hauling other trains after the rest of the streamlined trainset was withdrawn. In this form it lasted in service until 1966, following which it was donated to the [[National Museum of Transportation]] in St Louis.

Traveling between Kansas City and St Louis required the ''General Pershing Zephyr'' to operate on tracks owned by the [[Alton Railroad]], officially making them an operating partner. To symbolize this joint administration, the ''General Pershing Zephyr'' often sported an "Alton Burlington" nose herald instead of the standard "Burlington Route" seen on most Burlington locomotives. 
  
The diner-lounge-observation car ''Silver Star'' was sold to Amax Iron Ore Corporation in 1974 for use on the [[Mount Newman railway]] in [[Western Australia]] and renamed ''Sundowner''.<ref>Touch of class for Mt Newman ''[[Railway Transportation]]'' November 1974 pages 28, 30</ref> It was used for many years as passenger accommodation on the fortnightly supply train to the mines. It was also used for [[Very Important Person|VIP]] and inspection trains. Having last been used in 2003, it was sent to [[Perth]] for rebuilding as the nucleus of the [[Silver Star Cafe]] in [[Port Hedland]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Quekett|first=Malcolm|title=Historic carriage on track for third life|url=http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/news/8197193/historic-carriage-on-track-for-third-life/|access-date=May 5, 2012|newspaper=[[The West Australian]]|date=October 26, 2010}}</ref><ref>The Silver Star ''[[Railway Digest]]'' October 2017 pages 42-45</ref>
{{clear|left}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Further reading===
* {{cite book |last=Beebe |first=Lucius |title=Highliners, A Railroad Album |year=1940 |publisher=Bonanza Books |location=New York }}
* {{cite book|last1=Joyce|first1=John|last2=Tilley|first2=Allan|title=Railways in the Pilbara|year=1979|publisher=J&A Publications|location=Wembley, Western Australia|isbn=0-9599699-2-6|pages=88}}
* Lotz, David. ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20050105003035/http://www.burlingtonroute.com/route/wotzpage/gpz/gpz.htm General Pershing Zephyr]''. Downloaded on December 24, 2004.
* {{cite book|author=Pinkepank, Jerry A.|title=The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide|publisher=[[Kalmbach Media|Kalmbach Publishing]]|year=1973|isbn=0-89024-026-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Webster|first=Mags|title=The Silver Star: how a railroad icon made the journey from the American Midwest to the West Australian Pilbara|year=2010|publisher=FORM|location=Perth, Western Australia|url=http://www.courthousegallery.com.au/pdf/SilverStar_Brochure_Email.pdf|access-date=2012-05-05|archive-date=2014-02-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140208020233/http://www.courthousegallery.com.au/pdf/SilverStar_Brochure_Email.pdf|url-status=dead}}

==External links==
{{commons category-inline}}

{{Lightweight Trains}}
{{CBQ named trains}}
{{EMD misc}}
{{Budd Company}}

[[Category:A1A-2 locomotives]]
[[Category:Budd multiple units]]
[[Category:Diesel multiple units of the United States]]
[[Category:North American streamliner trains]]
[[Category:Passenger trains of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad]]
[[Category:Passenger locomotives]]
[[Category:Chicago, Burlington and Quincy locomotives]]