In January, 1964, when I was 4, my Grandmother took me from Saint Louis to Saint Paul on this train. I can still remember going to the vestibule (it must have been at Burlington) while the train was switching. The conductor found me and brought me back to Grandma. Thanks for recreating this train, and the history. It means a lot.
Thanks, Bill, for watching. The Burlington E units were classy looking. I always loved seeing 4 of them running elephant style on the head end of the combined Empire Builder / North Coast Limited. Mike
@@rimodeler7963 I have two old Model Power e-units that I repainted Burlington nearly 40 years ago. I lived in Naperville, IL from 1987-1991. Many of the BN E units were still in Metra commuter service, but they had been rebuilt and repainted Cascade green by then.
THANK YOU...for sharing. One fantastic trip. I really like 40'' boxcars, I have a number of them, very colorful, just don't see them so much anymore on the model railroaders layout. Gary
Greetings Gary - I, too, like the 40' boxcars. I think the 1960's were the decade of colorful freight cars which left a great impression on me. Thanks, as always, for watching and for your comments! Mike
@@rimodeler7963 Yes Mike, I grew up in a small town just west of Warren, Oh. SN tower of the EL was located there, the late 60's and early 70's was a good time for me, I was in high school then and the EL ran just behind the high school and I can remember all those trains coming threw. What a hot spot to watch EL trains. Sure do miss that as I am sure we all do.
Absolutely love the historical info at the beginning. A very nice touch. There is also a zephyr that runs on my line through Denver to Winter Park . I am an N Scale modeler. Your scenery looks great. I paid particular attention to your grass near the track. i will be doing that soon and yours looks great. Thanks for uploading . I enjoyed watching. Brian
I'm a big RI and CB&Q fan, but I was never aware of this particular train. It's awesome that you made this video and included all of the history behind it. I love it! Thank you for the awesome history lesson!
Hi Aidan - I'm glad the information was useful to you. The Zephyr Rocket was certainly not a glamorous train and ran overnight, so it didn't seem to get much coverage. Thanks for watching and for your comments. Mike
Burlington Route had a lot of E8s - maybe more than any other railroad (Erie Lackawanna had 18) So did The Rock. I read that in the later years, Rock Island bought a few Union Pacific E8s, presumably, for the road's commuter service. Don't remember where I read that. I think the source was Wikipedia. Also not sure if those units still ran in U.P. colors when the Rock first purchased them, but wouldn't be surprised. That'd be an interesting modeling angle, but the time frame may not have been in the middle 60s.
The Rock purchased 5 E8As from UP in 1969, numbered 657-661. I can't say what they're assignments were initially but no doubt they found their way into freight and commuter service after Amtrak started up.
@@bcrnfan Heard someone comment that, unlike Erie Lackawanna, Rock Island did not re-gear the E8s for freight work, but that they performed well in freight duty, nevertheless. There are some great clips of Rock E8s in freight service here on You Tube. Man, they were flyin'!
At Elsberry, MO the freight train had three unique cars, I think hoppers but maybe tanks, that are running directly behind the locomotives. What type of cars are they? Would you give a description of them and what they were loaded with? I really like your layout. Its really nice. Good video work too with the area description inserted in at the corner of the screen. 👍
Hi William - The three cars are "Whale Belly" hoppers used for hauling cement. I acquired these brass cars about 15 years ago from Railway Classics. Thanks for watching and for your kind comments. Mike
Very nice video. I just happened to be at the restored West Liberty, Iowa depot today for a fall NMRA meeting. There were a few nice pictures there of the Zephyr Rocket stopped at the station. A very neat passenger train. Tony
Thanks, Tony, I appreciate it. The Zephyr Rocket was far from a glorious passenger train, but it soldiered on for many years. The mix of equipment made it a unique passenger train. Mike
Very interesting video. I saw this train many times and rode it a few times as well. The train only had the two baggage cars, RPO, and two coaches. The 4200 series express cars, Railway Express reefers, and 40' express boxcars weren't seen on these trains. The trains showed up in Manly, Iowa, and vendors came through the trains selling sandwiches while the train was fueled anf watered.
Hi bcrnfan - I always appreciate your comments. I suspected the 4200 series cars and 40' express boxcars may not have been in the consist, but I added them anyway. I have seen the REA Express reefers in a few photos of the ZR on the CB&Q portion of the route so I felt correct in placing it in the consist. Thank you for watching. Mike
Great video! I had heard of the Zephyr Rocket but never knew much about it. Sounds like it would have been an interesting train to watch. Nice scenes on a great layout. I loved the CB&Q freight train!
Hi Mike, Thanks for posting another excellent and informational video. I guess the all the head end cars kept the train going long after the decline in passenger service made it profitable. I enjoying seeing the mixed consists of the passing freight trains.-Tom
Hi Tom - Yes, if not for the mail and express business I doubt it would have lasted until 1967. Thanks so much for watching and for your comments. Mike
Nice to see a P & E car in the freight train. I am from Pekin Illinois and the P & E had a yard in town. How many miles, typically. were the signals on the actual line, compared to your model?
Hi Todd - Signal spacing on a prototype railroad is based on the stopping distance of a train as well as other factors. Signal spacing, obviously, varies but would be 1 to 2 miles. I somewhat randomly placed the 9 signal locations on my layout which, in scale miles, is about 12.8 miles long. This translates to an average signal spacing of about 1.4 miles on my layout. Thanks for watching. Mike
Railroads constantly move locomotives to servicing locations for required inspections and maintenance. Power is also re-positioned to locations where needed to meet demand. As a result, it is not uncommon at all to see multiple diesels leading relatively short trains. I appreciate you taking the time to watch a portion of my video.
In January, 1964, when I was 4, my Grandmother took me from Saint Louis to Saint Paul on this train. I can still remember going to the vestibule (it must have been at Burlington) while the train was switching. The conductor found me and brought me back to Grandma.
Thanks for recreating this train, and the history. It means a lot.
Thanks for sharing your story of riding the Zephyr Rocket in 1964. Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for your comments. Mike
Thanks for a great video. The history at the start is invaluable. Great work!
Hi Roger - I appreciate your comments and thanks much for watching the video! Mike
Exquisite layout-- With a gorgeous roster of traction to boot
Thank you for watching and for your comments. Mike
Another great video. Love the Burlington E unit.
Thanks, Bill, for watching. The Burlington E units were classy looking. I always loved seeing 4 of them running elephant style on the head end of the combined Empire Builder / North Coast Limited. Mike
@@rimodeler7963 I have two old Model Power e-units that I repainted Burlington nearly 40 years ago. I lived in Naperville, IL from 1987-1991. Many of the BN E units were still in Metra commuter service, but they had been rebuilt and repainted Cascade green by then.
Like others have said the history behind what you model is awesome! You have done a great job weathering as well 👍🏼
Hi William - I very much appreciate your comments! Thank you for watching. Mike
THANK YOU...for sharing. One fantastic trip. I really like 40'' boxcars, I have a number of them, very colorful, just don't see them so much anymore on the model railroaders layout. Gary
Greetings Gary - I, too, like the 40' boxcars. I think the 1960's were the decade of colorful freight cars which left a great impression on me. Thanks, as always, for watching and for your comments! Mike
@@rimodeler7963 Yes Mike, I grew up in a small town just west of Warren, Oh. SN tower of the EL was located there, the late 60's and early 70's was a good time for me, I was in high school then and the EL ran just behind the high school and I can remember all those trains coming threw. What a hot spot to watch EL trains. Sure do miss that as I am sure we all do.
Absolutely love the historical info at the beginning. A very nice touch. There is also a zephyr that runs on my line through Denver to Winter Park . I am an N Scale modeler. Your scenery looks great. I paid particular attention to your grass near the track. i will be doing that soon and yours looks great. Thanks for uploading . I enjoyed watching. Brian
Hi Brian - I appreciate you taking the time to watch the video and thank you very much for your nice comments. Mike
I'm a big RI and CB&Q fan, but I was never aware of this particular train. It's awesome that you made this video and included all of the history behind it. I love it! Thank you for the awesome history lesson!
Hi Aidan - I'm glad the information was useful to you. The Zephyr Rocket was certainly not a glamorous train and ran overnight, so it didn't seem to get much coverage. Thanks for watching and for your comments. Mike
Burlington Route had a lot of E8s - maybe more than any other railroad (Erie Lackawanna had 18) So did The Rock. I read that in the later years, Rock Island bought a few Union Pacific E8s, presumably, for the road's commuter service. Don't remember where I read that. I think the source was Wikipedia. Also not sure if those units still ran in U.P. colors when the Rock first purchased them, but wouldn't be surprised. That'd be an interesting modeling angle, but the time frame may not have been in the middle 60s.
Tommy Thomason PRR had the most with 74 (A units alone), followed by New York Central with 62 (again only A units), CB&Q was third with 38
@@RailsOfTheSouthProductions Yes, thought of the NYC, but didn't want to dig it up again, lol.
The Rock purchased 5 E8As from UP in 1969, numbered 657-661. I can't say what they're assignments were initially but no doubt they found their way into freight and commuter service after Amtrak started up.
@@J3scribe The ex-UP "E' units were used on #17 and #18, and also on #7 and #10 before rebuilding for commuter service.
@@bcrnfan Heard someone comment that, unlike Erie Lackawanna, Rock Island did not re-gear the E8s for freight work, but that they performed well in freight duty, nevertheless. There are some great clips of Rock E8s in freight service here on You Tube. Man, they were flyin'!
At Elsberry, MO the freight train had three unique cars, I think hoppers but maybe tanks, that are running directly behind the locomotives. What type of cars are they? Would you give a description of them and what they were loaded with? I really like your layout. Its really nice. Good video work too with the area description inserted in at the corner of the screen. 👍
Hi William - The three cars are "Whale Belly" hoppers used for hauling cement. I acquired these brass cars about 15 years ago from Railway Classics. Thanks for watching and for your kind comments. Mike
Excellent video. Anything CB&Q or Zephyr related I really enjoy. Loved that 5 loco train as well as the Soo Line boxcars.
I appreciate you watching and providing commentary. Thanks so much!! Mike
Very nice video. I just happened to be at the restored West Liberty, Iowa depot today for a fall NMRA meeting. There were a few nice pictures there of the Zephyr Rocket stopped at the station. A very neat passenger train. Tony
Thanks, Tony, I appreciate it. The Zephyr Rocket was far from a glorious passenger train, but it soldiered on for many years. The mix of equipment made it a unique passenger train. Mike
Very interesting video. I saw this train many times and rode it a few times as well. The train only had the two baggage cars, RPO, and two coaches. The 4200 series express cars, Railway Express reefers, and 40' express boxcars weren't seen on these trains. The trains showed up in Manly, Iowa, and vendors came through the trains selling sandwiches while the train was fueled anf watered.
Hi bcrnfan - I always appreciate your comments. I suspected the 4200 series cars and 40' express boxcars may not have been in the consist, but I added them anyway. I have seen the REA Express reefers in a few photos of the ZR on the CB&Q portion of the route so I felt correct in placing it in the consist. Thank you for watching. Mike
Thanks for the history lesson. This is a great video very enjoyable, thank you for sharing. Dave
Hi Dave - I appreciate your comments and thanks much for watching. Mike
Well I'll be damned. That's a piece of railroad history I had no inkling of whatsoever. Thanks for a wonderful presentation!
Hi J. Lewis - You're welcome and thanks for watching! Mike
Awesome video thanks for sharing !
Thanks for watching and for your comment ....... I appreciate it. Mike
Great video! I had heard of the Zephyr Rocket but never knew much about it. Sounds like it would have been an interesting train to watch. Nice scenes on a great layout. I loved the CB&Q freight train!
Hi Gary - I really appreciate you watching the video and thanks much for your comments. Mike
Hi Mike, Thanks for posting another excellent and informational video. I guess the all the head end cars kept the train going long after the decline in passenger service made it profitable. I enjoying seeing the mixed consists of the passing freight trains.-Tom
Hi Tom - Yes, if not for the mail and express business I doubt it would have lasted until 1967. Thanks so much for watching and for your comments. Mike
Nice to see a P & E car in the freight train. I am from Pekin Illinois and the P & E had a yard in town. How many miles, typically. were the signals on the actual line, compared to your model?
Hi Todd - Signal spacing on a prototype railroad is based on the stopping distance of a train as well as other factors. Signal spacing, obviously, varies but would be 1 to 2 miles. I somewhat randomly placed the 9 signal locations on my layout which, in scale miles, is about 12.8 miles long. This translates to an average signal spacing of about 1.4 miles on my layout. Thanks for watching.
Mike
I gave up after the 2nd train had 5 engines on it! 5 locomotives on a 30 car train? Somewhat unrealistic.
Railroads constantly move locomotives to servicing locations for required inspections and maintenance. Power is also re-positioned to locations where needed to meet demand. As a result, it is not uncommon at all to see multiple diesels leading relatively short trains. I appreciate you taking the time to watch a portion of my video.