The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1935-04-05
Burlington
Twin ZePhyrs
To Enter Service Soon, Will Run
Chicago to Twin Cities, al
Miles in 800 Minutes.

From Chicago to the Twin Cities
of St. Paul and Minneapolis in
3e0 minutes-a cruising speed at
times reaching 100 miles an hour
that will be the daily task Of
the Twin Zephyrs, whose inaugu-
ration for April is announced by
Ralph Budd, Burlington presi-
dent.
The route of the Twin Zephyrs
will be west to Aurora and Sa-
wanna and then north along the
Mississippi river for 800 miles. At
no place in this water-level rail race
course does the grade exceed one
quarter of one per confidence,
the possibilities of sustained speed
are perhaps unmatched in Amer
lea.
Here with a minimum of grade
crossings and a boulevard of per-
fectly ballasted track, the real
challenge to highway and air
travel will be made. The prize is
the winning back of day travel to
the rails with the novelty and
swift service of streamlined, STAIN
less steel trains. These will be
driven by $50 horse-poWered die
sci engines, first pioneered by the
Burlington with the original Zeph-
yr in daily operation since Armis-
tice Sunday IN the Lincoln to
Kansas City roound-trip 50O-mile
run via Omaha.
The Twin Zephyrs are rapidly
nearing completion in the Phila-
delphia plant of the Budd Manu-
featuring Company. Except for
incidentalS. they are duplicates of
the first Zephyr. which made the
spectacular nonstop run of 1915
miles in 1875 minutes from Denver
to Chicago to reopen the Century
Of Progress.
Notable among other achieve
meNts Of this miracle train before
il went into actual service were
its coast to coast exhibitions in
c22 cities of 27 states and its
spectacular role as the lead in a
super motion picture feature en-
titled The Silver Streak" which
was shown at the Harriet the atre
in Hardin only a few weeks ago.
During its four-month career,
the first Zephyr has made a nota-
BILE record. 1t has wheeled off
10000 miles, replacing two steam
trains. and its capacity as a rev.
enue producer has been a revela-
ton to the Burlington manage
ment.
Daily interviews with passengers
aboard the train demonstrate that
80 per cent of the first Zephyr's
passengers would have travelled by
automobile. bus or airplane-a
sweet morsel to railroad statisti-
clans. who have seen 70oc of their
patronage fit away since 1920.
The first week of Zephyr opera
ton showed Is per cent curiosity
seekers and only 5 per cent pa
irons of competitive road and air
service. but in the subsequent
ninety days the ratio was re-
versed.
The two new Zephyrs differ in
passenger capacity from their pro-
totvpe, each supplying seats for
lightweight instead of seventy
two, although the first train will
be expanded into a four-car
train shortly with forty additional
seats.
The Burlington policy up to the
present regarding it's growing fleet
OF zephyrs is to use them in day.
time travel where the greatest in
roads have been made by highway
competition. The new twin CITY
service is nearly twice as far in
n direction as the pioneering
movement in the Missouri river
area. hence the use of Twins. one
leaving Chicago shortly after the
noon hour and the other at the
same moment departing from
Minneapolis. The running time
between Chicago and st. Paul for
the Twins in either direction as
at present planned will be six and
one half hours