BACKTRACKING
The (Other) Zephyr Newspaper in 1945
by
Terry Hogan
While
making a tour of some of GalesburgÕs antique stores, I came across a small
format employee newspaper published by the Burlington Route during WWII. What initially caught my eye was the
name of the paper. It was quite a surprise in itself. But after a quick
examination, it became obvious that this old employee newspaper was just chuck
full of information that I found fascinating, as a local history buff.
The
Zephyr
First,
for the name of the old employee newspaper. It was none other than The Zephyr. So much for originality, I guess. The particular
issue that I bought was a ÒSpecial ServicemenÕs EditionÓ and was Volume 8,
Number 2, dated March and April, 1945. Thus I assume it was a bimonthly
publication and had been around for about 8 years. The banner showed a drawing
of both a coal-fired locomotive and the newer stainless steel streamliner Zephyr
train.
New
Glass Dome Passenger Car Under Consideration
On
the front page was an article entitled ÒBurlington Will Have Glass-Dome
Passenger CoachÓ. This was
apparently the first announcement in this employee paper of plans to consider a
ÒÉsensational new-type passenger car embodying a raised glass-enclosed dome
from which travelers will be able to see forward as well as sidewalls and
backwardÓ. The article explains that the company was going to take one
of the stainless steel cars out of service and modify it for an upper level and glass dome as soon as practical to
determine if it warrants the enthusiasm that currently exists for the new
design. The new proposed design
came from General Motors, according to the article that quoted BurlingtonÕs
president, Ralph Budd.
The
new design was made possible by two factors. First the new stainless steel cars sat lower than the old
passenger cars, avoiding a clearance problem for adding extra height to the
cars. Second, the new glass
developed for WWII bomber noses and ÒblistersÓ (gunner areas in bombers), was
suitable for this purpose. The anticipated domes would provide the same views
currently only available from the cab or the cupola of a caboose. It was clear in this brief article that
this opportunity to provide views of mountains, river valleys and tunnels was
not lost on the management of the railroad.
This
was obviously a success. It became a classic feature of the railroadÕs cross
country passenger trains.
New
Burlington Air Service
There
is no shortage of interesting news in this single issue. It also announces that
the Burlington Railroad had applied for approval to engage in aviation as a
Òcertificated carrierÓ. The
Burlington Transportation Company was going to establish an air division and
conduct air operations ÒÉwith a view to providing the public with efficient,
safe and comfortable air transportation and of utilizing that service in
conjunction with rail and highway service to the greatest practicable extentÓ.
Surprisingly, at least to me, the article notes that
at least initially, the Burlington air services would be limited to the
operation of helicopters. The goal
was to provide scheduled air transportation to 47 communities which would
otherwise be deprived of scheduled service.
I
am unaware of this venture ever Òtaking offÓ (sorry). I have done a quick
Internet search and have found no reference to aviation service provided by the
railroad. If a reader is aware of the Burlington in the flying business, please
let us know.
Burlington
Zephyr Over Germany
Although
not in the airline business, it seems that there was at least one railroad
connection with flying. However, it dealt with carrying bombs, not passengers. The
Zephyr newspaper includes a photo and
a brief article about a B-24 Liberator bomber involved with the bombing of
Germany. Two members of the crew were
from Burlington, Iowa. They
were Staff Sergeants Archie Brajkovich and Eugene Loose. At the time of the article, each had
over 30 missions to his credit.
Their bomber, shown in the photo with the two men, displayed ÒBurlington
Iowa ZephyrÓ nose art.
Galesburg
Man in Uniform
In
a column entitled ÒWith Uncle SamÓ, Sergeant Kenneth M. Burke (ÒGalesburg storeÓ)
is listed a mechanic on a 15th Air Force bomber in Italy. Somebody, presumably the unknown addressee of the newspaper
had written in ink ÒKnow himÓ underneath the brief mention of Sergeant
Burke. This little story has no
known ending. I donÕt know if Sgt.
Burke survived the war, returned to Galesburg, and returned to his railroad job
or not.
Such
was the news from the 1945 Zephyr paper.
We know that the dome car was a success and was adopted by the
railroad. I think I know that
helicopter service was not undertaken by the Q, but as the old saying goes, ÒNo
amount of not finding something proves that it does not exist.Ó