Amtrak's California Zephyr turns 75 and is still chugging

As passengers boarded the daily 2 p.m. train at Union Station for San Francisco, they were greeted with cake and balloons marking the anniversary. Fans love the scenic vistas, ample legroom and unhurried pace.

By Mitch Dudek

Passengers boarding the California Zephyr on Tuesday afternoon were served cake as Amtrak celebrates the 75th anniversary of the line. The trip from Chicago to San Francisco takes 51 hours and 20 minutes.

All aboard!

The California Zephyr just turned 75, and the Chicago-to-San Francisco Amtrak train — known for its breathtaking scenery — is still chugging along.

A ceremony with cake and balloons was held Tuesday at Union Station to mark the occasion before the train’s daily 2 p.m. departure.

“It’s legendary. I had to see it for myself,” Adam McBride, a waiter from Philadelphia, said before embarking on the 51 hour and 20 minute journey.

With any luck, he’ll be able to look out the window and see the bald eagles that are known to hang out along the Mississippi River as the train passes from Illinois into Iowa.

The trip is timed so that passengers can sleep through the monotony of Nebraska and wake up to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado before heading into Utah’s desert.

Amtrak 150 Spanish Fork Canyon Original Size.jpg — The California Zephyr rolls through Spanish Fork Canyon in Utah.

Ahead of its maiden voyage on March 20, 1949, an advertisement in the Chicago Daily News — which later merged with the Sun-Times — declared: “See for yourself what it’s like to sit in a ‘Penthouse on Wheels.’”

Passengers could take in the views from the glass “vista dome” cars.

And while observation cars are still a key selling point, one feature from back in the day is gone for good: Zephyrettes, the train’s equivalent of flight attendants.

Zephyrettes had to be between 5 feet 4 and 5 feet 8 and be able to fit into a stylish uniform.

Their run ended — along with the fine china and real silver in dining cars — when the California Zephyr, which had been run by several private railroad companies, was discontinued in 1970. The name was resurrected by Amtrak in 1983.

Cathy Moran was one the last of the Zephyrettes, serving until the last of the original California Zephyr trains ceased oepration in 1970. She is pictured here with Ernie von Ibsch, a Western Pacific brakeman who later became her husband.

The train is affectionately known as “The CZ” and “Silver Lady” by rail fans.

As Iris Berto, 23, boarded the train Tuesday, she looked forward to napping. “Train naps are the best thing ever. The rocking of the train puts you right to sleep,” she said, noting she can stretch out a bit more than she’d be able to on an airplane.

A neon sign on the California Zephyr features an image of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Marc Magliari, a spokesman for Amtrak, told passengers: “We don’t want anyone to miss your train this afternoon, but please help yourself to a piece of cake.”