Skip to main content
Pioneer Zephyr
Society
Main Category
Sub Category
Era
Date Created
Location Country
us
Coordinates
41.790556, -87.582778
Address1
Museum of Science and Industry
Address2
E. 57th Street and Lake Shore Drive
City
Chicago
State
Country
Creator

In the late 1920s, the automobile cut railroad passenger service by more than half. The debut of the Pioneer Zephyr heralded a comeback in 1934, touring the country and being seen by some two million people in 222 cities.

The Zephyr was the first diesel-powered, stainless-steel streamlined train. Its luxurious accommodations and powerful engine could effectively compete for freight traffic with a burgeoning trucking industry. Many innovations were incorporated: Budd's shotweld process, a unit injector, and a welded steel crank case. The engine was design to travel at 110 miles per hour, performing four times that of steam locomotives.

This train, designed and built by the Budd Company, carries a Winton 8-201-A two-stroke-cycle diesel engine with eight cylinders in-line, developing 600 horsepower direct-connected to a 600-volt dc generator. The lightweight and compact unit was developed by General Motors Corporation following the acquisition of Electro-Motive Corporation and Winton Engine Company in 1930. The 201-type was a significant development in the replacement of the steam locomotive by diesel-electric power. By 1961, the United States had converted to diesel trains. The Pioneer Zephyr was retired May 26, 1960, after some 3.2 million miles.

First US diesel-powered, stainless-steel streamlined train
Image Credit
Courtesy Flickr/Steve Wilson (CC BY 2.0)
Image Caption
Pioneer Zephyr

We hope you enjoyed this essay.

Please support America's only magazine of the history of engineering and innovation, and the volunteers that sustain it with a donation to Invention & Technology.

Donate

Stay informed - subscribe to our newsletter.
The subscriber's email address.