AFTERNOON RITUAL: CHECKING THE ZEPHYR
WORKING FOR THE BURLINGTON ROUTE at Chicago Union Station as an assistant passenger agent during the summer of 1967, one of my duties was making sure each long-distance train was spotlessly ready to accept passengers after it backed in from the coach yard. Had carpets been vacuumed properly? Were car line numbers accurate after a last-minute equipment swap? Were the washrooms clean? (We did have a recurring problem with baby cockroaches on a dome coach normally assigned to the Kansas City Zephyr).
The highlight of those afternoon trips through the Empire Builder-North Coast Limited, Denver Zephyr, and California Zephyr, however, was passing through their dining cars. Walking in, the aroma was always different depending on the train and it usually prompted an obligatory cracker snatch from baskets already set on tables. Cooks and waiters were understandably busy for the Builder’s lunch service (it left at 1:15 p.m.) and the Denver train’s dinner (5 p.m. departure), but there always seemed to be a surprising beehive of activity in the California Zephyr’s kitchen, even though it was carded out at 2:30 p.m. Roasts were being placed in ovens, vegetables sliced, and soups getting stirred. The crew was pleased someone from management was taking an interest in their handiwork — with a camera, no less. A laborintensive operation? No question; it was a different era in food preparation. Yet here were skilled employees with plenty of pride making sure the meals they put on the table were just as memorable as the train and scenery their customers had paid to ride. — Bob Johnston