Bathed in the light from a red signal, Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad Nebraska Zephyr “Silver Pilot” sits at the depot at the Illinois Railway Museum (IRM), Union, Illinois on September 16th, 2023, as it waits for its next night run as part of the museum’s 70th Anniversary celebration. The IRM ran trains continuously from 11am on Saturday until 5pm Sunday during the event.

According to the IRM website: The Nebraska Zephyr is the most famous train at the Illinois Railway Museum. It is an articulated streamlined train built entirely of stainless steel. The train is known as the “Train of the Goddesses” because each of its five cars is named after a classical deity. It is the only complete Zephyr train from the Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad in operation today.

When it was built, the Nebraska Zephyr was pulled by a two-unit set of “shovel nose” diesels. In later years it was commonly hauled by stainless steel E5 passenger diesels, and today the train is still hauled by the last surviving E5, CB&Q 9911A “Silver Pilot.”

Tech Info: Nikon D800, Nikon 10-24 @ 16mm, f/4, 15 seconds, ISO 100.