The Nebraska Zephyr

The Nebraska Zephyr, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

I've photographed the Zephyr a number of times, and have related it's story here once before. Suffice to say, I always take advantage of any opportunity to photograph this beautiful machine. It is truly one of a kind.

I was also pleasantly surprised to see it during this visit to the Illinois Railway Museum. It wasn't scheduled to operate that Saturday, so I was surprised when I walked through it's storage shed to discover a big, Zephyr sized empty space and the bouquet of diesel fumes. It appears that they pulled it out and parked it to...I don't know, warm it up? Test the air conditioning? Whatever the reason, it was parked on a gentle curve, perfect for the classic old-school brochure shot. I secretly think it was done on purpose!

Nebraska Zephyr

Nebraska Zephyr, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

The illuminated signboard on the back of the Nebraska Zephyr, a restored train set currently running at the Illinois Railway Museum.

Lincoln-Zephyr

Lincoln, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Originally introduced as a sort of budget marque to slot in between V-8 Fords and the big Lincoln Model K, the Lincoln-Zephyr's modern looks and smooth V-12 power made it a very popular car, more so than it's larger, more expensive stablemate. One of the first successful "streamlined" automotive designs, the Lincoln-Zephyr revitalized sales at Lincoln dealerships, and by 1940 most sales were Zephyrs. One of those designs that was right from the start, the Zephyr was able to be put back into production after World War Two with very few changes, the most major being the elimination of the Zephyr name.

I think this '39 makes an excellent TtV subject, especially in black and white.