The Forgotten Locomotive That Was SUPPOSED To Replace the Zephyr

Video Description

The Pioneer Zephyr changed American railroading overnight, but its stunning success created a problem Burlington never anticipated. The lightweight, three-car streamliner was fast and iconic, yet it couldn’t be expanded, couldn’t handle heavier routes, and wasn’t built for the booming demand it created. That forced Burlington to find something new—something powerful enough to carry the Zephyr legacy into a nationwide streamliner network. This video uncovers the forgotten locomotive meant to solve that problem: the stainless-steel-clad EMD E5. Designed exclusively for the Burlington Route, the E5 carried over the Zephyr’s visual identity while delivering real road-locomotive muscle with dual 567 engines and a rugged A1A-A1A wheel arrangement. It was everything the original Zephyr wasn’t. Yet only a few years after entering service, the E5 was already overshadowed by newer E-units and the rapid advance of diesel technology during and after World War II. By the late 1940s, the locomotive built to replace the Zephyr was fading from Burlington’s premier trains, then from public memory. While the Zephyr became a museum piece and a cultural icon, the E5 quietly disappeared into scrap lines and obscurity. Today, only two survive, and the locomotive that was supposed to secure the Zephyr’s future has instead become one of its most overlooked chapters. #zephyrtrain #burlingtonzephyr --------- We do not fully own the material compiled in this video. It belongs to individuals or organizations that deserve respect and consideration. This video was created under the Fair Use Law Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976. "Fair use" is allowed for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, and research. It is transformative in nature, uses no more of the original than necessary, and has no negative effect on the market for the original work. #vintageamericanmachines #vintageengines