Dear Pioneer,

Ha! That was a bit of a gambit on the part of Mr. Paley. You’re right, he would have been perfectly suited to a position at Burlington. I’ve often wondered if engines on other railroads had the same sort of relationship with their marketing departments as we did with ours. I’ve never heard a Santa Fe engine accused of being ‘slick’ or ‘glib’, but I know we got that a time or two while in service. It’s funny, we never considered ourselves luxury engines, but the way some of the other trains talked about us, you’d think we were pulling gold cars and not silver ones!

Wholeheartedly agree that what ought to be inside should stay inside, whether that be people or engines. I’ve not been under-roof here except for a few hours for maintenance, but our barns are indeed quite cozy from what I’ve heard! They just finished the new electric carbarn in Yard #3 back in April and so far there’s been nothing but praise from everyone being stored there. It was pretty funny; since the barn didn’t have any electricity yet, they had Tuskegee 101 do the shunting! There were a great many snide comments made about how the place was brand new yet it still somehow smelled of old smoke, but it was all in good fun.

Each department here tries to store their most vulnerable and esteemed equipment first, to keep the most delicate ones from being damaged entirely beyond repair. Aside from the fact that there’s not really a full-fledged diesel department to build us one, that’s why me and the Goddesses have been kept outside on the wye. A little rain and wind won’t do us any harm at the moment and I haven’t been here long enough to have earned a spot otherwise. I’m not too worried though. There’s plenty of room and motivation to go around. There’s already plans for the next barn.

It always manages to slip my mind that your articulation meant your service life was different from mine in a basic, mechanical sense. I didn’t spend much time in a roundhouse myself (we were almost always on assignment or on our way to an assignment or waiting around to be assigned) but those moments of downtime under a roof, in the company of other engines, without cars to attend to… It was nice in its way, but it could devolve into arguments and sulking as quickly as any regular trainyard. Sometimes quicker! I promise, you weren’t missing much. You’re right, a yard can be just as companionable as a roundhouse or barn, and my train agrees. You can see who’s coming and going better out here.

And there was quite a bit of coming and going to observe! After a lot of hard work by volunteers and crew, the Green Hornet completed a successful test run on June 22nd. There was some uncertainty beforehand, as she’d been under maintenance since a brake failure in May, but everything was in fine working order this time. If we hadn’t seen it for ourselves, the cheering from all the onlookers would surely have tipped us off! There’s still work to be done before she’s ready to take passengers, but this is great news for the car department and the rest of the museum. My letter writer says the Green Hornets were iconic to the people of Chicago, and one in operational condition will be of interest to enthusiasts from the whole state, which means more visitors!

And this month, 1630 finally (finally!) finished her restoration! On the 18th she did her test run after coming out of the shop and was pressed into service the day after. She looks magnificent. One of the guys redid all her hand-painted lettering. With that on top of her new number plate and spray-painted gloss finish, she was a sight to behold! It was only somewhat tempered by the fact that she whistled loud enough to wake all the surrounding farms, but I think her celebration was well-deserved. The steam department said her restoration represented around 13,000 hours of work. That’s almost a year and a half! When they said it was probably the largest effort the IRM has undertaken to date, I believe them.

True to her disposition, she’s been working her tender off pulling cars for passengers and practically singing all the while, which is nice because next on the docket is Shay who goes in for some routine maintenance alongside Old Smokey and everything that will go into her restoration as well. The work never ends! At least 1630 is more than happy to pick up the slack.

And as for the biggest news– Hm, how to put this… Well, they’re working on getting me back on the line next! I didn’t want to talk it up too early, but they’re looking into problems with my air brake system and we’ve done several test runs recently that have shown some marked improvement on my prime mover. I know my letter’s getting quite long as it is, so I’ll have more details for you soon, I promise. I don’t mean to keep you in suspense, but it’s been a jam-packed month and a half and I wanted to make sure you and your yard got to hear about it all.

And of course, the faster I can wrap up my letter and get it sent, the sooner I get one back!

Your friend,

Pilot

Dear Pilot,

999 says that in her day, they didn’t do all these publicity stunts that started coming into vogue in the 20’s. As I’m sure you are wondering too, no, apparently breaking speed records or attending world’s fairs do not count. She means all the “circus antics” as she put it. I asked what specifically she meant, to give me an example, but she suddenly did not want to discuss it any further. I do wonder though if these “circus antics” didn’t come into style in the 20’s because we had just gotten out of a Great War and then stuck around because we went into a Great Depression. Maybe a birthday cake for a train – just as an example – would have seemed silly in the Gay 90’s, but certainly no one was going to say no to free cake in 1944.

It’s been a bit of a circus around here (and not just in the circus exhibit). We’ve had a lot of visitors over the past few months. Not just the usual kind, although we’ve had plenty of them too. We’re on track to break our attendance record again. Lots of famous people have come to visit us as well though and that always gets us in the paper and reminds everyone else to come see us. We had President Walter Scheel from West Germany last June and the Empress Farah Diba of Iran in July. She says she wants to make a museum like ours in her country.

Mick Jagger from the Rolling Stones visited too when the band came to Chicago to play a concert last month. My guides were particularly excited about him! They even sang a little bit of the band’s music for me. I don’t really understand it, but they were having fun and that’s always good for the museum too.

I hope I didn’t seem like I was lamenting my articulation. I do think roundhouses and your barns sound comfortable and friendly, but being an outdoor engine isn’t so bad. It’s even sort of a… vote of confidence, let’s say. That you and I and all my yardmates are outside is because our minders know we’re still strong enough to bear the weather. Not bad for a forty-year-old engine! And it isn’t as though we articulates weren’t given our own privileges. We had wyes built at all our termini so we could turn around (there was some back and forth over whether it was termini or terminuses when there’s more than one, but my guide likes the sound of termini better). We also had our own maintenance yard with special equipment to work on us. They called it the Zephyr Pit. I hear it’s still called that, even though we don’t use it anymore.

The work your museum does is truly amazing, both in results and volume. 13,000 hours on one engine is difficult to conceive of, let alone on one that’s been retired. That 1630 is making the most of her restoration immediately shows she appreciates every second they put into her. And that her jumping right in frees up your Shay to get her turn in the shops; it’s very familial, isn’t it? Sort of like how Æolus would cover the Twin Cities Zephyr for Pegasus or Zephyrus when they were due for overhaul. It would have been strange to think of doing such favors for engines from other railways when we were in revenue service, but we’ve both found ourselves with new fleets built out of fellow relics from our fallen flags. And navies, as it were. (2903’s loud snorting suggests I am getting a little sentimental for his liking.) As for your Green Hornet, I’ve never seen one, but my guide describes them as “cute”. I’m sure she’ll make herself a nice compliment to your CTA twins once she’s compliant with safety regulations.

Your people are very dedicated. Ours are too, obviously, but it’s a little different here than there. We don’t really need maintenance here the way you do, but we still have a lot of different kinds of support for us. Taxes and donations and things, official contributions so they create a sense of obligation, if that makes sense. Your people are accomplishing so much just out of a passion for your preservation.

I’m really happy they found you and brought you home to their railway. And that you are going to get your share of the hours put in. It won’t be long now before you and your Goddesses are pulling more weight among your museum’s fleet too.

Your friend,

Pioneer

Dear Pioneer,

I’m so pleased to hear about your special visitors and potential record attendance! It seems as though those circus antics paid off, at least during the summer. Some of our younger volunteers were also excited to hear about this Mick Jagger guy and lamented the fact that our museum was too far away for him to visit us. Famous people are very busy. Not unlike famous engines, in fact! I’m not either of those things, but you wouldn’t know it from what’s been going on the past few months.

I promised you more details and I’m finally able to deliver! As you know, September is the end of our usual operating season which traditionally concludes after Members Day, when all the hard work our staff and volunteers have done over the course of the year is shown off. A couple of the guys here made it their goal to get us operational before then.

I mentioned in my last letter that they ran some tests over the summer to determine what exactly needs work, since you might as well address all the problems at once. There’s the broken valve spring that put an end to our Members Day run two years ago, but one of my engines was inconsistent at best and I’ve been told I have a “mysterious” air brake system. Put simply, sometimes my emergency brake would kick on and no one was sure why! There’s also the various issues that come with being stationary for so long; Leaky seals and such that needed replacing, cleaning, repainting. It wasn’t an insignificant amount of work. I don’t want to say I wasn’t optimistic going in, but the list of to-dos seemed daunting to say the least.

You’re right when you say the people here are very dedicated. Through July and August the guys did everything they set out to do and more! They replaced a bunch of seals, improved the brake system by quite a lot, and got both my engines back in working order. It wasn’t a solo effort, and I’m very grateful to the people from Westinghouse Brake Co. and even EMD who offered their services and documentation to help the process along. It’s not unlike when U-505’s manufacturers helped with his restoration! I understand why Frisco was so optimistic during her overhaul. It’s hard to feel down when you have so many people around you doing their best to get you up and running again.

The Goddesses were as pleased about the time the team spent cleaning as they were about the mechanical work being done. You can imagine the state my interiors were in from being outside for so long. Vesta said there was 35 years worth of accumulation to undo, but I think surely someone must have swept me out at least once or twice while I was in service. That I can’t remember the exact details doesn’t mean it didn’t happen!

Anyway, the last step was steam cleaning and repainting before the big day. It didn’t feel like previous years where we were all holding our breath and crossing our fingers just hoping for the best. Even before they hit the starter, I knew we’d be off and running again. Everyone put in so much effort and time and care that being operational again was a foregone conclusion. It was well worth it just for the looks of excitement on the guests faces as we spent the whole day taking them up and down the line!

Of course, the rest of Members Day was a treat, as usual. Frisco and Tuskegee double-headed their train, so we got double the number of whistles and cheers when we pulled into the station since they were both waiting on the other track. I’m told double-heading for steam engines around here is quite special, since it requires so much coordination and effort for their crews. Needless to say both of them were quite boisterous and the visitors loved every minute.

More exciting now that the event is over is the prospect of being able to do this again, and soon. I’ve been stationary for so long with only one outing a year, the idea that we might be relied upon to take more passengers is a bit nerve-wracking! Mostly I’m happy for my train, who haven’t stopped raving about the delightful time they had during Members Day and how next year it’s going to be their turn for a steam cleaning and new paint job.

I know this has run long again and I apologize to both your reader and my writer. I just didn’t want to leave anything out! Everyone here is anxious to hear more about your operations as ours come to a close. We might be semi-operational again, but our museum won’t see any guests for another season, so we’d love to hear more about yours.

And as always, thank you for the kind words and encouragement.

Your friend,

Pilot

Dear Pilot,

It’s wonderful to hear you are in such fine form. You and your train have come a very long way from the state you were in when you arrived at your museum. And to think, all of the work you needed was seen through to the end by volunteers. It gives one a sense of pride in our service to know they cared so much to do it all on their own time and resources.

I am very happy to know there is now a full set of stainless steel keeping the Way of the Zephyrs in operating service again. (Nothing against our brothers in California, of course, but not being fully stainless steel, I consider them more of a spiritual successor.) You must be such a shining sight to behold. I wish I could see. Maybe your volunteers will send me a picture once you’re all steam cleaned and repainted?

As for our operations here, while we are closing down our yard for the winter season, inside they are putting in an ice cream parlor (just in time for the cold weather, haha!). It’s to be attached to the Yesterday’s Main Street exhibit, which is a replica of a typical Chicago street in 1910.

They’re calling it Finnegan’s Ice Cream Parlor, after the drugstore all the fixtures came from. There’s cabinets with glass doors and a big counter and a set of stained glass windows. They’ve all been preserved with the same kind of dedication and care that we have, all the way back from 1911 when they were first installed through to 1970 when they were donated to us. It’s a wonder too because all these things they’re putting in have changed hands and been moved to new locations and repurposed, but have been kept together all this time. There’s also a big collection of ice cream parlor tools and mementos they’re putting in the cabinets. Visitors will be able to look at all of them while they enjoy their ice cream in an authentic turn-of-the-century parlor.

I do wonder how much ice cream visitors will want to eat when it gets below freezing outside, but they do keep it comfortable indoors so who knows! If it’s not popular now, it will be in summer.

All of us in our yard send our congratulations on your train’s fantastic Members Day run and look forward to hearing about so many more that you’ll get tired of telling us.

Your friend,

Pioneer

Dear Pioneer,

Thank you for the kind words. The Goddesses were very flattered that you want to see our picture and have assured me that when the time comes, there will be so many pictures of our train that we’ll be spoiled for choice on what to send. Vesta suggested our letter writer might send a second envelope altogether, haha. I reminded her that stamps are expensive, but I’m very glad for the collective enthusiasm. I can’t remember the mood on this train being so light in a long time.

It’s wonderful to hear about your new ice cream parlor! I especially like that your visitors will be able to see the windows and fixtures in an authentic setting, being used for the things they were designed to do. It’s very… interactive! I don’t think the cold will deter your guests from enjoying the ice cream. Ceres says that people, children in particular, don’t mind eating cold food when it’s cold—especially ice cream. She would know better than an engine, I suppose! Personally, I think it sounds a bit like running your air conditioning in the snow. Maybe Finnegan’s can put hot chocolate on the menu during the winter months for cold guests who still want something sweet. (Gosh, that makes me sound very ‘Burlington’, doesn’t it?)

We have something similar here at the IRM, though it’s a bit more humble. Our East Union depot station on the main line is the original one from the nearby town of Marengo. It was originally built in 1851 and moved here to serve as our main line railway station in 1967 after it was retired. They actually cut the whole building into pieces and moved them on a flatcar, then reassembled them once it arrived. They tell me it was the first permanent structure on the property!

It’s nice, because it’s part of the local history as well as the history of railways in general. Not much of what we have at the IRM comes from this area specifically, especially now that we’ve grown so much that we can afford to take equipment from all over the country. That the first building on the property is something that locals have known and appreciated for its entire operating life—It feels like a fitting tribute.

Now it’s a nice spot for visitors to get out of the sun and wait for the trains while looking at old maps and brochures and pictures and various pieces of railway equipment that we received as donations. Venus says all of that stuff is called ‘ephemera’ which comes from a word that means “fleeting”, or only around for a short time. Of course, it’s part of our museum now, which makes it history!

All the steam engines and trolley cars have been winterized for their season-long vacation. During Members Day, I asked Frisco and Shay what they all get up to during the cold months when we have no visitors and Shay says it’s mostly talking about the old days and sleeping. They used to discuss their maintenance plans for the coming year, but Frisco said it often turned into a competition; Which she put a stop to last year by reminding everyone about every single thing they still had left to do for her restoration. “I’ve had enough work done for another service life. I win that argument every time,” were her words.

Of course, we’re all looking forward to our own list of things to be fixed out here on the wye, but for now it’s time for our volunteers to spend time with their families. The work will continue in January, I’m sure.

What are the MSI’s plans for the season? I have been looking at our museum in the snow and thinking about your Christmas trees and how wonderful they’re going to look! I think one day it might be nice for us to be open for a few days during the winter and hang up our own lights and things. They tell me engines always look good in the snow. I’ve been thinking about your yard in the snow, too.

Please wish everyone happy holidays from me and my train!

Your friend,

Pilot

Dear Pilot,

You and Ceres were right; despite the colder weather, the new ice cream parlor has been quite popular. I’m told it’s given Yesterday’s Main Street renewed interest. It looks quite dark in the postcard, but the ice cream parlour is bright and inviting. There was a picture in the newspaper of it that my guide thoughtfully clipped for me to send to you.

When we were new, everyone was so concerned with modernization and leaving the old behind. Give them thirty years though and now they are preserving not just us, but whole rooms and even entire buildings. Maybe since modern life goes at hundred miles per hour, it’s all people want to sit down, have some ice cream, and actually wait for a train.

As for the MSI’s holiday plans, there are too many to recount. All the trees for Christmas Around the World have been put up, of course. We’re also hosting a lot of cultural programs and dinners this month. Most of these are for countries represented by our trees and some nights more than one, but there was also one for Girl Scouts since they came in to decorate the American tree for us. Later this month, there’s going to be a lot of choral performances from local schools too. There’s so much happening indoors all at once that my guide says it’s a bit of a relief to come outside, even if it is cold.

We engines do look magnificent in the snow. In those early years, they used to shovel big piles of it onto our tracks for us to run into at speed. They called it “busting snow” and they would take pictures because they thought they could sell our shovelnoses as being good as snowplows. I’m not sure if we were really much better at it under less staged conditions, haha. We looked good at it though. There’s a really nice photo of one of my brothers with the snow bursting in front of him and flying out off his windows. It’s very dramatic and striking. I wish I knew which one he was; people often mistake that photo for me.

With our yard closed for the season, though, the guests only get to see the broad side of me and my train from the parking lot. Not my best angle and stainless steel can sometimes get lost in all that white, but at least U-505 serves as a backdrop for us to stand against. 999 and 2903 are looking much more picturesque with a nice dusting of powder. Their black liveries contrast so well against snow. They looked like a picture in a storybook together last week.

Snow used to feel very final to me. It marked the end of our working season, when they close off our yard for the year. My last run was on a snowy day too, you know. I wanted to go as fast as I could since I knew it was my last chance to, but also to draw it out as long as possible. My guide says people think of their lives in terms of seasons too and winter is the ending for them as well.

Ever since I’ve started asking about what goes on inside though, the cold weather doesn’t feel like an end at all. Things are still happening at my museum all through the winter and will be at yours when the new year starts too. As busy as it is, it’s nice to think of your winterized steam engines all buttoned up in their shed. Everyone has worked so hard this year, it’s nice to know you’re all getting a moment to sit and wait for spring too.

I’ll try then to appreciate the same in my own yard, but anticipating your next letter does help pass the time.

Your friend,

Pioneer

Dear Pioneer,

Thank you for the postcard and the newspaper clipping! Our letter writer walked down the whole train with both to make sure the Goddesses got a good look at them. Ceres was very interested in the photo of the ice cream parlour in particular.

Some old railcars on static display get turned into restaurants, so she was curious about what a stationary dining establishment would look like. Vesta was not particularly kind about it and said old cars still look like old cars no matter how you dress them up, but the rest of the train was impressed anyway.

The Goddesses are looking forward to their own restoration, so I think seeing the inside of something old polished up and made to look new again is exciting for them. When they restore us engines, interior work doesn’t usually look pretty to most people (unless you count our mechanics, haha). Interior work on a car is a different proposition, especially high-end passenger cars like our trains. They have to look nice! It’s art vs. science all over again.

I’ve heard of busting snow! We never did it as a staged thing, or really at all if we could help it (passengers don’t find it as appealing as people looking at pictures do) but sometimes the bigger engines who ran ahead of the snowplows would brag about the size of the drifts they’d busted. Mate never really believed them, but it was harmless siding talk so I never minded if it was really true. I should have liked to see a slant-nose do it though! Burlington always went out of their way to make their stainless steel equipment look good, and I’m sure those promotional photos were no exception.

There’s been a little activity around the museum as the guys from the shop take stock of what needs doing in the coming year. They didn’t stop by our spot on the wye for very long, but that’s not unusual. Being outside means work on us has to wait until it’s properly warm and there’s less of a chance of everyone getting rained on. Every engine and car under-roof will be getting a visit from the shop guys very soon though. They tell me they’re planning on getting Green Hornet ready for the summer months and everyone’s very excited for her!

It’s funny that you mentioned snow feeling like the end. Us E5s did our first runs in the January snow, so to me the cold always reminds me of a fresh start. What was your final run like? Was it regular service or a special event?

The thought of everyone in your peaceful yard looking like a little Christmas storybook was a nice one, especially during those particularly dark and dreary days at the tail-end of the year. Please send New Year’s greetings to everyone from me and my train!

Your friend,

Pilot

Dear Pilot,

Who knew seeing our ice cream parlour would be so aspirational for your Goddesses? If I remember right, your cars had beautiful interiors. I’m sure your volunteers can get them looking brand new again, inside and out. Vesta shouldn’t worry about her age; I’m sure a little reupholstery and a good shine would have all your cars looking like the day they were delivered.

I like to think me and my train were holding up well when we retired. People still wanted to take pictures, at least.

It was a funny thing actually. I had two last runs, revenue and a special. The funny thing though was that a few years earlier in ‘57, they announced I’d be retired and I don’t think anyone had any designs to make any sort of fanfare of it. One newspaper even supposed I might be scrapped and sent to “a roundhouse in the sky”. (I’d hope not; I’d have to lose my cars to fit in it.) They reconsidered though and put me on a local between Lincoln and St. Joseph instead.

I suppose a lot must have changed in three years. When they decided I was really, truly going to be retired in ‘60, they had all these ideas about putting me up somewhere. In the 50’s, they started displaying retired steam engines in parks and next to train stations. There was this one the Sante Fe put up in a park in Atchison (2903 says he thinks it was No. 811) who had apparently become a bit of an attraction and St. Joseph particularly wanted me for that. Our railroad also thought I might look nice outside of the headquarters. There was even talk of the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. (but they had to settle for my original engine).

I’m happy to have ended up at the MSI though. A park wouldn’t have had room for anyone but me and my cars. I’d have missed out on such wonderful company.

Once they decided that’s what was to be done with me, they announced my last revenue service: February 20th, 1960. That run was fairly uneventful, snowy as well. Mr. Ottens, my engineer for my first revenue service, came out to see me one last time though. He was there waiting right as I pulled into Lincoln. It was quite nice of him, really. He said it was hard to quit the railroad after so long and I certainly knew what he meant.

I had to go to the shops in Aurora to be refurbished before I could come to the MSI. Mr. Able, the assistant general passenger agent back then, arranged for the trip to be a special run so people could take one last ride with me. (It was also a way to sell tickets on a trip I’d have otherwise been deadheading. Burlington to the last.)

It was March 20th, Lincoln to Galesburg with stops in Omaha, Creston, Fairfield, Ottumwa, and Burlington. We left at 8:00 AM.

I didn’t know it when we set out, but two of our passengers had rode with us on our first revenue service and another had been on our Dawn-to-Dusk run. I had 50 passengers starting out and more boarded as we made each of our stops. Since 500 had been removed from our consist, we didn’t have enough seats for all of them as more people got on. They had set up chairs in 505 to accommodate them, but it was less comfortable. I remember her being quite vocal on the subject, wishing she still had her seats and buffet grille. 570 and I were both a bit short with her about it, which I regretted later. It’s only natural to want your last run to be ideal, but we didn’t want to ruin it by focusing on how we wished things were. The feelings were complicated for all of us that day.

As we crossed the state line, we stopped before the bridge in Plattsmouth so the passengers could get out and take pictures. No snow busting this time, but I remember a particularly lovely photo of my cars just as we’re rolling onto the bridge; 570 in the foreground and 505 behind her, bright white snow all around (I was behind a sign, but I think a picture of the end of my train for the end of our run is rather poignant). We made another short stop on the bridge itself so they could take more pictures and then we carried on into Iowa.

My engineer that day, Mr. White, was blowing my horn through all the towns we passed through. It was so similar to the horn abuse on my Dawn-to-Dusk run that I wondered if I might not lose speed. Not that I would have particularly minded. I at once wanted to go as fast as I could because I knew I’d never get the chance again, but I also wanted my last run to last as long as possible. I would obviously never wish for a malfunction, but if I had to stop and stay on the rails a little longer, it wouldn’t have been the worst thing to happen. My horn worked fine with no loss of power but we did get up to the speed limit a time or two, which is as good a bargain as I could have asked.

We arrived a bit early in Ottumwa so people waiting for other trains at their station had a spare minute to inspect me one last time, while my own passengers got out to stretch their legs. They came back to tell me that there was a steam engine displayed on the other side of the station, No. 3001, who sent along her congratulations and admiration for my service. I found out later that she was one of the first Æolus’ sisters. She’d been set up on the other side of the station the past Labor Day. I wish I could have spoken to her directly or at least returned her well-wishes, but there wasn’t time to send someone back around to the other side of the station by then.

When we arrived in Burlington, they wanted to take more photos on the Mississippi River bridge. They had us do a staged run on it where we crossed over it, let everyone off, and then backed up so they could take photos and film of us approaching. It made the last shots of us in motion look especially dynamic.

The final stop of the run was Galesburg. There was one last crowd waiting for us. 5:30 P.M. on the dot and that was the end of our revenue service. We were to stay there for the night before heading to Aurora the next day, but as for our passengers, the California Zephyr and Kansas City Zephyr were there to take them the rest of their way. They were so tall, just like Silver Bullet. It was comforting to hand my passengers off to other Zephyrs. I could trust any Burlington engine with them, of course, but to have it have be Zephyrs was more meaningful. I knew they wouldn’t just be carrying our passengers to their destinations, but carrying on our service as well.

When I first came to the MSI, I didn’t think of my last run as a happy memory. Even – or maybe especially – when we are to be preserved, I don’t think any of us are ready to quit. I realized that I was very well cared for in my last day of service. Most engines don’t get such a ceremonious end to their working lives. It was all done because even if it was time for us to retire, they wanted us to know we weren’t going to be forgotten.

Despite how conclusive snow feels, everything does become new again once it melts, doesn’t it? It marks the start of a new year and all the things that start in it. I took my last run in snow and found I still had service waiting for me once it cleared.

It only makes sense that the second generation of Zephyrs should have emerged from snow too.

Your friend,

Pioneer

Dear Pioneer,

Have I said recently how much the yard looks forward to your letters? Of course it goes without saying that I always do, but it only occurred to me that everyone else loves getting them just as much when our letter-writer brought the last one out to us and seemed excited that there were two whole pages to read. My train have been keen on your longer letters recently (I think they’re hoping for another submarine story) but after the line about being reupholstered it took about a minute before everyone was quiet enough to continue listening, haha. Once they did though, I think they enjoyed it as much as any submarine story.

When you talk about your history, I feel like I’m there. Is that strange? Venus says that’s the mark of a skilled storyteller. Vesta said it was the good fortune of a famous engine to have stories worth telling. Personally, I think you could probably make a day in the yard sound interesting, but then again Mate always said I was too easily impressed. But can I help it if it’s easy to imagine seeing you fly over the rails in the snow? Your passengers and all the people in the towns you passed must have thought you were the grandest thing running! And being so close as to catch a greeting from an already-preserved engine feels… Well, it feels a bit like finding out that the Pioneer Zephyr– who lives in the city nearby– wants to be pen pals. Fortunate indeed!

Having two last runs isn’t dissimilar to what happened to us on the C&S in 1967, oddly enough. Maybe it’s an unofficial Zephyr tradition? They didn’t mean to give us two, but when we were retired in October, the railroad realized they didn’t have enough engines for all their trains and we were called back up into service for a few more months pulling drag freight. I wish our second retirement run was as grand as yours, but by the time we were headed up to McCook, we were all just tired. None of us wanted to quit, like you said, but being re-geared to haul miles-long freight trains was not what we’d been built for. In a way, a rest sounded nice regardless of what came next.

Usually this is where I would say that March is still considered part of our slow season and we’re waiting for the weather to get better before anything of note happens here, but last month something very interesting happened! The news wanted to do a special feature on local attractions, so they came to our museum to talk to the staff and volunteers about their work on one of the private cars, Ely.

Ely is very special, so I get why they wanted to do a feature on him. He’s a private railcar built during the 1890s for special guests of the railroad to travel in comfort. The camera crews from the television studio came out and took some film of his beautiful Gilded Age exterior; red and gold and very intricate. Not very much like streamliner, but lovely all the same. Apparently he took very well to the attention! You’d never know he was built before television was even invented with how he preened for the camera.

The staff here were very excited about the news program. Not only is being featured on the television good for Ely and his restoration, but it’s good advertising for the museum too! A few years ago we did spots on the radio telling people about coming out to visit us. The folks here say the TV is like that but even better because people can see what we have to offer with their own eyes. It’s no Silver Streak, but still very Burlington!

But it’s not all lazing about for the film crews around here. Illinois Terminal 101 is starting her restoration soon, and I’ll be getting ready for some test runs myself! It’s looking to be quite the busy season ahead of us. I hope your spring season is looking just as eventful.

Your friend,

Pilot

Dear Pilot,

My yard is just as excited about your letters as yours is of mine. My yardmates mostly pretend to mind their own business when it’s being read. I think they are just trying to give me my privacy, but that seems to go out the window when it comes time to write back. I don’t mind if they listen or if they help reply though. It’s always a good day on our lawn when we’re catching up on our mail and I’d have less to say if they didn’t!

Venus is very kind with her compliments and Vesta is also right. I have been very lucky. Not only have I been given so many stories to tell, but I was also given many examples of how to tell them over my service life. If I am a good storyteller now, it’s because I got to learn by listening to all my friends telling other people about me.

It’s a little embarrassing to admit, but when I first came to the MSI, I didn’t really appreciate that I was being given a new job or how well prepared for it I’d been. When you talk about your last run… In ‘67, I’d have probably still been foolish enough to want to be there with you. Even now, it still makes me wish I could have lent a wheel, although I can at least say it’s because it sounds grueling and I’d have wanted to help a friend, not just because I’d be back on the rails too. I wouldn’t have been much use though. Even if you weren’t built to haul freight, that you did it at all is impressive to me.

As fortunate as I’ve been, to still be here to tell my stories, I feel even more so that you have as well.

Perhaps your train would like to try telling a story too? You know, we shovelnoses were custom built for our routes and so we didn’t really see much of each other once we were in service. Maybe they could tell me a story about Pegasus? They would have known her much better than I did and I’m always happy to hear about my siblings.

We’re just opening back up here in our yard now that the days are getting brighter, but it turns out, things happen at our museum when we’re closed too! My guides say there’s a big counter inside in the farm tech exhibit that says how many people there are in the world. Would you guess that there are four billion now? The counter just rolled over on the 27th last month. I imagine it would have been quite the spectacle, but it happened at night when no one was there to see it! By the time the museum opened the next day, a hundred thousand more people had been born. And we thought we were hatching chicks so quickly, haha!

My guides also think your Ely sounds very similar in spirit to our Rocket. I’ve mentioned him before and that I’ve never met him myself, but I did meet his brother at the Chicago Railroad Fair in 1948. They’re both replicas of the original Stephenson’s Rocket so they have that same regal 19th century styling like Ely and 999 have. They’re so fancy even that they have crowns on top of their funnels! They have a third “half” brother too – or so our Rocket likes to joke to his visitors – who lives at museums in both New York and London because he’s been cut in half to show how he works. Apparently U-505’s guides mentioned the U-boat at the Deutsches Museum to the Rocket and he thought it was very amusing to have something in common with the submarine outside. U-505 didn’t have anything to say back though. Explaining why it’s funny might be beyond his English.

There’s actually a lot of Rocket replicas because they still have the original plans, but our Rocket and his brothers were made in the 30’s by the original Robert Stephenson & Co. works so they consider each other to be more brothers than the others. The one I met at the Railroad Fair was fully operational, steam and all, but our Rocket was always meant to be a stationary display that just demonstrates his movement. I say I was well prepared for preservation, but he was made exactly for this and has been doing it nearly as long as I’ve been around. I wish I could see him at work. I might learn something!

2903 and 999 are scoffing at the idea that an engine who’s never pulled a train could have anything worthwhile to teach one who has. U-505 defended him, though, saying the Rocket is “built to his purpose” which they didn’t have a response to.

Maybe U-505 understands his humor after all.

It’s great that people are going to get to see your museum and such a wonderful example of your stock on the television. Whenever the television comes here, people want to see us for themselves too. Picking a particularly eye-catching passenger car with a winning personality for the job is indeed very Burlington. As much as we engines have learned to entertain our visitors, our cars were “built to purpose” for charming people and making them feel welcome. Ely sounds like he was a particularly good choice.

Your visitors will know they’ve made a good choice too when they see you and all your yardmates and all the great things being done at your museum.

Your friend,

Pioneer