California Zephyr Railcar Charters

09/13/2022

If this is the new and improved facebook interface they can have it. All I get are off-target ads. Phooey.

12/21/2019

Anybody interested in purchasing some Budd brake discs? We have 12, which range from unused to very slightly used. Crated and ready to mount. Email me at for more information.

04/26/2019

Sunday, May 5, 2019: Enjoy a trip from Los Angeles to Oakland aboard a former Milwaukee Road Super Dome. This increasingly rare opportunity is presented by Altiplano Railtours. Departs Los Angeles Union Station 10:10 AM, Arrives Oakland 9:24 PM. Tickets available at www.showclix.com DON'T MISS THIS!
There are no longer any dome cars that call the west coast home, thanks to policies Amtrak put into effect last year.

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09/30/2018

It's been an exciting 33 years since we acquired the first of the Silver Fleet. The era drew to a close when we delivered the cars to their new owner, Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad in Peninsula Ohio, near Cleveland. We're thrilled that the CVSR got the cars, and we know they will be enjoyed by thousands more people over the coming years!

09/03/2018

Yesterday we passed another milestone. The company had been renting a storage unit for 31 years--ever since our first car came to Anaheim. Yesterday we emptied it out. It's been a week-long intensive task. Most of what it contained made its way to our baggage car for the new owners. Still, there's lots that have gone, or will go, to scrap as we find it's no longer of practical use. Later this week our cars begin their journey to their new owner and yet another milestone will be passed.

01/26/2017

Only a couple of days left to take advantage of our Early Bird discount for our Spring transcontinental trip--"It's Spring--Let's Ride a Train!" We'll take our "Silver Fleet" from Los Angeles to Oakland, then on to Chicago via "The Scenic Way Across America". Departing Chicago, we'll take the Capitol Limited to Washington DC just in time to enjoy the sights and aromas of the Cherry Blossoms! Our trip ends in Charlotte, NC for those wishing to go all the way. Visit our website :www.CalZephyrRailcar.com for more details! Departs Los Angeles March 28. Welcome aboard!

12/27/2016

Check out our website for opportunities to travel aboard our "Silver Fleet" in 2017! We'll be making a couple of transcontinental trips. The first one will go from Los Angeles to Washington DC and Charlotte, NC via the route of the California Zephyr. Dates are March 28-April 3. With luck, the Cherry Blossoms in Washington should be at their peak!

We will also be making a trip from LA to Huntington WV, again, on the Zephyr Route, in mid-October.

Check them out, and be sure to join us!

08/25/2016

08/25/2016

King of Instruments Tour, Aug 22 and 23: After returning to Portland Monday afternoon, we visited the Bond Organ Builders, Inc. shop. Visit their website: www.bondorgans.com. Our gracious host, Richard Bond, conducted our tour, showing the various stages of building a pipe organ from the console to voicing. Aug 23 we visited Zion Lutheran Church, which has a new Martin Ott organ. Its capabilities were demonstrated by organist Floy Berentsen. Then, before heading back to the train we visited 1st Presbyterian Church, with its Jaekel tracker organ. The church is done in a stunning craftsman gothic style, and was surprisingly non-reverberant, although the Jaekel organ has plenty of horsepower! The church also has its original pipe organ, restored to excellent playing condition by Bond Organ Builders. Our thanks to Greg Homza, organist/choirmaster for a great demonstration. On to Oakland!

08/22/2016

King of Instruments, August 21: We all slept in a little bit Sunday morning, then visited Plymouth Church in downtown Seattle. Organist Wanda Griffiths treated us to a wonderful demonstration of the new Fisk organ, built in a French romantic style. The organ is just as much at ease playing Bach and Buxtehude as it is playing Franck and Vierne. A joy to behold! Then we battled area traffic to visit Pacific Lutheran University's Lagerquist Music Hall with its marvelous Paul Fritts organ. University Organist Jonathan Wohlers gave us a brief history of the instrument followed by a demonstration of its capabilities. Don't miss a concert there if you are in the area! Thank you Wanda and Jonathan for yet another great day!

08/21/2016

King of Instruments, August 20: Our morning started with a visit to St James Roman Catholic Cathedral in Seattle. The cathedral has one of the very few Hutchings-Votey organs still in existence. Other than some mechanical upgrades, the organ is largely original and is a joy to hear. The cathedral also has Rosales Opus 30, which beautifully compliments and contrasts the Hutchings-Votey organ. When the two are playing in concert the effect is breathtaking! Host Cathedral Organist Joseph Adam outdid himself demonstrating the voices as well as discussing the history of the cathedral itself and of the organ journey. After lunch we visited St Mark's Episcopal cathedral for a demonstration of the Flentrop organ in the west gallery. At the time of its building, 50 years ago, it was the largest tracker (direct mechanical connection from key to pipe valve) organ in the US. It truly sings! Cathedral organist Michael Kleinschmidt gave us a very extensive demonstration of this unique instrument's voices and played several works, including Bach's Toccata and Fugue in F, BWV 540. Dessert was a short demonstration of the Fritts organ in the Cathedral's chapel. Back to the railcars for dinner, then it was off to the Seattle Paramount where we were treated to a demonstration of this organ, which I believe is the last theater organ to remain in its original installed location in Seattle. Several guests joined the tour, and two of our guests took turns playing this wonderful instrument!

08/21/2016

August 18, after arriving Portland and after dinner aboard the railcars, we visited the Roller Rink in Oaks Park, which has the Wurlitzer organ from the Broadway Theater in Portland. The organ is in the open, suspended from the ceiling of the rink. People may skate around and under this wind machine. Regrettably, nobody in our group was feeling frisky enough to don a pair of skates! August 19 we took a hiatus from pipe organs and visited Multnomah Falls and Mt Hood, where we had lunch at the Timberline Lodge.