The Pioneer Zephyr - America’s first Stainless Steel Streamline Train

In 1934 the Budd Company(a 20th-century metal fabricator, a major supplier of body components to the automobile industry) built the first Pioneer Zephyr. The Zephyr was a diesel-powered train that was built by for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (reporting mark CBQ) was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States). This train consisted of a power/RPO car, a baggage/buffet/coach car, and a coach/observation car. And what set the Zephyr apart from other trains was that the cars were all made of stainless steel!   The construction of the train pioneered recent advances such as shotwelding (Shot welding is a type of spot welding used to join two pieces of metal together) to join the stainless steel, also using unibody construction and articulation to reduce weight.   Originally named the Burlington Zephyr during its demonstration period, it eventually was renamed the Pioneer Zephyr.   On May 26, 1934, the train set a speed record for travel between Chicago and Denver when it made a 1,015.4 mile (1,633 km) non-stop "Dawn-to-Dusk" dash in 13 hours 5 minutes at an average speed of almost 124km/h (74 mph). At one point in the run it reached a speed of 181km/h (112.5mph)! This historic dash also inspired the 1934 film and the train's nickname, "The Silver Streak".       Sleek… silver… lightweight…beautiful to look at… yes! We’re talking about our range of stainless steel kitchens.  And we can tailor make every item in our bespoke stainless steel kitchens to your designs.