In 1967, passenger service in the US was a dim prospect. Most roads were losing money on the trains, and looking for any reason they could think of to abandon service. The Burlington, however, was in a unique position. Not only did they constitute one-third of the conglomerate that hosted the world-famous California Zephyr, but they also operated a substantial commuter service in the Chicago area. To that end, the Q ordered three EMD FP45 locomotives in 1967 (two to power the CZ, and one as a reserve). They reasoned that, should the CZ falter, these units could easily be adapted to commuter service. * * This is an alternate timeline; unfortunately, the CB&Q did not purchase EMD FP45 locomotives. However, we think that they would look great in passenger service hauling the California Zephyr from Chicago to Denver, or heading up a fleet of bi-levels in commuter service - with these Legendary Liveries units, you can.
In 1967, passenger service in the US was a dim prospect. Most roads were losing money on the trains, and looking for any reason they could think of to abandon service. The Burlington, however, was in a unique position. Not only did they constitute one-third of the conglomerate that hosted the world-famous California Zephyr, but they also operated a substantial commuter service in the Chicago area. To that end, the Q ordered three EMD FP45 locomotives in 1967 (two to power the CZ, and one as a reserve). They reasoned that, should the CZ falter, these units could easily be adapted to commuter service. * * This is an alternate timeline; unfortunately, the CB&Q did not purchase EMD FP45 locomotives. However, we think that they would look great in passenger service hauling the California Zephyr from Chicago to Denver, or heading up a fleet of bi-levels in commuter service - with these Legendary Liveries units, you can.