▚ The Q
The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy — universally "the Q" — traces to 1849 and the Aurora Branch Railroad in Illinois. It grew into the granger road that tied Chicago to the Missouri River and the Rockies, with the slogan "Everywhere West."
▚ The Zephyr revolution
In 1934 the Q changed railroading forever with the Pioneer Zephyr — a stainless-steel, diesel-powered, articulated streamliner that ran Denver to Chicago in a "Dawn-to-Dusk" dash and touched off the streamliner era. The fluted stainless Zephyrs became the road's signature.
▚ Colorado and the merger
The Q reached Denver and, through its Colorado & Southern and Fort Worth & Denver subsidiaries, ran deep into Colorado and Texas. In 1970 it became one of the four founding roads of Burlington Northern.
▚ On this layout
The Q connects here through the California Zephyr passenger equipment (a joint CB&Q / Rio Grande / Western Pacific train) and its Colorado & Southern steam — the granger heritage behind the whole BN family tree.