Prototype Information —

The California Zephyr. The name alone is instantly recognized as one of the most famous passenger trains in the history of North American railroading. Said to be a "cruise train," the California Zephyr initiated service on March 20, 1949, heading eastbound to Chicago. In the first years, the CZ, as it came to be known, was the main transportation between Chicago and San Francisco, covering the 2,532 miles in just over two days, traveling "the scenic way across America." The scheduling of the CZ purposefully put it in the magnificent landscape of the Rocky Mountains and Feather River during daylight hours, much to the delight of passengers. With its breathtaking scenery outside and excellent service inside, the CZ was "the most talked about train in the country." The CZ was jointly operated by three railroads. The Chicago Burlington & Quincy handled the train between Chicago and Denver. The Denver & Rio Grande Western operated the middle portion of the route, between Denver and Salt Lake City, and the Western Pacific carried the train between Salt Lake City and San Francisco. Each of these railroads contributed specifically lettered cars for the make-up of the train. Because of its silver stainless-steel body, all of the cars of the CZ were given a name characteristic to the western territory it traversed with a "silver" preface. EMD F3 locomotives from all three railroads, as well as by AlCo PA and PB locomotives on the D&RGW, supplied the power for the CZ. The CB&Q operated their F3’s in an A-B-A lash-up, while the WP utilized a A-B-B configuration. Needing additional power through the mountains, the D&RGW utilized the F3’s in an A-B-B-A combination and the ALCo’s in an A-B-A arrangement. Although the equipment used would change over the years due to ridership volume and service needs, the CB&Q-D&RGW-WP California Zephyr operated until March 22, 1970, a remarkable 21 years of service! For additional information about the CZ, we recommend a visit to the following websites: California Zephyr Virtual Museum Burlington Route Historical Society Rio Grande Modeling & Historical Society Western Pacific Historical Society (Feather River Rail Society)

Model Features —

With newly tooled cars, this set recreates the first-year consist of the CZ with eight different car types. The exact specification of car type and car name for each of the cars in the set is below. Each car will feature a silver corrugated-side body, accurate CALIFORNIA ZEPHYR lettering, blackened metal wheels and Kato semi-automatic knuckle couplers. The Observation car will feature lighted tail lights, marker lights, tail sign. The interior of each of the cars can be dramatically lighted with the optional installation of our #11-204 1-car/11-206 6-car Light Kit (sold separately). Because of the recognition and history of the California Zephyr, this unprecedented set is sure to be coveted by railfans, rail enthusiasts and railroad historians around the world, not to mention the hobbyists modeling the CB&Q, D&RGW and WP. It was written that the California Zephyr was "a pretty train … pretty from any angle," the pinnacle of passenger railroad equipment. The Kato California Zephyr in N scale is sure to be equally impressive.

Note: Above pictures are from 1st release.

Contents Baggage Car 1 Vista-Dome Coach 2 Vista-Dome Coach with Conductor's Room 1 Vista-Dome Buffet Lounge 1 10-6 Sleeper 3 Dining Car 1 16-Section Sleeper 1 Vista-Dome Lounge Observation 1 Coupler Trip Pins 2 UNITRACK Straight Track 248mm (9-3/4") 9 UNITRACK Straight Track with Bumper C 50.5mm (2") 1

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California Zephyr 11-Car Set
Car Type	Car Name	MSRP	OUR#	Stock #
Baggage	Silver Antelope	$280.00		KAT-106-056 Re-Release
Vista-Dome Coach	Silver Saddle
Vista-Dome Coach	Silver Rifle
Vista-Dome Coach	Silver Dollar
Dome-Buffet-Lounge	Silver Shop
10-6 Sleeper	Silver Pass
10-6 Sleeper	Silver Shore
Diner	Silver Cafe
16-Sec Sleeper	Silver Poplar
10-6 Sleeper	Silver Palisade
Vista-Dome Observation	Silver Penthouse
As an added bonus, this 11-car set will include enough N scale Unitrack at no additional cost for a first-class presentation of the set on a desk or shelf when not in operation on a layout.

California Zephyr 11-Car Set, MSRP $280.00.
Stock #	Railroad	Car Type	Car Name
KAT-106-055B Third Release Re-Release	Western Pacific	Baggage	Silver Beaver
	Chicago Burlington & Quincy	Vista-Dome Coach	Silver Lodge
	Denver & Rio Grande Western	Vista-Dome Coach	Silver Mustang
	Western Pacific	Vista-Dome Coach	Silver Thistle
	Chicago Burlington & Quincy	Dome-Buffet-Lounge	Silver Lounge
	Western Pacific	10-6 Sleeper	Silver Mountain
	Chicago Burlington & Quincy	10-6 Sleeper	Silver Falls
	Western Pacific	Diner	Silver Platter
	Chicago Burlington & Quincy	16-Sec Sleeper	Silver Larch
	Western Pacific	10-6 Sleeper	Silver Cliff
	Chicago Burlington & Quincy	Vista-Dome Observation	Silver Crescent
	As an added bonus, this 11-car set will include enough N scale Unitrack at no additional cost for a first-class presentation of the set on a desk or shelf when not in operation on a layout.
KAT-106-057 Fourth Release	Western Pacific	Baggage	Silver Stag
	Denver & Rio Grande Western	Vista-Dome Coach	Silver Pony
	Western Pacific	Vista-Dome Coach	Silver Sage
	Chicago Burlington & Quincy	Vista-Dome Coach	Silver Lariat
	Chicago Burlington & Quincy	Dome-Buffet-Lounge	Silver Roundup
	Western Pacific	10-6 Sleeper	Silver Range
	Denver & Rio Grande Western	10-6 Sleeper	Silver Summit
	Chicago Burlington & Quincy	Diner	Silver Restaurant
	Denver & Rio Grande Western	16-Sec Sleeper	Silver Pine
	Western Pacific	10-6 Sleeper	Silver Bay
	Chicago Burlington & Quincy	Vista-Dome Observation	Silver Horizon
	As an added bonus, this 11-car set will include enough N scale Unitrack at no additional cost for a first-class presentation of the set on a desk or shelf when not in operation on a layout.
KAT-106-055 Second Release	Chicago, Burlington & Quincy	Baggage	Silver Coyote
	Chicago, Burlington & Quincy	Vista-Dome Coach	Silver Bridle
	Denver & Rio Grande Western	Vista-Dome Coach	Silver Colt
	Western Pacific	Vista-Dome Coach	Silver Scout
	Western Pacific	Dome-Buffet-Lounge	Silver Chalet
	Chicago, Burlington & Quincy	10-6 Sleeper	Silver Point
	Western Pacific	10-6 Sleeper	Silver Surf
	Denver & Rio Grande Western	Diner	Silver Banquet
	Chicago, Burlington & Quincy	16-Sec Sleeper	Silver Maple
	Denver & Rio Grande Western	10-6 Sleeper	Silver Gorge
	Chicago, Burlington & Quincy	Vista-Dome Observation	Silver Solarium
	As an added bonus, this 11-car set will include enough N scale Unitrack at no additional cost for a first-class presentation of the set on a desk or shelf when not in operation on a layout.