Princeton celebrates 75 years of the California Zephyr

Jack Gartner has been coming to the Princeton depot since he was 3.

Tuesday was a special day for the recent high school graduate, who has been working for the past three years at the depot and helping the station master.

He’s tasked with keeping the station clean and directing passengers to the right platform before the trains’ arrivals, among other tasks.

Normally there’s only a few people around, but he was joined by a little more than a hundred other residents at the depot for the 3:44 p.m. stop Tuesday of the California Zephyr to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the cross-country train.

Gartner was given a commemorative pin.

“I like it,” Gartner said of the job. “It was neat to be here with everybody and good to celebrate the 75th anniversary. There’s not always this many people here.”

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Residents cheer on the Amtrak's California Zephyr train during the 75th anniversary of the train's visit on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, in Princeton. On March 20, 1949, the cross-country train debuted the original California Zephyr, a joint offering of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; Denver & Rio Grande Western; and Western Pacific. (Scott Anderson)

During Tuesday’s stop in Princeton on its way from Chicago to Emeryville, California, which is near San Francisco, Amtrak senior staff and historical dignitaries disembarked to greet the residents on the platform and passed out some stickers and commemorative pins.

Princeton City Manager Theresa Wittenauer and tourism director Victoria Yepsen handed the dignitaries a bag of local items, such as Princeton and Bureau County visitors guides, Sisler’s ice cream attire and Rachel Rene chapstick, among other local goods.

Residents sang an adapted version of “Happy Birthday,” changing the words to “happy anniversary.”

“I think it went great,” Yepsen said. “I’m impressed with the turnout. This is history. We’re making history.”

Wittenauer said Tuesday’s turnout is believed to be the largest. The city’s residents have hosted commemorative stops before, and attendance at those were strong but not quite at Tuesday’s numbers.

“We take our train history seriously,” Wittenauer said. “We’re very proud of our Amtrak stop.”

Lex Poppens, executive director of the Bureau County Historical Society, who was in attendance Tuesday, said Princeton has had a depot since 1911 and rededicated the station in 2004. It has been an Amtrak stop since 1978. The Zephyr debuted March 20, 1949.

The Zephyr, Amtrak’s longest daily route, will makes its way through the Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevadas, Moffat Tunnel, Colorado’s Gore, Byers and Glenwood Canyons, Winter Park, Truckee River, Donner Lake, San Pablo Bay and the Carquinez Strait on its journey.

Although more than a hundred residents turned out, the stop was quick, lasting no more than a few minutes as officials thanked residents for greeting them before boarding the train. The whistle blew, and the train sped away.

The crowds then left, but Gartner remained. He still had work to do. Princeton has eight daily train stops beginning at 9:25 a.m., and the next train was due at 4:32 p.m. – the Southwest Chief.

“I like getting to know the conductors,” he said. “I’ve gotten to know them. I really like what I do.”