In the early morning of Apr. 12, a group of railroad enthusiasts gathered at Amtrak’s Jack London station in Oakland for the “Domes Down the Valley” locomotive excursion that ended in Bakersfield.

One of the passengers was Santa Cruz resident Stuart J. Ponder, who at the time was anything but a railroad fan �" much more a reluctant passenger.

The night before his first ever railroad excursion, Ponder packed an iPod and a couple of books which he said should help him kill time during the 16-hour roundtrip train ride that was to eat his Saturday away.

The iPod and reading materials never made it out of Ponder’s backpack. He was drawn to the railroad car the moment he laid eyes on it.

America’s Silver Lady

“The train car itself is an attraction rich in history,” he noted, referring to the California Zephyr �" one of the most prominent images in California’s contemporary history.

Once called the “Silver Lady,” the California Zephyr streamliner was inaugurated on Mar. 19, 1949 in front of the Pier 3 Ferry Building on the Embarcadero in San Francisco. It made its maiden trip the following day between San Francisco and Chicago, covering 2,525 miles that took 2.5 days to complete.

But the increasing popularity of air and bus travel in the early 1960s took its toll on the California Zephyr, which in 1962 slipped from being America’s Most Beautiful Train into a financial liability.

Twenty-one years later on Mar. 21, 1970, the “Silver Lady” made her last commercial run. Although almost all of her 77 cars remain in existence, many have been modified while others went into service on Mexican and Canadian railroads.

Back on the Right Track

Two California Zephyr Vista Domes �" the Silver Solarium and the Silver Lariat �" have found themselves literally back on track beginning in the mid-1980s. Now, these Vista Domes are the only remaining California Zephyr cars in operation in the entire West Coast.

Completely restored by owner Roy Wullich, the Silver Solarium and the Silver Lariat now traverse the West Coast on railroad adventures organized by Trains Unlimited Tours, including the Apr. 12 excursion.

Inside the Silver Solarium, Ponder was enthralled by the half-elliptical lounge that was fittingly furnished with plush chairs. A curved staircase with illuminated clear Perspex handrails opens into a dining area upstairs, replete with antique snow-white linens from the original train.

With his books still neatly tucked inside his backpack, Ponder was drowned by the friendly social atmosphere inside the Silver Solarium where he met Trains Unlimited owner Chris Skow and his wife Debbie.

“My conversation with Chris and Debbie, who actually got married in this train in December, quickly became so engaging I ceased noticing the hilly California landscape passing by and the punctuation of our motion by stops and side tracks,” said Ponder.

Train Travel at its Finest

Ponder describes the service inside the train �" where breakfast, lunch and dinner were served �" as first class, friendly and respectful. The train personnel are career railroad employees each with decades of experience.

“Drinks are unlimited. So as long as you remain courteous, theoretically you can drink yourself under the table, gratis. Too bad the train won't stop at your door,” said Ponder.

Skow said the excursion mirrored the railroad trip aboard the original California Zephyr, including the service that was considered the best in North America between 1949 and 1970.

“We provide our own onboard staff including our chef and make up our own gourmet menus for all meals. All drink and food is included in the ticket price from the time you step onboard until you detrain,” said Skow. “This is passenger train travel at its finest.”