Amtrak's San Francisco Zephyr departs Chicago on the "Q's" much-photographed curve at Canal Street. Overhead are the tracks of the St. Charles Air Line, jointly owned by the Illinois Central and Chicago & North Western, and further over (and out of use) are the Baltimore & Ohio's rails to the now-razed Grand Central Station. Both bridges cross the South Branch of the Chicago River.The Pennsylvania's tracks south out of Union Station are barely visible in front of the buildings in the background.
The San Francisco Zephyr was Amtrak's answer to the Denver & Rio Grande Western's decision not to join Amtrak, forcing the re-routing of the former California Zephyr over Union Pacific rails from Denver to Salt Lake City. With the Rio Grande's later recantation and entry into Amtrak the train was routed back onto the Rio Grande for the central part of its journey on July 16, 1983 and the name reverted to California Zephyr.
