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TX Zephyr C&S/FWD 1&2, and successors (in the mid 60's they were combined with 7&8 after the SHZ came off in early 1966, leaving trains 2&7) normally ran with E5A&B sets, until one of the A units died. Then it usually had 1 trainset with an E5AB combo and the other with an E8A/E5B combo. The E5s were SS, of course. For the last couple of years, the trainsets were pathetic shadows of their former selves (the ex-DZ consists were gone after about 1963): generally 5-6+ cars of mixed headend, including lots of offline, boxcars, and ex-troop sleeper bags, including an RPO (as likely a HW as the Silver Messenger), one 6-6-4 (occasionally 10-6) sleeper (take a bet on whose that was on any given day--again, as likely to be offline out of the Pullman pool as a CBQ car), a couple of chair cars (usually silver-painted FWD HWs that actually rode well and were sort of clean, but also a few really run down, filthy, early SS CS/FWD cars from the 1940 TZ got mixed in there) and the Silver Bowl/Silver Tray on the rear as far as FTW. I remember it well. Actually got several tours through the E5s--the engine rooms were literally oil baths from the poorly maintained prime movers throwing out oil all over the place. Ruined several sets of clothes. Really sad at the end. By the way, the RPOs Silver Messenger/Silver Tidings and Obs/Diners Silver Bowl and Silver Tray were some of the longest single-unit pax cars ever produced, coming in close to 90'. Unfortunately, the TZ never had any domes. Its finest hour was when it used the original DZ consists that were displaced when the DZ got all that new equipment. Before that was the 1940 mixed consist with the rebuilt Pullmans, and after was that dog's breakfast consist mentioned above.
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