The Nebraska Zephyr is the most famous train at the Illinois Railway Museum. It is an articulated streamlined train built entirely of stainless steel. The train is known as the “Train of the Goddesses” because each of its five cars is named after a classical deity. It is the only complete Zephyr train from the Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad in operation today.

The Nebraska Zephyr was constructed by the Budd Company of Philadelphia in 1936. Originally it was used between Chicago and Minneapolis-St. Paul and was one of two identical train sets known as the Twin Zephyrs.

The train is articulated, meaning that adjoining cars share the same truck and are therefore permanently joined. The five-car train consists of Venus, Vesta, Minerva, Ceres and Juno and is pulled by the last surviving E5 passenger diesel, CB&Q 9911A “Silver Pilot.”