| The Convention and Visitors Bureau is looking at whether to buy and restore the Mark Twain Zephyr.
The idea is to incorporate the five-car train into construction of a new agency office and visitors' center or simply open it as an additional tourist attraction.
At this point, there are more questions than answers, but the possibilities are limitless.
"I'm excited about it," said Beau Hicks, the bureau's director. "You never know when a possibility might turn into something."
"I don't think there's any more proper place for it to be than Hannibal," said Ed Kravitz, a railroad buff who contacted Hicks. "It kind of picks up the ball where Mark Twain left off."
All aboard
The opulent Zephyr was one of the fastest and most sophisticated trains of its era, and incorporated some of the most modern technology and design techniques.
Presidents and paupers alike were impressed with its speed, amenities and engineering prowess.
It was christened on Oct. 25, 1935, in Hannibal by Mark Twain's granddaughter, Nina Gabrilowitsch. The event was part of the Mark Twain Centennial Celebration, and drew national media coverage. CBS Radio broadcast the festivities live.
U.S. Sen. Harry Truman, who would become the nation's chief executive in less than a decade, was one of 300 guests at a dinner marking the occasion.
Two days later, the Zephyr made its inaugural 30-mile run to Louisiana and back. The train's normal run was from St. Louis through Hannibal to Burlington, Iowa.
The Zephyr was one of four such trains commissioned by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, a forerunner of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe. The Budd Co. built the Mark Twain.
"They were on the leading cusp of technology when these cars were built," said Roger Verbeeren Jr., president of Gateway Rail Services of Madison, Ill., where the Zephyr now rests. "There was a lot of forward-thinking."
All but one car on the Mark Twain had a name that corresponded with a character from the author's popular novels.
The diesel engine was the Injun Joe, and contained a 30-foot convertible railway post office. The Becky Thatcher was a 64-foot baggage car. The Huckleberry Finn featured a kitchen, a 16-passenger dinette and a 20-passenger coach with restrooms.
There was one unnamed coach, but he Zephyr didn't have a caboose. Instead, riders could relax and enjoy the view from the wide windows of the Tom Sawyer, the train's observation car. In addition to room for 40 passengers, it had a 16-person lounge.
The train, powered by a 660-horsepower, eight-cylinder engine, could go faster than 120 miles an hour. Instead of steel, it was built with lightweight aluminum. It had state-of-the-art air conditioning and heating, and the design for its electrical system still is used in train construction today.
"This was the introduction to the streamline era." Verbeeren said. "They did it right the first time."
"This is a time machine," Kravitz said. "When it was built, farmers would stop in their fields when the thing went by at 100 miles per hour. There are a lot of things about the way this was built that still are in use today."
Total seating capacity was 116. The Mark Twain made its last run in 1960, and had a variety of owners over the next 48 years.
In 2008, the Granite City Passenger Terminal and Railway Experience Partners, bought the rundown cars for $88,000 and moved them from a muddy yard in Minooka, Ill., to Gateway Rail, across the Mississippi River from St. Louis.
Pros and cons
There is at least one advantage of bringing the Zephyr to Hannibal.
The convention bureau has been looking at building a new facility to replace the one at 505 N. Third Street, and incorporating the train into the design would make the office a stand out.
The train also would provide another permanent attraction in downtown Hannibal, and draw railroad buffs in much the way as did 2008's brief visit by the World War II LST boat.
"It sparks my interest," Hicks said. "It's one more attraction that could last a lifetime."
The biggest disadvantage would be cost.
At just under $200,000, buying the five cars and moving them to Hannibal would be cheap compared with restoration.
Roger Verbeeren Jr., the owner of Gateway Rail Services, estimated renovating all five cars would cost $3 million, with the price for two cars at about $1.2 million.
The final bill would depend upon what Hannibal wanted to do, but the diesel probably wouldn't ever be operational because of the insurance costs involved.
More than likely, the city would park it in one place, although a spot hasn't been found. Putting trucks, or wheels, on it would cost extra as each must be designed separately.
Still, the convention bureau was planning to spend money on a new facility, so the time might be right. Hicks said funding sources, including donations and grants, could be found "even in these economic times." The agency now mainly is supported through revenue from a city hotel tax.
Kravitz, the railroad buff who also operates an excursion train, said the cost would be worth it in the end.
"It's a gamble, but it's not an empty gamble," he said.
Next stop
The ball is now in Hannibal's court.
"We saved it," said Verbeeren, whose business restores about 20 cars a year and has more than 200 on site. "We did our part."
Hicks now will check to see if there's enough interest, and dollars, in the Hannibal region.
Initial reactions from the few people he's talked with have brought positive responses or pleasant memories of yesteryear trips aboard the Zephyr.
"I'm curious to see what people think," Hicks said.
Kravitz already has cast his vote.
"This is history," he said. "It's all priceless."
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