We’ve already seen Burlington’s November 1959 timetable, which followed yesterday’s, last November. That one didn’t make any major changes from the May 1959 edition.

Click image to download an 19.0-MB PDF of this 32-page timetable.

This one, however, does include some changes. The California Zephyr and Denver Zephyr, which each previously had their own page, are fitted together on one page in this timetable. The condensed Chicago-Denver and Chicago-Twin Cities schedules, which each had their own page, are also crammed into one page in this timetable.

These and other cosmetic changes were made to make room for a “supplement” at the end of the timetable that announced three substantive changes. First, effective May 22, the Morning Zephyr would leave Chicago and the Afternoon Zephyr would leave Minneapolis 45 minutes earlier than before. Second, effective June 1, the rather minor train 43 & 44 between Lincoln and St. Joseph would be terminated. Third, effective June 18, the California Zephyr would leave Chicago 30 minutes earlier and the Ak-Sar-Ben Zephyr would leave 15 minutes earlier.

Burlington apparently felt that burying the announcement in the back of the regular timetable would be sufficient to alert passengers. Making these changes all on the same day this timetable went into effect would have greatly reduced any confusion. That might not have been possible for the termination of train 43 & 44, which would have required federal approval, but it could easily have been possible for the other changes.