The Mark Twain Zephyr was an early diesel four-unit articulated zephyr train that was similar to the Pioneer Zephyr in style. The train was built by the Budd Company and was powered by a diesel engine produced by the Winton Engine Company. The train was named after the renowned author Mark Twain because it was scheduled to provide service from St. Louis, Missouri to Burlington, Iowa via Hannibal, Missouri, his hometown. The train's exterior structure used stainless steel, and had a "shovel nose" front. The power car, number 9903, was named Injun Joe. The three trailer cars received other names of Mark Twain characters, Becky Thatcher, Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. The train was christened on October 25, 1935 in Hannibal by Nina Clemens Gabilowitsch (1910-1966), the granddaughter and ultimately last descendant of its namesake. The ceremony was broadcast coast to coast on CBS radio. Two days later, it entered revenue service. CB&Q ownership The Mark Twain Zephyr was operated by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad between October 1935 and April 1958. While the Mark Twain Zephyr's "home route" was considered the railroad line between Burlington, Iowa and St. Louis, Missouri via Hannibal, Missouri, the train only spent just a little more than half of its 22.5-year life operating on that route. The equipment was frequently used on other CB&Q routes, most notably: Chicago to Denver, Colorado (1936); Chicago to St. Paul, Minnesota (a few weeks in 1936); St. Louis to Kansas City, Missouri (various extended periods between 1937-1942); Dallas to Houston (a few months in 1938); and Galesburg, Illinois to St. Joseph, Missouri (1953-1957). The Mark Twain Zephyr made newspaper headlines following two accidents which occurred during the summer and autumn of 1948. On Saturday, July 31, 1948, the train derailed at the railroad bridge over Devils Creek about four miles west of Viele, Iowa. Only two passengers sustained minor injuries. On Wednesday, October 17, 1948, the train set was again damaged after hitting a loaded sand truck at Spring Grove, Iowa. No passengers, nor the truck driver, were hurt. In the early 1950's, the Mark Twain Zephyr had two separate incidents involving Mississippi River barges while operating on the CB&Q's 'K-Line', which parallels the busy shipping waterway in Iowa. The first (and most serious) event occurred on Thursday, November 16, 1950. According to news reports, an empty oil barge belonging to the W.C. Harms Company went up