 The D&RGW's sense of its unique geographical challenge found expression in the form of the "California Zephyr", a passenger train which was jointly operated with the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) from Chicago to Denver, the D&RGW from Denver to Salt Lake City, and the Western Pacific Railroad from Salt Lake City to Oakland, California (with ferry and bus connections to San Francisco).Unable to compete with the Union Pacific's faster, less mountainous route and 39-hour schedules, the "California Zephyr" offered a more leisurely journey – a "rail cruise" – with ample vistas of the Rockies.Although the "California Zephyr" ran at full capacity and turned a modest profit from its 1949 inception through the late 1950s, by the mid-1960s the train was profitable only during the late spring, summer, and fall.