I recently came across an article I wrote for a local modeling publication after riding the Zephyr that was still being operated by the Denver & Rio Grande Western between Denver and Salt Lake City in 1980 (originally a joint train of the CB&Q, D&RGW, and WP between Chicago and California). I found it an interesting account, and thought I would share it here.
Background: I had organized (along with my colleague Mel Bernstein) an international technical conference on hydrogen embrittlement in metals, the third in a series of such conferences that I helped organize (eventually there would be six), which was held at Jackson Lake Lodge, in Grand Teton National Park in 1980.
At this conference, we gave registrants T-shirts, the image on which is shown below. The upper emblem is that of the Metallurgical Society of AIME, a sponsor, and the lower one is Carnegie-Mellon University, where I was employed at the time.
After the formation of Amtrak in 1970, the D&RGW would continue to operate its part of the Zephyr until 1983. When it was discontinued, it was the last privately operated passenger train in the U.S. Because of the spectacular scenery through which it ran, it was often photographed. Here is a single example, an on-line photo in Utah not credited by photographer but dated 1981, the year after I rode it.
Here is the text I wrote at that time, published in my local NMRA division newsletter.
“Yes, Virginia, there still are passenger trains in America . . . ones that leave and arrive on time, that serve good food, that have clean windows and clean interiors. But as you would immediately guess, they don’t have ‘pointless arrows’ on them.
“You may have already realized that I’m referring to Nos. 17 and 18, the Rio Grande Zephyrs. Certainly a highlight, if not the highlight, our family vacation this past summer was a ride from Salt Lake City to Denver aboard No. 18.
“To any railfan, the trip has to be a delight, from the moment you board the ex-California Zephyr or CZ cars like Silver Pine, Silver Mustang or others, and spot the three F9’s on the point. The cars are in just amazing condition, looking scarcely a third of their 30-year age. The same can’t be said for the F’s, which are prone to big bursts of black smoke at every throttle change; but orange and silver F’s can’t be all bad. And they do move pretty well, outpacing cars on parallel I-15 for miles south of Salt Lake.
“One also discovers that the Rio Grande is a pretty busy railroad. We passed 15 freights headed west in 13 hours. I asked the conductor why we never overtook any headed east. He smiled: ‘They have the same schedule we do.’
“Most of those freights were fairly short, 25 to 40 cars, with three to six SD-40’s on the head end, and sometimes a couple on the rear end. In fact, I didn’t see any power on the road that wasn’t an SD-40, though the yards hold plenty of Geeps and other engine types.
“Several of the meets were ‘on the fly,’ both trains moving, no doubt a big help on the long grades.And I hadn’t appreciated how much of the traffic today is coal. Many of the trains would fit perfectly into a Chessie or N&W scene with no trouble (except for lettering, of course!)
“For those with an historical bent, there are lots of signs of the past. Many of the D&RGW’s fleets of GS gondolas and 40-ft. box cars are still around, most stenciled ‘MW,’ and there are still many of the orange-and-silver box cars running, too. Buildings and tanks in several places were still stenciled with old, round ‘Scenic Line of the World’ emblem usually 15 feet high. Most of the terminals still have turntables and roundhouses; just this summer, the Grande has been pulling down the last remains of water tanks and coal docks in some sidings.
“But the real news is the Zephyr. An eight-car train with five domes, with all dome seats unreserved, means that everyone who wants to watch the scenery (and railroad operations) can do so with no hassle. Unlike what one usually encounters on Amtrak, the glass in the domes is unclouded, uncracked, and clean. The same goes for windows downstairs.
“We ate all three meals in the diner, since No. 18 leaves at 7:30 AM. The food was pretty darn good. Incidentally, the menu still has the notation which it bore in CZ days: ‘It will be a pleasure to serve any dish not listed that you may wish if it is available.’ They mean it, too: we saw a couple ask for and get lamb chops that weren’t on the menu that night. The prices were reasonable, comparable in my memory to Amtrak, though the quality seemed higher.
“I talked with both the Salt Lake agent and the conductor about patronage of the Zephyr, and they agreed that it tends to be steady year-round, with skiers in the winter, fall foliage, and of course the summer vacation trade, which is heaviest. Train size varies from five to ten cars.
“On the question of how much the D&RGW loses on the train, both said that it isn’t much ‘now that the fare’s been raised.’ Four tickets for our family totaled $100.16, so it is not an expensive ride, even today. And both said that the railroad means to continue the train for the time being.
“I hardly need to summarize that it was a lot of fun. And as my wife observed, it was more relaxing than a trip of half the time on an airplane, and you didn’t have to eat out of your lap. Don’t miss it if you have the chance.”
It was fun for me to re-discover this small essay, about an interesting slice of time, and of course, to re-live that very pleasant journey.
Tony Thompson
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