Aboard the Rio Grande Zephyr

Riding the Rio Grande Zephyr on it's last run from Denver to Salt Lake City. The last train to pass through Thistle at 20:30 hours Thursday April 14, 1983, before the great land slide closed that right of way. At 28:00 min to 31:30 minutes Is a priceless treasure where the veteran conductor entertains to young passengers with tales about "furbearing gators and furbearing trout". He tells how the gators will come out and sunned themselves on the sandbars and from time to time four Eagles will swoop down and carry one of the gators off! "Them Eagles will try anything". Of course the furbearing product to be skinned to prepare them for the table. The conductor appears in the movie at 31:20 min.

[@chowardlaw8417]

My wife and I took the Cal Zephyr (AMTRAK version) some years ago. Fine trip - but this reminds me of how much better it can be. YEah, crossing the Rockies in a Budd Dome-Obsrvation-Sleeper. Yep, that's how it OUGHT to be done.

[@robertmoir5695]

I v e never seen this video before I must have been in for a real treat I do enjoy this video When all the other commercial passenger trains were gone it was nice to have the Rio Grande zephyr around for a bit Would you happen to have videos like this of Union Pacific passenger trains ?

[@cats0182]

Rode the original DZ and CZ. Memorable trips on wonderful trains. Vista Domes were an adventure in themselves..

[@concorde2003]

Super 8 sound! What camera did you have. Thanks for posting!

[@riogrande5761]

This is one of the better video's of the Rio Grande Zephyr with good resolution. Must have been film and not video recorder! I never got to ride this train but in 1990 I did ride the Amtrak CZ up the Front Range and it was a fantastic train ride. I wish there were still dome cars used.

[@timgerard262]

this is a Priceless piece of History documented!

[@Bob.W.]

Thank you. Passenger trains were terribly run down by then. Stations as well. We all get put out to pasture eventually if we live long enough. Except maybe Keith Richard's. :) Moffat Tunnel at 23:25.

[@tj2348]

Great time machine. Loved the domes and diner. Thanks for the memories.

[@trainsupporter9088]

This is fantastic! Another train I wished I could have ridden. Thank you.

[@johnuhelski8613]

A great vid to be sure , I rode Denver to SLC and return in 1974 on two Kodachrome days and had a blast , spent several days later chasing trains on the Front Range and west. Man, I miss the Rio Grande !!

[@danielkennedy1524]

Great video! I agree with Seth!!!!

[@jamescotter5376]

I remember as a kid riding that thing several times thank you for bringing that to me

[@northpennvalleysteamrailroad]

Awesome footage!

[@OmahaTom]

How did you get audio in the dome car & diner to go with the video? I thought all 16mm were silent film at that time? Great video! Thanks for sharing!

[@robertmoir5695]

I am delighted to see this video Something different and i am a rail fan

[@SethMethCS]

If Amtrak were to restore this ONE trainset, for ONE route; they would be considered too profitable within a year and Congress would talk about privatizing them.

[@liamwright3037]

Rio Grande 5771 is now on display at the colorado railroad museum

[@johnchambers8528]

Thanks for sharing this video. I got to ride it between Denver and Salt Lake City in its last year of Operation. Having the dome cars were great since there was plenty of mountain scenery to see. They really kept this train up to standards, clean cars, good food in the dinner and lounge cars. I did get to ride the route again several times after Amtrak took over this route but I really missed having the dome cars compared to the Superliner equipment Amtrak used.

[@christopherorourke6543]

Great video of the route of the Rio Grande Zephyr on its final run from Denver to Salt Lake City. Traveling on Amtrak’s California Zephyr from Denverto the San Francisco Bay Area is one of my bucket list of trains I want to travel on. I travel long distance by Amtrak and when I’m home in the San Diego area, I ride on the Amtrak Pacific Surfliners between San Diego, Los Angeles & Oxnard,CA alternating my visits between Los Angeles & Oxnard.

[@formerparatrooper]

I worked on the Great Northern as a machinist in the late 60s at the Waite Park MN (St. Cloud) car shops. I managed a pass in June of 1970 to take the EB to Chicago and then one of the Zephyr trains to Denver to visit a fellow veteran of the Navy Sea Bees. I remember the Denver Union Station, and I think the Denver O scale modelers still had a layout in the basement. The train from Chicago had similar equipment and I got a chance to ride in the dome cars both going to Denver and back to Chicago. I cannot remember much of the Empire Builder trip but it was just before the merger with CB&Q and the NP. I left the railroad in October or November of 1970. Great video. BTW, did you used to write for Mainline Modeler? I did as well. R Grosser

[@danielboone3770]

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