Rio Grande Lines in Espee Era 1993-1994, SD40T-2, GP40-2, F40PH California Zephyr, Ski Train

[@kenpalmer1965]

The train at 4:57 is my absolute favorite! That sound of those engines pulling is awesome! I miss them dearly! Great job on filming that one! I would give anything to live in that house right next to the tracks! I would be in heaven!

[@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos]

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the show.

[@JD-zm4eh]

History, gotta love it. I miss hearing those train engines that SP ran. Soot covered from powering through the mountain tunnels.

[@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos]

Yeah, those were good days.

[@jarrietfair6497]

Great video sure do miss Rio Grande and southern pacific trains

[@wamozart9573]

Wow, the power at 7:07

[@espeeboy]

Just wanted to say thank you for converting, editing, uploading and sharing this video (Aspen) gold for all of us to see. Having grown up with the SP and being an SP/DRGW fan my whole life and finally rising the Amtrak CZ last year from Denver West over The Rockies, a lot of this scenery of very familiar. Love the bonus nature scene B-roll added in too! Factchecking all of your provided detail caption locomotive consists stats including build, rebuild and post SP/UP retirement info, you have done the research well! Keep up the uploads from this 90’s pre-yoUPee era!

[@MartyJM01]

That was awesome Walt! That must have taken such a lot of work to capture it all and then put it all together. Great job Sir and thanks for sharing your work.

[@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos]

I'm glad you enjoyed the show.

[@alhrabe102]

Wow Walt, thought I had seen all the RG stuff out there. Great footage. Thanx for sharing. 👍

[@SPSteve]

Loved seeing the D&RGW down here in Arizona before being absorbed by the Borg. SP and D&RGW seemed like a good pairing, I enjoyed seeing their locomotives running together.

[@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos]

Those were good days.

[@SPSteve]

@@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos They certainly were. It would be nice if UP would paint 5 or 6 modern locomotives each in SP and D&RGW colors and have them out on the road. But I think that is unlikely. UP has eliminated all traces of the SP in my area where the SP ran from the 1870's until all the locomotives were eventually repainted after 1996.

[@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos]

Yes. The DRGW is basically gone too. The Rio Grande and SP heritage units that the UP does have, don't look right, in my opinion.

[@SPSteve]

@@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos I completely agree. The UP heritage units look nothing like the actual locomotives.

[@waynehawkins2157]

1👍👍GREAT SHOW!!

[@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos]

Thanks!

[@jeffaumand1323]

Great video -- love Colorado too!!

[@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos]

Yes, Colorado is amazing.

[@AhmearClayIombo-dj6di]

Nice Action Train Video

[@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos]

I'm glad you're pleased.

[@peachstateexplorer8004]

Amazing shots my friend!!!!! 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩

[@Landaux]

7256 has a sick horn 😮

[@rapturebound197]

I worked for the D&RG 50 years ago. It kills me to see SP engines pulling these trains on mainline track between Denver and Salt Lake City. I knew every inch of the mainline. It just looks like a bunch of junk going down the track to me. SP didn't maintain the engines very well or give them a wash once in a while. There was something special about the D&RG's tunnel motors and the unique sound they had..not to mention a better horn (if I sound bias I am..lol). Anybody else miss seeing a caboose at the end of a train?! I know theyve been gone a long time but it just don't look right not to see cabooses! I enjoyed this footage though..thank you for producing this footage. I have memories of so many of the places you showed and things when the D&RG was still a great RR thru the Rockies.

[@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos]

Yes, I didn't really get to the Moffat Tunnel Route and other DRGW lines until it was a little too late. I took what I could get, but I agree, better were the days of pure Rio Grande trains with cabooses.

[@rapturebound197]

@@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos your footage was great...and I appreciated the great scenery you included and a few historic buildings as well. First rate job! Thanx. MK

[@rapturebound197]

@@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos one more thought regarding the scenery you included in your video Walt. I especially liked the shot of the 'Garden of the Gods'. You had quite a bit of footage of the mainline from the Castle Rock area south in the Monument hill area so I'm guessing that is the portion of D&RG track you're most familiar with. If true then you probably know the founder of the Denver & Rio Grande RR was a guy named General William Jackson Palmer. His home is very close to Garden of the Gods and in fact has some of those same magnificent rock formations on his estate. He built a home that was designed like an English castle. The home is called 'Glen Eyrie'. The story of Gen. Palmer and his influence in the early days of Colorado Springs is good stuff. For your other readers here is a link to who General Palmer was and another link about his magnificent home nestled in that Garden of the Gods area. coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/william-jackson-palmer Here is a video about Glen Eyrie; kzbin.info/www/bejne/pHa1ZHevn99kapI

[@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos]

Thank you for the links! Yes, I know some about Gen. Palmer, however, I can always learn more.

[@lydmik]

i had to wonder if i might have been on one of the Amtk Zephyrs as i made several round trips from CA to Denver...as the Amtk was lvg Dvr, it reminded me that on one of the trips back we passed a bunch of cows grazing...an SP freight was stalled ahead of us so we had to back up, again right past the cows...they looked at us like, 'oh you again?' it was hilarious

[@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos]

That's a funny story. Those silly 🐮 cows.

[@shawnbegay4966]

That's a logo I haven't seen in awhile. The Southern Pacific Golden Pig Service logo on one of the piggybacked trailers. at 15:50. "Southern Pacific Golden Pig Service" sounds like it would be a good name for a BBQ restaurant.

[@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos]

Yes, logos and symbols that used to be commonplace have become historic treasures. BBQ sounds good right now ☺️!

[@stuew6]

I love to See Gp-30 working

[@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos]

Me too 😊!

[@stevethompson6371]

Really good video. Thanks for sharing

[@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos]

It's all part of the joy of railfanning. Thank you for watching.

[@keithode1737]

You're killin' me with that Kodachrome SD9E!

[@StormySkyRailProductions]

Awesome stuff Walt.

[@ljones121]

Great video! Love seeing all the rio grande motors and sp before the up take over, what struck me as odd was all the conrail hoppers on the one train just not something I'd ever thought I'd see on coal trains in Colorado

[@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos]

Yeah, I never did figure out the story on those Conrail unit trains being so far out West.

[@ljones121]

@@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos only thing I can come up with is cleaner burning coal than the anthracite coming out of pa and wv, some power plants on the east coast, where converted to powder river coal etc.

[@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos]

That's the best explanation I've heard so far.

[@ljones121]

@@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos I'm taking a flying leap of a guess but it seems logical

[@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos]

Indeed.

[@RandomRetroTrainGuy82]

I love the SP and D&RGW! 😁

[@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos]

Me too.

[@Inactive3T]

Southern pacific is the reason why rio grande trains dissapeared, so D&RGW is a better railway in my opinion.

[@ChadsRailfanExperience]

Wow

[@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos]

Thank you!

[@j.m.youngquist419]

I've worked on every one of those engines

[@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos]

Sounds like a good career.

[@j.m.youngquist419]

Yes it was! I worked at the Burnham shop from 1978 till it closed in 2015. I worked for 3 different Railroads and EMD power by the mile and General Electric all in the same Diesel house.

[@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos]

I'm glad you had a good career there. One of the lucky ones.

[@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos]

I'm glad you had a good career there. One of the lucky ones.

[@georgecanham431]

Show the whole train.

[@RandomRetroTrainGuy82]

10:00 7256 has a weird sounding horn...

[@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos]

Yeah, I do like it when I get the weird ones.

[@jbdixs]

Get it together it is still Rio Grande Main Line. Rio Grande bought SP not the other way around, just because they went with the more well knew name of SP it was still owned by Rio Grande this making it Rio Grande Main Line til that sick ass yellow came in to the pic.......

[@TheEmilychurchill]

Southern Pacific in Rio Grande weren't much I'm keeping their engines clean

[@jeffaumand1323]

To busy running a railroad...

[@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos]

True enough.

[@Tamburello_1994]

@@jeffaumand1323 That's why they're UP now -- I guess.

[@WaltLoevyActionTrainVideos]

Truly, UP has cleaner engines, despite the enormous size of the railroad.