Nostalgia & History > California Zephyrs meet at Glenwood Springs 1969

East meets west at Glenwood Springs Colorado. I rode the Zephyr from Oakland to Denver shortly before the train was discontinued and held down the front seat in the lead dome for most of the trip. Here we are meeting the westbound from one of the greatest seats on any train.


Robert Morris Photography
http://www.snowcrest.net/photobob/index1.html

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What a great trip that was. Nice photo, Bob. Having a forward view meant a passenger was completely involved with the train and its surroundings, and you could clearly enjoy other traffic too... just like this.

It was high drama that simply isn't available with flat-top trains.

~ BZ

Vista domes afford some photo opportunities the high level cars do not.

Fred Harrison
Central Point, OR
CORPpower/JSS/EORS

Wonderful photo and nice shot of the power on the passing CZ. Rio Grande drew it's power mainly from the following F's in the final years:

F7A #5571, 5574, 5761 and 5764
F9A #5771

SG equipped B units: #5552, 5553, 5573, 5762, 5763, and possibly a few non-SG equipped B units as extra power for long summer trains.

As you can see there is #5761 leading the passing CZ. Following the discontinuation of the CZ, the remaining D&RGW F units were quickly retired. Only one or two of the 5761/64 F's lasted long enough to pull the RGZ in it's earliest time.

Is this another one of the: "Photobob the lost episodes"?

Cool.

D&RGW had about 20 F units until around 1972. After the CZ was discontinued in March 1970 the 5761 (shown here) was the regular power for the Rio Grande Zephyr for about two years until all of the F units were retired except the famous 5771/5762/5763. During this time the 5771 was usually assigned to the Moffat Extra to Phippsburg, along with 4 or 5 other F's. The sound of a five unit set of F's blasting through Arvada every evening heading for the Moffat is one I will never forget.

Daze

Here"s a shot of DRGW switcher #130 staging #17 with #5761 at Denver Union Station in April 1971...getting ready for her 0730 departure time...SHM

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Anyone recognize the "Man in the Raincoat?" I believe the train on the left is UP's City of KC-Portland #9-105 which I caught to Cheyenne and then west on "Cities of Everywhere" back to L.A. Less than a month later Amtrak was In and R.R. run passenger trains were mostly gone...Steve

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where is the rest of RGZ

Dan- That is weird. Could the switcher built it fm other end a few minutes later? It had about 4 domes that day...Steve

the rest of the train in that one pic is coming from CHI as part of a BN train
this service ended with Amtrak

That short-lived train was BN's "California Service."

Now I remember...it's only been 41 years...A BN switcher moved the other part of the train in...I didn't see any CB&Q (BN) units bring the Chi-Den. section in...I wandered down the tracks aways on foot to a small UP servicing facility (Anyone remember that-near where Coors Stadium is now?)so maybe I missed the arrival on the BN train...Steve

the_expediter Wrote:
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I'm probably wrong, but I'd swear that the "Man in the Raincoat" is Leonard Bernstein.

- Bruce

> Anyone recognize the "Man in the Raincoat?" I
> believe the train on the left is UP's City of
> KC-Portland #9-105 which I caught to Cheyenne and
> then west on "Cities of Everywhere" back to L.A.
> Less than a month later Amtrak was In and R.R. run
> passenger trains were mostly gone...Steve