Nostalgia & History > D&RGW diner Silver Banquet - 35 years already?

I believe today is the date (or very close) of the last Rio Grande Zephyr run.
It just doesn't seem like it has been 35 years already.
Many TO members rode the train and had many a fine meal in the diner Silver Banquet either on the RGZ or the California Zephyr.
After Amtrak took over , a crack in the center sill was discovered and the car was scrapped - a sad end.
Anyway, here are a few shots of the car.

(1) On the RGZ at Grand Junction,Co in Dec 1976.
Built by Budd in 1948.

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(2-4) A nice etching.
Inside during the Christmas season in Dec 1980.

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(5-7) Inside - Oct 1978.

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(8-9) Oct 1978.

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Thank you for a great photo essay of a train I remember fondly. That Rio Grande logo in the door window is etched into my mind as well.
THANKS!

A wonderful car with very fine food! Too bad it didn't end-up on display at Golden (Colorado Railroad Museum). Thanks for sharing...

ShastaDaylight

Fine photos. Brings back good memories. Always thought the etched Rio Grande was classy.

Your interior photos truly bring this to life.
Bob

The classic guide book to dining car silver serving pieces was named to honor this car.

Tim

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Thanks for posting these shots. I well remember my 1973 trip on the "Rio Grande Zephyr" round trip from
Denver to Salt Lake and back. On the westward leg, the air conditioning went out and I clearly remember
the butter swimming in the dish, it was so hot. I was told the next day that the crew got new fuses from
the UP which solved the problem and we had a very comfortable trip east. However, the food was great in
spite of the high temperature.

Nick Tharalson,
Marion, IA

I especially appreciate the interior pictures. Looks like the car had a nice dining atmosphere. Golden light, but subdued.

John

Only drives home the point of what we have lost. Compare these photos to the spartan interior of the new Viewliner diners. Oh wait. You might not be able to. My tax dollars are hard at work keeping them in storage in Florida.

Great Shots!! Thanks for sharing them.

Thanks so much for sharing these. Love any interior photos, especially of my favorite car.

Rode the RGZ during a snowstorm from Denver to Salt Lake City and back next day in brilliant sunshine. Fantastic table settings and food was absolutely excellent and trains ran on time. Spent both rides in Dome and Diner, all photos lost in forest fire in 2012.


SuperChiefDon

TRIED MY FIRST TROUT IN THE CAR BECAUSE Y'AL SAID TO, AS WEE LAD

Thank you for sharing the images ...

What an elegant way to travel ...

Odyssey
Evergreen, CO

(born in 1948, so I can appreciate
the car's history ... unfortunately
never got the chance to experience
the "experience")

I've heard tell that the center sill crack was known about by D&RGW and they nursed it along for a number of years like that. I believe it was for that reason that D&RGW bought ex-UP dining car #4801 (Now at Colorado Rail Museum) in 1979 to fill in for Silver Banquet when necessary. I believe one or more of the well-known passenger car rebuilders later perfected a fix for cracked Budd center sills, but Silver Banquet was gone by then. I wonder if any of the interior fittings got saved.

They bought the UP diner after a fire think granby FD put out too, may have been part of same deal.

The last westbound Rio Grande Zephyr attacks the blizzard at Plainview in March, 1983. I don't have the date, but I know it was a Thursday. I had ridden to SLC and back on Mon-Tue. Wed was the off-day for the RGZ. I went up to see it on Thurs before heading back to Chama. I later heard the Thistle Slide came down that night, trapping the train in SLC. The train was dead headed over the UP to Denver and finished out it schedule running Denver-Grand Jct.

I should amend my caption to say this was the last RGZ to run all the way from Denver to Salt Lake City.....

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