Nostalgia & History > Rio Grande ski train (heavyweight) at Denver -- Feb 75

(1) An impressive train led by GP40-2 3097 (only 3 years old and ran till 2005) is almost ready to depart Denver Union Station on a very busy morning.
This was one of four steam heated trains at the station that morning.
The Rio Grande Zephyr then a UP special with 8444 would depart.
Later the steam heated San Francisco Zephyr would arrive.
It was almost like the old days.

(2) Steam generator 251 had an interesting history.
Rebuilt in 1953 from a steam tender (from 4-6-6-4 3709) its steam generator was taken from FT units.
Retired in 1987.

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(3-6) Nine ex-Northern Pacific heavyweight cars (built by Pullman in 1915) topped the impressive consist. There was also a lightweight combine which unfortunately I didn't get a shot of.

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(7) Close to departure time as the UP excursion consist is moving in on the right.

(8) The ski train departs as almost no one is looking.
Its heavyweight cars - they won't be around forever!
Anyway, I really enjoyed seeing them.

Gary



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/07/18 05:41 by gcm.

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Great series of photo's and 3097 still had the Rio Grande lettering on the nose.

Thanks for sharing, Jim Fitch

kodak sold a few rolls for that day

That last image is classic. The people look like they think something would be around "forever"?
Bob

Forgetting the Ski Train for a moment, the old views around the station with the umbrella sheds and viaducts in place
are priceless!

The combine looks strange in all silver. It was done that way to match the RGZ cars, but was later repainted to orange on top.

or was it , here it is for sale still in silver currently

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Looks pretty decent.  IIRC, the other combine had some odd looking large boxy conduit on the roof.

Cheers, Jim

dan Wrote:
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> or was it , here it is for sale still in silver
> currently

That combine was painted silver sometime roughly in the mid-1990's to appear in a movie with other silver painted cars after it was sold to a private party and moved to Southern CA.