View source for Rio Grande Zephyr

{{Short description|Former American passenger train}}
{{use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Infobox rail service
| box_width       = 
| name            = ''Rio Grande Zephyr''
| logo            = 
| logo_width      = 
| image           = Rio Grande Zephyr in 1983.jpg
| image_width     = 300px
| caption         = ''Rio Grande Zephyr'' in April 1983
| type            = [[Inter-city rail]]
| status          = Discontinued
| locale          = [[Western United States]]
| predecessor     = ''[[California Zephyr (1949–1970)|California Zephyr]]''
| first           = {{Start date and age|1970}}
| last            = {{End date and age|1983|04|24}}
| successor       = ''[[California Zephyr]]''
| operator        = 
| formeroperator  = [[Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad]]
| ridership       = 
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| start           = [[Denver, Colorado]]
| stops           = 
| end             = [[Ogden, Utah]]
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| map             = {{Rio Grande Zephyr}}
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The '''''Rio Grande Zephyr''''' was a [[passenger train]] operated by [[Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad]] (D&RGW or Rio Grande) between [[Denver, Colorado]] and [[Ogden, Utah]] from 1970 until 1983. In operation after the creation of publicly-funded [[Amtrak]], the ''Rio Grande Zephyr'' was the last privately-operated interstate passenger train in the [[United States]].<ref name=sumsion/>

==History==
The train was a remnant of the original ''[[California Zephyr (1949–1970)|California Zephyr]]'', which was jointly operated by the [[Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad]], [[Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad]], and [[Western Pacific Railroad]].<ref name=SmithUPI>{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Brad |title=Last privately owned U.S. passenger train, the Rio Grande Zephyr, joins Amtrak Monday |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/04/21/Last-privately-owned-US-passenger-train-the-Rio-Grande-Zephyr-joins-Amtrak-Monday/1791419749200/ |access-date=11 July 2023 |work=[[United Press International]] |date=April 21, 1983}}</ref> This iteration of the ''Zephyr'' ended operations on March{{nbsp}}22, 1970, when the Western Pacific discontinued its portion.

The ''Rio Grande Zephyr'' commenced operation using the D&RGW's portion of the ''California Zephyr'' route from [[Denver, Colorado]] to [[Salt Lake City, Utah]].  The route was extended to [[Ogden, Utah]] to allow for California-bound passengers to connect to the ''[[City of San Francisco (train)|City of San Francisco]]'' and later the ''[[San Francisco Zephyr]]'', which did not serve Salt Lake City.  The ''Rio Grande Zephyr'' used mostly the same equipment and staff as was formerly used for the ''California Zephyr''. Since the train was no longer an overnight affair, sleeping cars and a full baggage car were not required. The D&RGW sold its sleepers to the [[Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México]], while their one baggage car was sold to the [[Algoma Central Railway]] in Canada.

[[Amtrak]] planned to resume operation of the original ''California Zephyr'' on May{{nbsp}}1, 1971. The D&RGW and Amtrak could not come to terms over a contract agreement,<ref name=SmithUPI /> however, and, just four days before Amtrak began operations, [[Union Pacific]]'s [[Overland Route (Union Pacific Railroad)|Overland Route]] was substituted for the Rio Grande's [[Moffat Tunnel Route]]. The Amtrak service was initially named the ''San Francisco Zephyr'', as the route combined portions of the routes of the former ''California Zephyr'' and the ''City of San Francisco'' trains. 
[[File:Rio Grande Zephyr in Glenwood Canyon 1975.jpg|thumb|Rio Grande Zephyr in [[Glenwood Canyon]], 1975]]

For twelve years, the ''Rio Grande Zephyr'' operated three days a week in each direction. It never operated on Wednesday. In 1983, the D&RGW reversed its earlier opposition and elected to join Amtrak, citing increasing losses in passenger operations.<ref name=SmithUPI /> Amtrak re-routed the ''San Francisco Zephyr'' over the D&RGW's main line between Denver and [[Salt Lake City, Utah]], which had been the original preferred route in 1971.<ref name=SmithUPI /> The change was initially scheduled for April{{nbsp}}25, but a [[mudslide]] at [[Thistle, Utah]] closed the D&RGW's main line and delayed the change until July{{nbsp}}16. While the Utah portion of the line was closed, the ''Rio Grande Zephyr'' continued to operate on a truncated route between Denver and [[Grand Junction, Colorado]] until the train was discontinued on April{{nbsp}}24, 1983.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Schmidt |first1=William E. |title=RAIL BUFFS BID ADIEU TO RIO GRANDE ZEPHYR |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/04/24/us/rail-buffs-bid-adieu-to-rio-grande-zephyr.html |access-date=11 July 2023 |agency=[[New York Times]] |date=April 24, 1983}}</ref><ref name=sumsion>{{cite book |last = Sumsion |first = Oneita Burnside|title = Thistle – Focus on Disaster|year = 1983 |publisher = Art City Publishing Company|isbn=0-936860-14-6|pages=73–75}}</ref> After the D&RGW tracks were re-opened, Amtrak revived the ''[[California Zephyr]]'' name.<ref>{{cite news | title=Scenic route to be taken by Amtrak | newspaper=[[Eugene Register-Guard]] | date=March 17, 1983 | access-date=2010-09-12 | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1MoTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QOIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3725,3891013&dq=san-francisco-zephyr&hl=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title=Last passenger trains rolling across Wyoming | newspaper=[[Spokesman-Review]] | date=July 13, 1983 | access-date=2010-09-12 | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6OsRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=re4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=7126,6604371&dq=san-francisco-zephyr&hl=en}}</ref>

The modern ''[[California Zephyr]]'' uses the route of the ''Rio Grande Zephyr'' from Denver to Salt Lake City; service to Ogden was discontinued. Intercity rail service between Salt Lake City and Ogden was still available via the ''[[Desert Wind]]'' and ''[[Pioneer (Amtrak)|Pioneer]]'' passenger trains until these were discontinued in 1997. Passenger rail service between Ogden and Salt Lake City was restored in April 2008 with the startup of ''[[FrontRunner]]'' commuter trains.

==Equipment used==
{{no sources section|date=July 2023}}
[[File:Rio Grande Zephyr Silver Sky 1983.jpg|thumb|''Silver Sky'' on one of the last ''Rio Grande Zephyr'' runs in 1983]]
The equipment used when the ''Rio Grande Zephyr'' began service was as follows:
* [[EMD F9|EMD F9 locomotives]] (A-B or A-B-B) F-9A 5771, F-9B's 5762 and 5763
* [[Steam generator car]] rebuilt from an [[ALCO PA|ALCo PB1]] 252 or 253
* [[Combine car|Combine 1230 or 1231]]
* [[Coach (rail)|Coach]] &ndash; ''Silver Aspen''
* Coach - ''Silver Pine''
* [[Dome car|Vista-Dome]] Coach &ndash; ''Silver Bronco''
* Vista-Dome chair car &ndash; ''Silver Pony''
* Vista-Dome chair car &ndash; ''Silver Colt''
* Vista-Dome chair car &ndash; ''Silver Mustang''
* Vista-Dome dormitory-buffet-[[lounge car]] &ndash; ''Silver Shop''
* [[Dining car|Diner]] (48 seats) &ndash; ''Silver Banquet''
* Vista-Dome buffet-lounge-[[Observation car|observation]] &ndash; ''Silver Sky''

The combine, dome coach(es), [[dome lounge]] or diner, and dome-lounge-observation were always in the consist. The size and configuration of the train varied daily based on the number of tickets sold. All cars carried the prefix ''Silver'' in their name, a holdover from their days in ''California Zephyr'' service. ''Silver Aspen'' and ''Silver Pine'' were rebuilt in 1962–1963 from 16-section [[sleeping car]]s.

After the train was discontinued, several ''Silver'' cars were transferred to Amtrak, as other railroads had done at Amtrak's inception. However, by this time Amtrak was moving to retire its older, inherited railcars. These cars are referred to as its [[Heritage Fleet (Amtrak)|Heritage Fleet]].  As a result, the ex-''Rio Grande Zephyr'' cars were never used in regular revenue service for Amtrak.  The cars sent to Amtrak were dome coaches ''Silver Colt'', ''Silver Mustang'' and ''Silver Pony'', flat-top coaches ''Silver Aspen'' and ''Silver Pine'', and dining car ''Silver Banquet''.  Unfortunately, due to a center sill crack in ''Silver Banquet''{{'}}s frame, the car was soon scrapped.

In 1987, dome-buffet-dorm ''Silver Shop'' and dome-observation ''Silver Sky'' were traded to [[Via Rail Canada]] as part of a deal to re-equip the Rio Grande ''[[Ski Train]]'' with ex-Via ''Tempo'' cars. They were never operated by VIA.  ''Silver Sky'' was sold in 2004 and ''Silver Shop'' was sold in 2006.  ''Silver Sky'' is stored in [[Saginaw, Michigan]]

Dome-coach ''Silver Bronco'' was retained by the D&RGW, subsequently becoming the property of the railroad's parent company Ansco. In 2006, the ''Silver Bronco'' was sold by Ansco, becoming the last car built for the ''California Zephyr'' to pass into private ownership after spending all of its 57 years with the Rio Grande.

==Communities served==

From east to west, the communities with regular station stops on this train were:

* [[Denver, Colorado]]
* [[Granby, Colorado]]
* [[Bond, Colorado]]
* [[Glenwood Springs, Colorado]]
* [[Rifle, Colorado]]
* [[Grand Junction, Colorado]]
* [[Thompson Springs, Utah]]
* [[Green River, Utah]]
* [[Price, Utah]]
* [[Helper, Utah]]
* [[Provo, Utah]]
* [[Salt Lake City, Utah]]
* [[Ogden, Utah]] (A bus service eventually replaced the Salt Lake City–Ogden portion)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |author=Zimmermann, Karl R.| year=1972 |title=The Story of the California Zephyr |publisher=Quadrant Press |place=New York, NY |asin=B0010QH1FK}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://calzephyr.railfan.net/ ''California Zephyr'' on Railfan.net]
* [http://www.californiazephyr.org/ ''California Zephyr'' Online Museum]

{{DRGW named trains}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Named passenger trains of the United States]]
[[Category:Passenger trains of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad]]
[[Category:Railway services introduced in 1970]]
[[Category:Night trains of the United States]]
[[Category:Railway services discontinued in 1983]]