Streamliners
With their colorful livery and sleek, air-streamed outlines, the stunning streamliners left an indelible stamp of glamor on the great age of rail.
Rio Grande Zephyr: Main Line Thru the Rockies
Rio Grande Zephyr: Main Line Thru the Rockies
The Rio Grande Zephyr held on to its independence from 1970 until 1983, keeping alive the legacy of the California Zephyr, as Amtrack was getting started. With connections at either end in Denver and Ogden, Utah, it traversed majestic mountain ranges and deserts making train travel over the spine of the Rockies both beautiful and luxurious.
The route is shown in three parts:
Zephyr on the Front Range: The Rio Grande Zephyr climbs 4000 feet in 49 miles, boring through 28 tunnels on its journey from Denver up the sheer eastern escarpment of the Rockies to the Moffat Tunnel.
Zephyr in the Canyons: From the Moffat Tunnel, the Rio Grande Zephyr rumbles westward through Gore Canyon, along the Colorado River down Glenwood Canyon and De Beque Canyon. Hear the echoes of the whistle rebound between 1000 foot vertical canyon walls.
Zephyr in the Wasatch: The Rio Grande Zephyr departs Ogden on the eastbound run. Trackside and on-board shots alternate as the train climbs up Spanish Fork Canyon, winds over Soldier Summit, down Price River Canyon and across the desert as the setting sun lights the red canyon walls.
33 minutes