While I was looking at slides the other day, I noticed this one. While I worked at Amtrak during the 1980's, I often took my cameras with me. Every chance I got, I photographed the trains and scenery I encountered. In this scene, Amtrak Train #5/25/35, the combined California Zephyr/Pioneer/Desert Wind glides along the infant Colorado River west of Fraser, CO. The train is traveling on the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad, which hosts the trains between Denver, CO and Salt Lake City, UT. At SLC, the train split into three sections--#25 to Seattle, WA; #35 to Los Angeles; and #5, which went to Oakland, CA. I was the sleeping car attendant in the 0532 sleeper, the second of two Oakland sleeping cars.
Depicts Amtrak's "Pioneer" service, which operated from Denver to Seattle, via Salt Lake City and Boise. The route was discontinued in 1997, thus leaving most of the upper Intermountain region without passenger rail service since.
Depicts Amtrak's "Desert Wind" service, which operated from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City, via Las Vegas. Its discontinuance in 1997 left the lower Intermountain region, including Las Vegas, without any passenger rail service since.
