What became America's sweetheart as a holdout from joining Amtrak, D&RGW's westbound "Rio Grande Zephyr" was just doing its thing delighting passengers in remote and rugged Gore Canyon, Colo. on June 9, 1980. The D&RGW and RGZ followed the Colorado River for 238 miles, the longest any railroad in the U.S. follows the same river in a scene as Rocky Mountain as it gets. You can ride the route today on successor Amtrak's "California Zephyr."
A remnant of the original California Zephyr, this train offered great dining and many as five Vista-Dome cars for viewing the Rocky Mountain Scenery. It was the last train to be replaced by Amtrak.
