Rio Grande EMD GP40 No. 3079 leads Amtrak’s westbound California Zephyr at the station stop at Grand Junction, Colorado, on February 25, 1988. Because of the large length of the Zephyr in this era, Rio Grande frequently added a GP40/GP40-2 to expedite the train over the railroad. Today, on the rear of the train is business car No. 100, the “Kansas,” freshly-renamed from “Wilson McCarthy” in 1987, further justifying the freight motor, dirt and grime notwithstanding.
