Private varnish on the back of the California Zephyr is in full homage and returns to home rails and in the most splendid locations on the eastern slope of the Great Divide along the Moffat Tunnel Route. Surely what these Budd standard dome cars were built for, dreamed up in Glenwood Canyon by a GM exec and scheduled for scenery; the California Zephyr was America’s Most Talked About Train.
A Symphony in Stainless Steel, ex-Chicago Burlington & Quincy, California Zephyr “Silver Solarium” complete with lit neon California Zephyr drumhead and 10/6 sleeper and CZ dome coach bring up the rear of Amtrak 5 on this glorious of early winter mornings on the hill. If only a 4 stripe set of PA’s in Rio Grande were leading. This was 2016, not 1949 or 1973, check that box, bucket list item fulfillment, I can quite now.