A Rio Grande Train at the Moffat Tunnel

A Rio Grande train hustles towards Denver.  Shortly it will enter the Moffat Tunnel.  Its brightly painted freight cars advertise the slogan "The Action Road."
Rio Grande remains a favorite of railroad enthusiasts today.  Its scenic crossing of the Rocky Mountains via Rollins Pass and the Moffat Tunnel has been treasured for many years.  This route, part of the original California Zephyr, remains today as one of the most scenic stretches of today's Amtrak California Zephyr.

Rio Grande and the California Zephyr

Rio Grande was the "Mainline Thru the Rockies". Its direct route between Salt Lake City and Denver connected Midwestern and West Coast railroads.  

Rio Grande operated the famous California Zephyr with the Western Pacific and Chicago Burlington and Quincy. Amtrak's California Zephyr operates over Union Pacific's former Rio Grande trackage from Salt Lake City to Denver.

Watching a BNSF Freight at Denver Reminds Me of the Legacy of the California Zephyr

It is very inspiring when I sit in the Amtrak lounge car and watch America's trains pass by the window as I draw.  Here, as I head west on the California Zephyr, I watch a BNSF intermodal train just outside of Denver Union Station.

As our California Zephyr heads into Denver, we have been traveling over BNSF's former Chicago Burlington and Quincy mainline from Chicago.  Today's Amtrak California Zephyr is rooted in the history of the Chicago Burlington and Quincy which, together with the Rio Grande and Western Pacific railroads, first ran the California Zephyr.  From Denver, we will be traveling west on the tracks of the former Rio Grande, which today are owned by Union Pacific.

Rio Grande-Mainline Thru The Rockies

Rio Grande connected Salt Lake City and Denver and was known for its fast, reliable route that traversed the Rocky Mountains.  The railroad earned the slogan "Mainline Thru the Rockies."