Silver Dreams 

I became aware of the legendary streamliner while reading a prototype article authored by Jim Boyd in Railroad Model Craftsman during 1974.  By the time I found and digested Ron Zimmerman's "The Story Of The California Zephyr" and Ted Benson's "Portrait Of A Silver Lady" I was a frothing "Zephyr" fan. 

October of 1978. I take my first big circle trip by train: Amtrak's Coast Starlight from San Jose to Portland, Oregon;  then the  Pioneer to Ogden, UT for a connection with the San Francisco Zephyr; ride the SFZ across Wyoming to Denver then detrain for a date with the last surviving remnant of the mighty CZ: The Rio Grande Zephyr. 

My circle would complete by riding the entire RGZ route from Denver to Salt Lake City where I catch the dedicated limo connection back to Ogden for thelate night arrival of the westbound SFZ. This started an almost annual trek to Colorado for a chance to ride what quickly became my favorite train. And it didn't take me long to realize that the RGZ was not the last remnant of the CZ. This Zephyr had a life all its own; a unique personality molded by its route, ride, crew and most of all, the diverse but loyal passengers that rode in increasing numbers six days a week, 52 weeks a year. 

Now fast forward to December 31, 1981. Jon Pullman Porter and myself have driven across the frozen wastes of Nevada and Utah during a winter break from our respective jobs in order to get to Colorado on a day the westbound RGZ would depart Denver. The early morning hours of that chilly December morning found us at DUT photographing the line-up of icy Silver cars and noting the consist we would be chasing up the Front Range. 
 

DRGW 5365 drifts downgrade at Leyden

Finally we packed up ten minutes before No. 17's departure and scurried to our first photo stop at Leyden where a headlight grew larger from behind us. Drifting almost silently off the Front Range was a coal extra with T-2 5365 on the point and a pair of units braking on the rear. 

A cold twenty minutes later we saw our Silver and Aspen joy climbing steadily up grade towards us, a light stream of exhaust pushing out the stacks of all three diesels. With motordrives whirring we knocked off a great series of photos before speeding to the classic location of Plainview for another series of incredible photos of what had to have been at the time, America's most beautiul passenger train. 

For the balance of our long trip home, nothing could beat our heady experience of the The Rio Grande Zephyr at Plainview. 

- Ken Rattenne